Annual British sports literary award
Award
The William Hill Sports Book of the Year is an annual British sports writing award sponsored by bookmaker William Hill . It was first presented in 1989, and was conceived by Graham Sharpe of William Hill, and John Gaustad, founder of the Sports Pages bookshop. As of 2020, the remuneration is £30,000, and a leather-bound copy of their book. Each of the shortlisted authors receives £3,000.
Commenting on the prize, the 2005 winner Gary Imlach said "although it is a sports book prize, it has the prestige and the commercial clout to lift the winning book out of the sport section".
As of 2020, the judging panel is chaired by Alyson Rudd and includes retired professional footballer and former chairman of the Professional Footballer’s Association, Clarke Carlisle ; five-time Olympic medallist and rower Dame Katherine Grainger ; broadcaster and writer John Inverdale ; broadcaster Danny Kelly and journalist and broadcaster Mark Lawson .
History
Paul Kimmage was the first author to win both the Irish (2011) and International awards (1990).
In 2010, Duncan Hamilton , a winner twice in the previous three years, was again included in the shortlist, although on this occasion, when the award was announced on 30 November in London, the prize was won by Brian Moore , the former England rugby union international, for his autobiography, Beware of the Dog .
In 2011, there was a "surprise inclusion" to the shortlist of Engage: The Fall and Rise of Matt Hampson , a biography of quadriplegic Matt Hampson , by 1990 winner Paul Kimmage , despite it not being included on the longlist. The shortlist also included a book on bullfighting , Into The Arena: The World of the Spanish Bullfight by Alexander Fiske-Harrison , despite journalists including Fiske-Harrison himself arguing that bullfighting was not a sport, leading to the employment of security for the first time at the ceremony at Waterstones of Piccadilly . In the end the prize went to A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke , about Robert Enke who committed suicide, by Ronald Reng.[citation needed ]
Duncan Hamilton is the only author to have won the award three times, first in 2007, second in 2009 and most recently in 2019. Boxing author Donald McRae has twice won the award, in 1996 and 2002.
Winners
Winners of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
Year
Title
Author(s)
Featured subject(s)
Featured sport
Ref(s)
1989
True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny
Dan Topolski , Patrick Robinson
The Boat Race
Rowing
1990
Rough Ride: An Insight into Pro Cycling
Paul Kimmage
Paul Kimmage
Cycling
1991
Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times
Thomas Hauser
Muhammad Ali
Boxing
1992
Fever Pitch: A Fan's Life
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby
Football
1993
Endless Winter: The Inside Story of the Rugby Revolution
Stephen Jones
Rugby union
Rugby union
1994
Football Against the Enemy
Simon Kuper
Football
Football
1995
A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour
John Feinstein
PGA Tour
Golf
1996
Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing
Donald McRae
Boxing
Boxing
1997
A Lot of Hard Yakka: Cricketing Life on the County Circuit
Simon Hughes
Simon Hughes
Cricket
1998
Angry White Pyjamas: An Oxford Poet Trains with the Tokyo Riot Police
Robert Twigger
Robert Twigger
Aikido
1999
A Social History of English Cricket
Derek Birley
Cricket
Cricket
2000
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
Lance Armstrong , Sally Jenkins
Lance Armstrong
Cycling
2001
Seabiscuit: The True Story of Three Men and a Racehorse
Laura Hillenbrand
Seabiscuit
Horse racing
2002
In Black and White: The Untold Story of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens
Donald McRae
Joe Louis , Jesse Owens
Athletics , Boxing
2003
Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football
Tom Bower
Football
Football
2004
Basil D'Oliveira: Cricket and Conspiracy: the Untold Story
Peter Oborne
Basil D'Oliveira
Cricket
2005
My Father & Other Working Class Football Heroes
Gary Imlach
Stewart Imlach
Football
2006
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Geoffrey Ward
Jack Johnson
Boxing
2007
Provided You Don't Kiss Me: 20 Years With Brian Clough
