RODDY MCDOUGALL BRITISH SPEEDWAY TALK

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

06 Oct

RODDY MCDOUGALL BRITISH SPEEDWAY TALK

Roddy McDougall, former print and BBC News journalist and editor at the BBC, ITN, GMTV and TV-am, will be discussing his fascinating book, No Breaks: A Lost Season in British Speedway, at the Berwick Literary Festival on Saturday 15 October 2022 between 12pm and 1pm.

Find out more or book your place

About the book

No Breaks: A Lost Season in British Speedway is a story of survival. Once Britain's second most popular sport, speedway has been banished to industrial estates and forgotten by the mainstream media. There was fresh optimism ahead of 2020, until the coronavirus crisis stopped the season in its tracks. This is the story of speedway's tumultuous year.

Click here to hear author Roddy McDougall on Radio 4's Today programme

Click here to read Roddy's piece in The European

Click here to read a piece on No Breaks in the Edinburgh News

Click here to read a piece on No Breaks in The Oldie

Click here to hear author Roddy McDougall on Radio TalkSPORT with Paul Ross

Praise for No Breaks

“One of the best books about speedway that has ever been published. The end result is a superbly written, intensely interesting account of A Lost Season in British Speedway.” – Peter Oakes at Speedway Star

Reader Reviews

“I saw my first speedway meeting at Wimbledon on Good Friday, April 1946 (the first post-war meeting, with 30,000 crammed inside and 10,000 locked out). I instantly fell in love with the sport and have read almost every book published on it from 1929 to date and can honestly say that No Breaks is possibly the most interesting and captivating one I have yet read about my favourite sport… Every page is compelling and all beautifully written. Lucky me to have it and all who buy it. No praise is too high!”

“Brilliant read. I couldn't put it down at times. Incredibly eye-opening on what British speedway is like and how we need to support it more than ever to hopefully get it back on its feet and thriving again.”

“I have over 700 speedway books and thought that this one of the most interesting and enjoyable I have ever read. Essential reading for every speedway supporter.”

“This book transcends sport… The spare and elegant style allows the voices of people in the speedway community to come to the fore. These are voices not often heard in the media; working class but also self-employed and entrepreneurial.”