Pitch Author Wins Best New Writer Award

Pitch Publishing is a fantastic imprint.
They do all the great Got, Not Got series
and plenty of other retro sports titles.

James Brown, The Late Tackle, talkSPORT

Pitch Publishing show the way for enterprising
sports book publishers and remains a beacon
of hope for sports authors aspiring or established.

The Sports Bookshelf.com

Pitch Publishing, an outfit whose "pitch perfect"
commissioning of boxing material stands
as a rebuke to more established houses

Boxing Monthly

Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining
and clever ideas. They work out what the aficionado
would want to read, then deliver it with great verve.

Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph

Pitch have enabled me to write in the ways I enjoy most.
Their production support is superb, delivering eye-catching
designs, attentive proof-reading, energetic marketing and helpful advice.

Tim Quelch, Good Old Sussex by the Sea, Orient to the Emirates, Underdog!

Pitch are willing to back out-of-the-blue and innovative
ideas and turn them into viable, entertaining books.
They do so with great presentation and editorial flair.

Justin Parkinson, Then Came Massacre

Pitch saw the potential in my story, used their expertise
to polish it, published it and helped inspire thousands
around the world to get into the sport of triathlon.

Andy Holgate, Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run & Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop

The process of working with Pitch to produce Picking up the Threads
was enjoyable and rewarding, with the final edition surpassing
expectations and becoming a resounding success.

John Chandler, Picking up the Threads

Pitch will take a chance on books that other publishers won't
and realise that interest in football extends beyond the
Premier League and the top 20 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Steve Menary, Outcasts!

Pitch have the vision to look beyond the obvious,
seeking out interesting ideas and subjects and
matching them with the right target audience.

David Tossell, Tony Greig, The Great English Final, Grovel!, Natural

Pitch have been an absolute joy to work with,
contributing their passion, expertise, knowledge
and experience to help produce a brilliant book.

Sam Pilger, Ashes Match of My Life

Pitch took our original concept and further enhanced it,
using their knowledge, experience and expertise, and helped
make Got, Not Got one of the football books of the year for 2011.

Derek Hammond, Got, Not Got series of books

Pitch bought into the concept of development through football,
channeling profits and proceeds from Eleven into helping
some of the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Steve Fleming, Eleven

In the highly competitive world of sport publishing,
Pitch have consistently demonstrated the happy
knack of spotting, nurturing and promoting winners.

Neil Dunkin, Anfield of Dreams

29 Jan

Pitch Author Wins Best New Writer Award

We are delighted to announce that Pitch Publishing author Justin Parkinson has won the Best New Cricket Writer Award for his biography of Sussex and England superstar Maurice Tate: Then Came Massacre .

The book has already made the long list for the prestigious 2014 Cricket Book of the Year, as well as receiving critical acclaim.

The award comes courtesy of CricketWeb.net and the website reports, "Parkinson is a deserved winner of the best new writer" and goes onto describe the book as "a serendipitous find".

"Parkinson has produced an intimate portrait of not just Maurice Tate but his father Fred Tate too. In fact the book opens with an account of Fred Tate's only Test match, in which he had a shocker and vowed his young son would make amends.

"Unfortunately, despite his son's great success, Fred never seems to have become anything but a pathetic character. We find him near the end of his life practically begging for handouts from a wealthy benefactor and trading on his famous son's name.

"One of the reasons for Parkinson receiving best new writer is his interesting take when it comes to areas of comparison. Instead of comparing Fred and Maurice; to say other Test cricketing father and son combinations, such as Dave and Dudley Nourse, we learn about the trials and tribulations of comedian George Formby of following in the footsteps of his famous father.

"There are also some interesting facts including one that will have all bowlers excited and hoping for its return. In the 1929 county championship they introduced an experimental law in which a batsman could be out LBW even if the ball struck the bat before hitting the pad. With this Law DRS may actually work.

"An excellent first cricket book by Justin Parkinson, let's hope there is a follow up. As the author enjoys all things Sussex I might suggest a biography on Maurice Tate's captain for both Sussex and England, Arthur Gilligan. My only stipulation is that the title must be "What do you think, Arthur?"

Click here to read what the critics have said about Then Came Massacre. 
Click here to read a sample first chapter of Then Came Massacre.
Click here for more information on Then Came Massacre.