Duncan Hamilton
Brian Clough
Football
2008
Coming Back to Me: The Autobiography of Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick , Peter Hayter
Marcus Trescothick
Cricket
2009
Harold Larwood
Duncan Hamilton
Harold Larwood
Cricket
2010
Beware of the Dog: Rugby's Hard Man Reveals All
Brian Moore
Brian Moore
Rugby union
2011
A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke
Ronald Reng
Robert Enke
Football
2012
The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs
Tyler Hamilton , Daniel Coyle
Tyler Hamilton , Lance Armstrong
Cycling
2013
Doped: The Real Life Story of the 1960s Racehorse Doping Gang
Jamie Reid
William Roper, Micheline Lugeon
Horse racing
[citation needed ]
2014
Night Games: Sex, Power and a Journey into the Dark Heart of Sport
Anna Krien
"Justin Dyer"
Australian rules football
2015
The Game of Our Lives: The Meaning and Making of English Football
David Goldblatt
Football
Football
2016
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life
William Finnegan
William Finnegan
Surfing
2017
Tom Simpson: Bird on the Wire
Andy McGrath
Tom Simpson
Cycling
2018
A Boy in The Water
Tom Gregory
Tom Gregory
Long-distance swimming
2018
The Lost Soul of Eamonn Magee
Paul D. Gibson
Eamonn Magee
Boxing
2019
The Great Romantic: Cricket and the Golden Age of Neville Cardus
Duncan Hamilton
Neville Cardus
Cricket
2020
The Rodchenkov Affair: How I Brought Down Russia's Secret Doping Empire
Grigory Rodchenkov
Doping in Russia
Olympic Games
2021
Why We Kneel, How We Rise
Michael Holding
Black Lives Matter
Athletics , cricket , etc.
2022
Beryl: In Search of Britain's Greatest Athlete
Jeremy Wilson
Beryl Burton
Cycling
2023
Good For a Girl
Lauren Fleshman
Lauren Fleshman
Athletics
References
^ Wyatt, Neal (2007). The Readers' Advisory Guide to Nonfiction . ALA Editions. p. 118.
^ Natasha Onwuemezi (8 June 2016). "William Hill Sports Award founder Gaustad dies" . The Bookseller . Retrieved 20 September 2021 .
^ a b "William Hill Sports Book Of The Year" . William Hill Sports Book Of The Year : William Hill News . 27 October 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021 .
^ "William Hill Sports Book of the Year" . The Times . 21 November 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012 .(subscription required)
^ Staff writer (12 August 2011). " 'Engage' takes top Irish sports book award for Hampson and Kimmage" . The Score . Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ "From Agassi to Nazi, via "gonzo": prize's mixed bag « Sports Journalists' Association" . Sportsjournalists.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2011 .
^ "Moore's raw autobiography takes Bookies' Prize" . Sportsjournalists.co.uk. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2011 .
^ Neill, Graeme (31 October 2011). "Kimmage surprise entry on William Hill shortlist" . The Bookseller. Retrieved 26 December 2012 .
^ "William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award winner to be announced" . The Guardian . London. 28 November 2011.
^ Fiske-Harrison, Alexander (25 November 2011). "To the Spanish bullfighting is much more than a sport" . The Daily Telegraph . London.
^ "Duncan Hamilton wins William Hill Sports Book of the Year for third time" . the Guardian . 5 December 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2021 .
^ "Two-time winners Mcrae and Hamilton on William Hill Sports Book of the Year longlist | The Bookseller" . www.thebookseller.com . Retrieved 4 January 2021 .
^ Baker, Andrew (6 April 2007). "When mutineers hit the Thames" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ Farrand, Stephen (8 November 2010). "Paul Kimmage: 20 years on from Rough Ride" . Cycling News . Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ Hauser, Thomas (4 September 2005). "The unforgiven" . The Guardian . Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ "Nick Hornby" . British Council. Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ Cleary, Mick (21 December 2000). "A touch of Wordsworth, a blast of Springsteen" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ "Doing their talking off the pitch" . The Irish Times . 5 May 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2012 . Subscription required.
