UNFORGIVEN SHORTLISTED FOR CRICKET 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

22 Sep

UNFORGIVEN SHORTLISTED FOR CRICKET AWARD

The Cricket Writers’ Club has announced its shortlist of six for the annual Derek Hodgson Cricket Book Award, and Ashley Gray's Unforgiven makes the cut.

Four Pitch Publishing cricket books made the long-list, including Ashley's outstanding book.

He goes back to the early 80s, when 20 West Indian cricketers were paid more than $100,000 each to take part in rebel tours of apartheid South Africa. When they returned home to the Caribbean they were banned for life and shunned by their countrymen.

Some turned to drugs, some to God, while others found themselves begging on the streets. The Unforgiven is their untold story.

In their press release The Cricket Writers' Club explains, 'The list reflects the breadth of writing on cricket with familiar names contesting the prize against first-time authors.

'The judges – Richard Hobson (chair), Tanya Aldred, Murray Hedgcock, Raf Nicholson and Richard Whitehead – were impressed by the tenacity of Gray in tracking down the so-called ‘Rebel’ West Indian players who visited South Africa in the 1980s.'

Hobson said, “This must be the most varied shortlist in the 13 years since the Cricket Writers’ Club established the award. It presents us with a significant challenge in pitting, say, the passion in the writing of Chalke against the style of Hamilton, the thoroughness of Kidambi and originality of Bates. Wigmore and Wilde offer genuine insight into the growth of 20-over cricket while Gray has dealt sensitively with a thought-provoking account of a largely overlooked topic.”

The ‘year’ runs from July 1 2019 to June 30 2020, and the winner of the £400 prize will be announced in October.

CWC is delighted to reveal the shortlist for the 2020 Derek Hodgson Cricket Book Award.

Congratulations to the authors of six outstanding books – the winner will be announced next month.

Read more: https://t.co/7UVVbkkif4 pic.twitter.com/z3y6bhZdIC
— Cricket Writers' Club (@CricketMediaUK) September 21, 2020

Derek Hodgson Book Award 2020 – Shortlist

Michael Bates and Tom Huelin, Keeping Up: Michael Bates, the Story of a Specialist Wicketkeeper, independently published

Stephen Chalke, Through the Remembered Gate, Fairfield Books

Ashley Gray, The Unforgiven: Mercenaries or Missionaries?, Pitch Publishing

Duncan Hamilton, The Great Romantic: Cricket and the Golden Age of Neville Cardus, Hodder & Stoughton

Prashant Kidambi, Cricket Country: An Indian Odyssey in the Age of Empire, Oxford University Press

Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde, Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution, Polaris Publishing

Congratulations to Ashley from all at Pitch Publishing, and to Ian Gould, Mark Peel and Colin Shindler whose excellent books all made the long-list.