Hodder scores double nomination on William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award shortlist

Hodder & Stoughton has scooped two nominations on this year’s William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award shortlist. 

Two-time winner  Duncan Hamilton returns to the shortlist with The Great Romantic: Cricket and the Golden Age of Neville Cardus alongside Hodder stablemate Position of Trust: A Football Dream Betrayed by Andy Woodward with Tom Watt. 

Rise of the Ultra Runners: A Journey to the Edge of Human Endurance by Adharanand Finn (Faber & Faber); In Sunshine or in Shadow: How Boxing Brought Hope in the Troubles by Donald McRae (Simon & Schuster); Rough Magic: Riding the World’s Wildest Horse Race by Lara Prior-Palmer (Penguin Random House) and Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump by Rick Reilly (Headline Publishing Group) complete the shortlist. 

Author, sports journalist and chair of the judging panel Alyson Rudd said: “From another strong longlist, we now have an exceptional ‘Big Six’ going forward to the final stage, and the race really is wide open. This year’s shortlist not only showcases the often eye-opening struggles and solace that can accompany sporting achievement, but also provides astonishing insight into the complexity of the protagonists. Above all, the writing is impressive, ranging from assured to witty to deeply moving.”

The judging panel for this year’s award consists of: 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. Chair of Judges is author and journalist Alyson Rudd.
 
The winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2019 will be announced at an afternoon reception at The Royal Horseguards Hotel on Thursday 5th December. The shortlisted authors will receive a leather bound copy of their book and a £3,000 cash prize.  This year’s winning author will receive a £30,000 cash prize and a trophy.