The William Hill Sports Book is back with a heavyweight final seven, and Sir James Anderson is very much in the frame.

Sir James Anderson has been named on the seven-strong shortlist for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2025. His autobiography, Finding the Edge—written with podcast co-host and The Maccabees guitarist Felix White—lines up alongside titles from two-time winner Donald McRae and a cast of journalists and athletes who know exactly where sport’s bruises are buried.

In classic shortlist fashion, the mix is eclectic and sharp. McRae returns with The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing, while former pro road cyclist Pippa York teams with David Walsh on The Escape: The Tour, The Cyclist and Me. There’s serious reporting from Tim Wigmore (Test Cricket) and Miguel Delaney (States of Play), frontline storytelling from James Montague (Engulfed), and endurance grit from Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson (Ultra Women). If you like your sports writing with teeth, this is a full set of molars.

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The winner will be announced in central London on Tuesday, 25 November, taking home £30,000 and the trophy that has become a benchmark for excellence in sports literature. Each shortlisted author receives £3,000 and a leather-bound copy of their book—old-school, proper, and deserved.

This year’s judging panel is chaired by Alyson Rudd, joined by Clarke Carlisle, Elis James, Gabby Logan, Mark Lawson, Dame Heather Rabbatts and Michelle Walder. Rudd summed up the field with a straight bat and a raised eyebrow:

“This is a heavyweight shortlist where the dominant theme is power and the influence of the state over sport.
“Cricket is well represented, and all the books are exceptionally written. There is also a strong element of soul searching.

“It is not enough to bring sport to life; these books seek to understand how and why. They do the hard work for the reader and then present us with bold and gripping narratives.

“It will be quite the task for the judging panel to decide upon a winner.”

Anderson’s presence ensures cricket gets its share of the limelight, but the William Hill Sports Book shortlist also presses into politics, identity, and the economics of games we pretend are simple. It isn’t just sport on the page; it’s the world, taped up and told straight.