Victoria Pendleton, Duncan Hamilton, Jonny Wilkinson and Comedian Miles Jupp in the running for the World’s richest Sports Book prize.
LONGLIST OF ‘BOOKIE PRIZE’ REVEALED
British cycling’s golden girl Victoria Pendleton has been longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2012 - the most prestigious prize of its kind - for Between The Lines, an autobiography co-authored by Donald McRae, already a two-time winner of the award (in 1996 and 2002).
Another William Hill veteran on the longlist is Duncan Hamilton, winner of the award in 2007 and 2009, who has been nominated again this year for The Footballer Who Could Fly, which charts the progress of post-war British football and explores the bond between father and son forged through the Beautiful Game. If either McRae or Hamilton go on to win, they will make history by becoming the first writer to win the award three times.
Other longlist titles include: Fibber in the Heat by comedian Miles Jupp, which follows The Thick of It star as he bluffs his way into the press corps during England’s Test series in India; Jonny: My Autobiography, in which rugby star Jonny Wilkinson reveals the extraordinary psychology that he learned to tame in order to dominate his sport; and Be Careful What You Wish For, the story of Simon Jordan, the life-long Crystal Palace fan who bought the club with his self-made millions, only to lose nigh on everything when it went into administration in 2010.
Now in its 24th year, this year’s 14-strong longlist covers a range of sports, including running, football, cycling, rugby, TT racing and cricket. This year also sees the inclusion of the first ever titles about squash, swimming and Iron Man races. |
