Birmingham 2022 thumbs up with promise of ‘fantastic’ Commonwealth Games

By Anton Rippon SJA members looking to cover the 2022 Commonwealth Games will be pleased to know that the Commonwealth Games Federation Coordination Commission this week underlined their confidence that Birmingham will deliver a fantastic games, while at the same time acknowledging that, with little over two and a half years until the event begins, […]

Hamilton wins £30,000 William Hill prize for record third time

By Anton Rippon Judges were ‘bowled over’ by Duncan Hamilton’s biography of Neville Cardus that has won for the freelance sportswriter a record-breaking third William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. Hamilton’s The Great Romantic, a comprehensive biography of the venerated cricket writer and music journalist, took the £30,000 top prize at the 31st […]

McRae and Hamilton head William Hill shortlist aiming for record third win

By Anton Rippon The Guardian’s Donald McRae and freelance sports writer Duncan Hamilton have again entered the ring for the 31st William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, each looking to claim a record-breaking third title The shortlist, chosen from a record 151 submissions for this year’s ward – sports book writing’s oldest, most […]

Sacked Sunday Express columnist Mafham accepts Reach pay out

    By ANTON RIPPON Former Sunday Express sports journalist Colin Mafham has accepted a “substantial” settlement from publisher Reach plc after the paper suspended him and then sacked him following publication of an article in which he said that Liverpool supporters “frightened the living daylights” out of him. Mafham wrote the on-line piece after […]

Derby Telegraph columnist Rippon axed after 20 years

LONG-serving SJA member and award-winning newspaper columnist Anton Rippon has been dropped by the paper for which he has written for the past 20 years. Rippon, who was named Newspaper Columnist of the Year at the 2017 Midlands Media Awards, had penned more than 1,000 weekly columns for the Derby Telegraph since 1999. For the […]