The Sports Bookshelf

BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2012 A superb biography of Fred Trueman by the Yorkshire Post cricket writer Chris Waters -- already the winner of two awards -- and an excellent portrait of a British athlete banned from the 1960 Olympics are among the contenders for the New Writer award at the British Sports Book Awards 2012. The Sports Bookshelf outlines all six titles shortlisted in this category as the build-up to the announcement of the winners continues. These will be revealed at a black tie dinner at The Savoy Hotel in London next Monday, May 21, when Nick Hornby will also be presented with an award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sports Writing’ some 20 years on from the publication of ‘Fever Pitch’ . The winners from the 10 categories will then be entered into an online public vote to find the overall British Sports Book of the Year 2012. Each winning title will be promoted in a media and retail campaign in the run up to Father’s Day. The public vote will held

William Hill Sports Book of the Year award -- the contenders The winner of the 2011 William Hill Sports Book of the Year will be revealed on Monday.  This week, The Sports Bookshelf presents a run-down of the seven titles on the short list. Today: Among the Fans (Wisden Sports Writing) THE STORY: Patrick Collins has been writing about sport for almost half a c entury, for the last 30 years as chief sports writer for the Mail on Sunday.  For the most part during that time -- as you would expect -- his eyes have been focused on the field of play. He has reported on Olympic Games and World Cups, countless Test matches, rugby internationals and world title fights, and described the action in such consistently stylish and well-judged prose that he has gathered almost as many awards as he has had years in the newspaper business, including the ultimate accolade of sports journalist of the year on five occasions. Yet for Among the Fans, Collins turned his focus away from the aren