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Longlist drawn for William Hill

28.09.10 | Graeme Neill

Random House and HarperCollins lead the way with two nominations each in the Bookie's Dozen longlist for this year's William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.

Random's Yellow Jersey Press has two books in the running for the £22,000 cash prize; Trautmann's Journey: From Hitler Youth to FA Cup Legend by Catrine Clay and The Grudge: Scotland vs. England, 1990 by Tom English. Andre Agassi's memoir Open and Matthew Syed's Bounce are the two HarperCollins books on the longlist.

Two time William Hill winner Duncan Hamilton could complete an unprecedented hattrick if he wins the award again this year for his book on cricket, A Last English Summer (Quercus). He won in 2007 for his Brian Clough memoir Provided You Don't Kiss Me and last year for his authorised biography on cricketer Harold Larwood.

Other titles on the shortlist celebrate boxing, cricket, angling, running, rugby, tennis as well as examining the psychology and history of sport.

Waterstone’s sports buyer, Joe Browes, said: "If England's World Cup team had been half as strong as this longlist, we might have got somewhere. The William Hill prize shows that sports writing is in ruder health in the UK than many of our own sporting icons. Two contenders stand out; Duncan Hamilton, who is going for the triple, and Andre Agassi, whose book revealed the tortured side of a tennis icon."

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "From the staggering number of entries – over 130 titles – we have produced a long list of a 'Bookies Dozen' fit to grace the shelves of any sporting library."

The shortlist will be announced on 26th October. The winner will be revealed at a lunchtime reception at Waterstone's Piccadilly on 30th November.

Whoever clinches the prize will win £22,000, a £2,000 William Hill bet, a hand-bound copy of their book, and a day at the races.

The full longlist comprises:

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi (HarperCollins)

A Book of Heroes: Or A Sporting Half Century by Simon Barnes (Short Books)

No Place To Hide: How I Put the Black in the Union Jack by Errol Christie with Tony McMahon (Aurum)

Trautmann's Journey: From Hitler Youth to FA Cup Legend by Catrine Clay (Yellow Jersey)

The Grudge: Scotland vs. England, 1990 by Tom English (Yellow Jersey)

Tea With Mr Newton: 100,000 Miles, The Longest Protest March in History by Rob Hadgraft (Desert Island Books)

A Last English Summer by Duncan Hamilton (Quercus)

Blood Knots by Luke Jennings (Atlantic Books)

Liston & Ali: The Ugly Bear and the Boy Who Would Be King by Bob Mee (Mainstream)

Beware of the Dog: Rugby's Hard Man Reveals All by Brian Moore (Simon & Schuster)

We Ate All The Pies by John Nicholson (Biteback)

Blood, Sweat and Treason by Henry Olonga (Vision Sports Publishing)

Bounce: How Champions Are Made by Matthew Syed (Fourth Estate)

• Graeme Neill
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