'OVER AND OUT' UP FOR CWC BOOK OF YEAR

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

19 Sep

'OVER AND OUT' UP FOR CWC BOOK OF YEAR

Congratulations go out to Steve Neal, author of Over and Out, on today's news that his biography of controversial Edwardian cricketer Albert Trott has been shortlisted for the Cricket Writers' Club Book of the Year 2017.

The full list of six books on the short list is as follows:

Beautiful Game by Mark Nicholas (Allen & Unwin)
Front Foot! The Law That Changed Cricket by Doug Ackerly (National Library of Australia)
Over And Out by Steve Neal (Pitch)
Remarkable Cricket Grounds by Brian Levison (Pavilion)
Stroke Of Genius by Gideon Haigh (Simon & Schuster)
Unguarded by Jonathan Trott (Sphere)

The award will be announced on October 3 at the CWC's Annual Lunch. This is the 11th year of the award and thus, with a full team of books, it is also hoped to select a winner of winners.

Family madness, a gun, the first double hat-trick in a single innings, a batting average of 102.5 for Australia in tests: Albert Trott, was one of the most unusual and talented cricketers ever to play the game. Now, for the first time, the story of his life is told in a full-length biography.

Albert Trott was a great all-rounder, the Botham of his day:

The first and still the only man to hit the ball over the Lord’s pavilion
Good enough to play for England and Australia, though at the height of his powers he was shunned by the selectors of both countries
His mystery late-swerving delivery was developed playing baseball in Australia
The first player to achieve the double of 200 wickets and 1000 runs in the same season
The grandson of a West Indian slave, but his mixed race was never acknowledged at the time
Lauded by the Middlesex committee then sacked ten years later
Off the field, his life was dominated by drink, gambling and unusual money-making schemes
Today he would be rich from playing in the 20/20 leagues, but the Edwardian cricketing bureaucracy and class system prevented him from gaining the just rewards for his talent
His lonely death from suicide has masked his cricketing achievements

There is no portrait of Albert Trott in the Long Room in the Lord’s pavilion. His cricketing feats have been largely unacknowledged. It is time for him to take up his rightful place in the history of the game. The book includes research from the Lord’s archives and photographs that have not been seen for many years.

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from Over and Out.