By Ian Cole
Michael Atherton, the former England cricket captain, continues to set new standards in his second career as a sports journalist.
Voted Sports Writer of the Year in last year’s British Sports Journalism Awards, Atherton receives three nominations in the short lists for the 2010 awards – Sports Broadcaster of the Year, Sports Columnist and Specialist Correspondent, a title he also won 12 months ago.
Book your tickets for sports journalism’s Big Night Out – the British Sports Journalism Awards on Monday March 7 – click here for a booking form
Atherton is currently with the England cricket team at the World Cup on the Indian sub-continent, where he combines his role as a Sky Sports commentator with that of cricket correspondent for The Times.
These prestigious awards, in their 34th year, are organised by the Sports Journalists’ Association and sponsored by UK Sport. Winners will be announced at an Awards Dinner at the Brewery, in London’s Moorgate, in the evening of Monday, March 7.
Among national newspapers featuring in the short lists for the writing awards, the Guardian, with 10 nominations, leads from the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and Times. This heavyweight quartet contest the new category of Sports Newspaper of the Year.
In the photographic section, Getty Images once again has the strongest representation in the short lists.
Of the other new categories the Racing Post, with three of the six nominations, dominates Sports Betting Writer, an award supported by Victor Chandler.
Considerable interest will centre on Sports Scoop of the Year, in which stories about cricket match-fixing and a turbulent year for Liverpool Football Club are prominent.
The Sports Writer of the Year will be selected by sports editors of national newspapers, while Sports Photographer of the Year will be chosen from the portfolios entered, both awards announced at the Dinner.
The short lists:
Sports News Reporter: Neil Ashton (News of the World), Rob Draper (Mail on Sunday), Paul Kelso (Daily Telegraph), Simon Mullock (Sunday Mirror), Mark Souster (Times), Martyn Ziegler (Press Association).
Sports Columnist: Michael Atherton (Times), Patrick Collins (Mail on Sunday), Paul Hayward (Guardian), Oliver Holt (Daily Mirror), Martin Samuel (Daily Mail), Matthew Syed (Freelance).
Specialist Correspondent: Michael Atherton (Times), Scyld Berry (Sunday Telegraph), Derek Lawrenson (Daily Mail), Ian Ridley (Freelance), Mike Selvey (Guardian), Henry Winter (Daily Telegraph).
Sports Feature Writer: Paul Hayward (Guardian and Observer), Anna Kessel (Guardian), James Lawton (Independent), Martin Samuel (Daily Mail), Owen Slot (Times), Matthew Syed (Times).
Sports Interviewer: Oliver Brown (Daily Telegraph), Malcolm Folley (Mail on Sunday), Donald McRae (Guardian), Brough Scott (Racing Post), Peter Thomas (Racing Post), Jim White (Daily Telegraph).
Sports Scoop: Harry Harris (ESPN), David Maddock (Daily Mirror), Mazher Mahmood (News of the World), David McDonnell (Daily Mirror), Steve James and Scyld Berry (Sunday Telegraph), Martyn Ziegler (Press Association).
Young Sports Writer: Riath Al-Samarrai (Freelance), Oliver Brown (Daily Telegraph), Andy Bull (Guardian), John Dennen (Boxing News and Fighting Fit), Alex Kay (Daily Mail), Laura Williamson (Daily Mail).
Regional Writer: Matthew Beard (Evening Standard), Phillip Buckingham (Hull Daily Mail), Jon Colman (Cumbrian Newspapers), Amanda Little (News&Star/Cumberland News), Delme Parfitt (Media Wales), Martin Smith (The Star, Sheffield).
Internet Sports Writer: Lawrence Booth (DailyMail.co.uk), Andy Bull (Guardian.co.uk), Tom Fordyce (BBC Sport Interactive), Nick Harris (Sportingintelligence.com), Jonathan Liew (Telegraph.co.uk), Ian McNeilly (Box Rec News).
Betting Writer: David Ashforth (Racing Post), Ed Hawkins (Freelance), Derek McGovern (Daily Mirror), Steve Palmer (Racing Post), Kevin Pullein (Racing Post), Greg Wood (Guardian).
Sports Broadcaster: Michael Atherton (Sky), Jake Humphrey (BBC), Mark Saggers (Talksport), Nasser Hussain (Sky), Jonathan Overend (BBC Radio), Ray Stubbs (ESPN).
TV Programme: Ryder Cup (Sky), Channel 4 Racing, Formula 1 (BBC), French Open Tennis (Eurosport), Cricket (Sky), Wimbledon (BBC).
Radio Programme: 5Live Sport (BBC), Sports Breakfast (Talksport), Matchday Live (Talksport), Test Match Special (BBC), Ryder Cup (BBC), Wimbledon (BBC).
Sports Picture Portfolio: Marc Aspland (Times), Shaun Botterill (Getty Images), Laurence Griffiths (Getty Images), Andy Hooper (Daily Mail), Eddie Keogh (Reuters), Jamie McDonald (Getty Images), Carl Recine (Action Images).
Specialist Picture Portfolio: Carl De Souza (AFP), Mike Hewitt (Getty Images), Clive Mason (Getty Images), Paul Thomas (Freelance), Darren Walsh (Chelsea FC), Edward Whitaker (Racing Post).
Sports Picture: Julian Finney (Getty Images), John Gichigi (Getty Images), Paul Gilham (Getty Images), Mike Hewitt (Getty Images), Bogdan Maran (Freelance), Mark Pain (Mail on Sunday), Lee Smith (Action Images).
Sports News Picture: Jason Cairnduff (Action Images), Mike Hewitt (Getty Images), Eddie Keogh (Reuters), Philip Noble (Reuters), Stuart Robinson (Daily Express), Michael Steele (Getty Images).
Cartoonist: Graham Allen (News of the World), Tony Husband (Times), Kerber & Black (Daily Mirror), Steve O’Brien (Mail on Sunday), Matt Pritchett (Daily Telegraph), Paul Trevillion (Guardian and Observer).
UPCOMING SJA DATES
Mon Mar 7: 2010 SJA British Sports Journalism Awards, at The Brewery. Click here to book your tickets
Tue Apr 5: The SJA Olympic Question Time. Ticket booking to be launched in March.
Wed Apr 13: SJA 2011 Annual Meeting, at offices of UK Sport, Russell Square. Strictly SJA members only.
All details subject to alteration. Keep checking sportsjournalists.co.uk for updates