William Hills Sports Book of the Year Winner

The William Hills Sports Book of the Year award has been won Duncan Hamilton. It was awarded for a biography of Harold Larwood. He collected the same award two years ago.  On that occasion it was for “As Long As You Don't Kiss Me” which was about the life of Brian Clough.

As well as the award, Hamilton collected a prize of £21,000

The Larwood story tells of how he used to be a miner in the Nottingham pits, and how he went on play for Don Bradman and saved English cricket. It describes how Larwood was subsequently rejected by the English Establishment because of the scandal involving his tactics, despite the fact that he did as he was instructed by his captain. He describes this pure heroism from one of the greatest sportsmen in the history of English cricket.

Last year the award was won by Marcus Trescothick, however it is known that Trescothick himself did not author it. In fact it is well known that the book was ghost written. 

It is excellent that William Hills should support sports writing in this manner. They have been doing so for the last twenty years since the award was set up originally by John Gaustad. This award is a great spur for both new and established sports writers, though many feel that the award should go to the writer rather than the sports personality who puts his or her name to it.

The William Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe said that this second book by Duncan Hamilton was a remarkable achievement. He pointed out that everybody was stunned by his previous work on Brian Clough. He went on to say that by this time writing about an entirely different kind of sportsman was a testament to the fact that his is a highly talented author.

Duncan Hamilton used to edit the Yorkshire Post. For the last twenty years he has been a journalist for the Nottingham Evening Post. He is not the first person to win the William Hills award on two occasions. The first author to do this was Donald McRae of the Guardian newspaper.  He won it for two books on boxing, “Dark Trade” and “The Untold Story of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens”.

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