In keeping with our sporting theme this morning the winner of the 2009 William Hill Sports Book of the Year was announced earlier today in London.
Duncan Hamilton edged out a great shortlist to his second title this time for his biography of cricketer Harold Larwood: The Authorised Biography Of The World’s Fastest Bowler.
Emerging victorious from a record number of entries (152), Hamilton found himself back in pole position just two years after scooping the prize for his universally acclaimed Brian Clough-themed book, As Long As You Don’t Kiss Me.
Published earlier this year to rave reviews, Harold Larwood recounts the triumph, betrayal and redemption of a working-class hero and forgotten titan of English cricket. Using documents provided by Larwood’s family, Hamilton takes the reader on an intimate and compelling journey: from the cricketer’s humble upbringing in a Nottinghamshire mining village, through the shock of “Bodyline” and its traumatic aftermath, to his emigration to Sydney where he and his family found happiness.
The rest of the shortlist included:
Ring of Fire: The inside story of Valentino Rossi and MotoGP by Rick Broadbent
Eclipse: Story of the Rogue, The Madam, The Horse That Changed Racing by Nicholas Clee
Confessions of a Rugby Mercenary by John Daniell
Feet of the Chameleon: The Story of African Football by Ian Hawkey
Simple Goalkeeping Made Spectacular by Graham Joyce