^ "Feinstein wins the top award" . The Independent . 23 November 1995. Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ "Donald McRae: About the author" . Harper Collins. Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ Llewellyn, David (25 November 1998). "Today's Runners And Writers: The Six Shortlisted For The William Hill Sports Book Of The Year" . The Independent . Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ "Simon Hughes" . ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ Wallace, Sam (8 November 2001). "Tokyo's riot police ill-prepared for `anarchic potential' of England fans" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 December 2012 .
^ Lazard, Nicholas (26 July 2003). "Ah, the thwack of willow on leather" . The Guardian . Retrieved 26 December 2012 .
^ "Tour de France drugs exposé wins William Hill" . The Daily Telegraph . 26 November 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2012 .
^ "Seabiscuit wins by a short head" . The Guardian . 27 November 2001. Retrieved 26 December 2012 .
^ "Top 50 sports books: The countdown: 26-50" . The Observer . 8 May 2005. Retrieved 26 December 2012 .
^ "S&S lands Hill double." The Bookseller , 28 November 2003: 6. General OneFile . Retrieved 28 November 2012.
^ "Book on D'Oliveira wins award" . BBC News . 29 November 2004. Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Weaver, Paul (21 November 2005). "Tale of injustice that prompted a son to shine" . The Guardian . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ "Johnson biog named book of year" . BBC News . 27 November 2006. Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Baker, Andrew (28 November 2006). "Johnson's tale floors five rivals" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Simon Redfern (9 December 2007). "Provided You Don't Kiss Me, by Duncan Hamilton" . The Independent . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Dugdale, John (28 November 2007). "The week in books" . The Guardian . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Baker, Andrew (24 November 2008). "Marcus Trescothick autobiography wins William Hill Sports Book of the Year award" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Baker, Andrew (26 November 2009). "Duncan Hamilton wins William Hill Book of the Year Award for Harold Larwood biography" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ "Harold Larwood biography wins William Hill prize for Hamilton" . The Guardian . 26 November 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ "Former British Lions hooker Brian Moore wins sports book of the year" . The Guardian . 30 November 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Briggs, Simon (30 November 2010). "Telegraph Sport columnist Brian Moore wins William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award for Beware of the Dog" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Bagchi, Rob (28 November 2011). "Eloquent and sensitive story does justice to Robert Enke and his illness" . The Guardian . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Briggs, Simon (28 November 2011). "Ronaldo Reng's biography of German goalkeeper Robert Enke 'A Life Too Short' named Sports Book of the Year" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Ingle, Sean (26 November 2012). "The Secret Race wins William Hill Sports Book of the Year for 2012" . The Guardian . Retrieved 26 November 2012 .
^ Dugdale, John (27 November 2014). "Anna Krien's Night Games wins sports book of the year prize" . The Guardian . Retrieved 10 December 2014 .
^ Dugdale, John (27 November 2015). "Sports book of the year brings ray of sunshine to the William Hill prize" . The Guardian . Retrieved 3 March 2016 .
^ "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life wins 28th William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award" . William Hill. 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2018 .
^ Sharpe, Graham (29 November 2017). "Andy McGrath's 'Tom Simpson: Bird on the Wire' wins 2017 William Hill Sports Book of the Year" . SBC News . Retrieved 27 November 2018 .
^ a b Ingle, Sean (27 November 2018). "William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize shared for first time in 30 years" . The Guardian . Retrieved 27 November 2018 .
^ Briggs, Simon (6 December 2019). "Neville Cardus's spirit oversees Duncan Hamilton's third William Hill Sports Book of the Year" . Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 8 December 2019 .
^ "William Hill Sports Book of the Year: 2020 Winner Announced" . williamhill.com . 3 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020 .
^ "The William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2021 Winner" . Waterstones . 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021 .
^ "William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2022 Winner" . William Hill. 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2023 .
^ "William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2023 Winner" . William Hill. 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023 .