Alles beginnt mit einem langweiligen Fernsehabend, den Hawks mit seinem Freund Arthur verbringt. Das Fußballspiel England gegen Moldawien inspiriert Hawks zu der aberwitzigen Wette, die elf Spieler der moldawischen Nationalmannschaft in ihrer Heimat ausfindig machen und jeden einzelnen von ihnen in einem Tennismatch zu besiegen. Gesagt, getan. Hawks begibt sich auf eine dreiwöchige Reise, in der es vor verrückten Begegnungen, abstrusen Zufällen, Beinahe-Katastrophen, haarsträubenden Irrfahrten und vielen anderen Widrigkeiten nur so wimmelt.

En passant bekommt der Leser subtile Einblicke in die politische Lage des ex-kommunistischen Moldawiens vermittelt, erfährt zusammen mit Tony die eigenwillig-schönen Landschaften des Landes und macht mit dem herben Charme der Moldawier Bekanntschaft. Während sich Tony rumänisch radebrechend und seinen angeborenen Optimismus bis aufs Äußerste strapazierend seinem Ziel nähert, wird der Leser immer tiefer in die temporeich erzählte Geschichte hineingezogen.

Vor allem der staubtrockene Humor, der Sinn für Situationskomik und der Erfindergeist höchst unwahrscheinlicher Plots (Tony landet mit seinem wenig lebenstauglichen Dolmetscher Iulian schließlich in den Fängen eines mafiösen Fußballpräsidenten) machen Matchball in Moldawien zu einem wirklich spritzigen Lesegenuss und einem Reiseführer der ganz besonderen Art. Tony Hawks ist mit seinem Werk, wie man schon jetzt vermuten kann, ein Anschlusstreffer zu seinem Besteller Mit dem Kühlschrank durch Irland gelungen. --Friederike Kaiser

Out of this stupid premise, a ridiculously amusing book was born. Quickly discovered by the Irish media, the thumbing Englishman finds that he and his box fridge are elevated to celebrity status, and there's no dearth of rides, places to stay or goofy people to meet, from kings to spoons players to locals who take his fridge surfing. As insightful about the strange inner workings of Hawk's mind as it is about charming peculiarities of Irishmen--it's doubtful that Hawks would have been similarly embraced by Germans, Italians, or the French--Round Ireland with a Fridge is an entirely silly, heart-warming tale told in a rollicking funny and refreshing style. --Melissa Rossi

Out of this stupid premise, a ridiculously amusing book was born. Quickly discovered by the Irish media, the thumbing Englishman finds that he and his box fridge are elevated to celebrity status, and there's no dearth of rides, places to stay or goofy people to meet, from kings to spoons players to locals who take his fridge surfing. As insightful about the strange inner workings of Hawk's mind as it is about charming peculiarities of Irishmen--it's doubtful that Hawks would have been similarly embraced by Germans, Italians, or the French--Round Ireland with a Fridge is an entirely silly, heart-warming tale told in a rollicking funny and refreshing style. --Melissa Rossi

A hyper-active California brat, who found an outlet for his manic will to win--and an escape from High School bullying--down at the skatepark, little Tony became Hawk, and a pile of competition wins and signature moves later, finds himself knee-deep in endorsement dollars, hurtling round the world on a non-stop lipslide to superstardom. Sounds like fun? Of course it does, but remember, children, Hawk's How to know if you're a skateboarder, rule 5--you wake up in an ambulance with your front teeth missing.

Ligaments are usually torn, or at least a few inches longer than nature intended. I knew one skater who asked his doctor if his ankle should be able to move around "Like this". He then proceeded to bend his ankle to the side, and his ankle bone (that little ball on the side) split in two--his ligament had been torn in half years ago. The doctor started laughing.

There's no doubt that a gradually disintegrating body played some part in his decision to retire from competition--that and the moronic demands of the money men and the legions of fans for whom extreme skateboarding is just the latest MTV thrill, rather than a way of life--but the bottom line according to Hawk is that all the business of being number one was just background noise anyway.

The chronological "Hawk's tricks" directory is a nice touch, and reads like a history of the sport itself, but despite the meaty portion of the book given over to pictures, newcomers will be none the wiser about how he does it. This isn't an instruction book by any means: more of a "why to" than a "how to"--with Hawk strong on the joys of being in the international brotherhood of the board--and seasoned skateboarders will revel in this affirmation. --Alex Hankin