John Wisden & Co

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD After nearly half a century in the world's press boxes, Patrick Collins did a remarkable thing. He took his eye off the ball, stepped away from his colleagues, and joined the throng: the people who pay the money. For a year, he relished sharing the experiences of the varied crowds at sporting events great and small: England's always hopeful, always frustrated, football supporters; the panama-hatted brigade at county cricket; the sodden, delirious golf-lovers at the Ryder Cup; and the hey-look-at-me darts fans. And he penetrates strange, semi-private subcultures like point-to-point and speedway. The result is original, wonderfully readable and very funny.