What follows is the hilarious report of Tony's adventures mainly in Moldova, with a visit in Northern Ireland (where the football team has a match that would give Tony the opportunity to challenge some players he hadn't met yet.) and an exciting trip to Nazareth where things seem to go wrong for Tony... This book takes place in Moldova and is one of the books representing Eastern Europe/Former Soviet Union on my list Seven Continents of Books- Once in Moldova, things don’t go a great deal better. It takes Tony a lot of time to even get the first game going, as the pace and quality of life in Moldova is such that even football players don’t just drop what they’re doing and enjoy a frivolous game of tennis. Indeed, it’s a place where there are no manhole covers, no street lighting and quite often not enough money to pay proper salaries to doctors and medical staff. Added to Tony’s woes are that very few people speak English at all, much less good English. And the ones that he can speak to and explain the nature of his visit to Moldova all think he’s insane.

Playing the Moldovans at Tennis | movie | 2012 | Official Playing the Moldovans at Tennis | movie | 2012 | Official

Key details Genre Film Released 2012 Stars Tony Hawks, Anatol Durbala, Stephen Frost, Igor Babiac, Ana Chirita, Silvia Luca, Viorel Cornescu, Ina Surdu and more Writer Tony Hawks Directors Tony Hawks and Mikolaj Jaroszewicz Producers Mikolaj Jaroszewicz and Tony Hawks Company It’s an entirely new challenge to going to Ireland and wandering around with a fridge. For one thing, Tony isn’t even sure where Moldova is, much less what language they speak there. And for another, even getting to Moldova is quite a process and one that, in Tony’s case, involves going to Liverpool to meet a Beatles tribute band. Not quite how you’d expect a Moldovan odyssey to start, but that’s how things had to be done. This immensely readable account, enriched with moments of true hilarity is, quite honestly, a bit of a gem" ( Living Abroad Magazine)The distribution model for this film seems largely to be via internet streaming. There appears to be a tour from Tony Hawks of the film and a very limited cinema release. I personally don't believe that the film is anywhere strong enough for a wider cinema release. A good part of the humour of the book is based on the clash of culture between an over-optimistic Englishman and a local population who seem to be a bit reserved and not particularly surprised about Tony's plan. In a country where almost everyone is focused on surviving the next day, that is probably not surprising. (The book was published in 2000, but things have not changed a lot and Moldova is still the poorest country in Europe.) Peter Moore is another example of similar literature, though perhaps one of the best ones is Daniel Kalder's Lost Cosmonaut: Observations of an Anti-Tourist. Este aici și Iulian, cel cu „maniere elegante și cu o față plăcută când zâmbea”. Și Emil, pe atunci George Harrison în trupa „The Flying Postmen”. Și Leonid, ziaristul sportiv care „părea să posede cunoștințe enciclopedice despre fotbalul din Moldova”. Hawks's comedic talent comes across well in the written form...he has a breezy, witty style that makes the book extremely enjoyable...Hawks is not only a crazy comic but a keen observer of the human experience.” — The San Francisco Chronicle

Playing the Moldovans at Tennis - The Movie Database (TMDB) Playing the Moldovans at Tennis - The Movie Database (TMDB)

Comedian Tony Hawks challenges to individual tennis matches all 11 of the Moldovan footballers who lost to England, 4-0.So, to fill the time in trying to find Moldovan footballers and force them to play tennis against him, Tony sees some of the country. He visits some gypsies and presents their King, Arthur, with a somewhat predictable gift. He meets who he believes to be the Chief of Police and gets to know the Moldovan family he is staying with a little better, even if he does have to resort to some unfortunate miming to get an important point across. Tony believes the task will be relatively easy and has a cunning plan to use the adventure as material for a next book. However, upon arriving in the former Soviet Republic of Moldova, he discovers the task will be more challenging than expected, as he encounters uncooperative football managers, gangsters, corruption and poverty. Dar e bine că măcar ceva s-a schimbat. „Mi se părea că întunericul era mai întunecat aici, în Moldova”. Sau nu?