WINNER OF THE BRITISH SPORT BOOK AWARDS - RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEAR This is the story of 15 men killed in the Great War. All played rugby for one London club; none lived to hear the final whistle. Rugby brought them together; rugby led the rush to war. They came from Britain and the Empire to fight in every theatre and service, among them a poet, playwright and perfumer. Some were decorated and died heroically; others fought and fell quietly. Together their stories paint a portrait in miniature of the entire War. The Final Whistle plays tribute to the pivotal role rugby played in the Great War by following the poignant stories of fifteen men who played for Rosslyn Park, London. They came from diverse backgrounds, with players from Australia, Ceylon, Wales and South Africa, but they were united by their love of the game and their courage in the face of war. From the mystery of a missing memorial, Cooper's meticulous research has uncovered the story of these men and captured their lives, from their vanished Edwardian youth and vigour, to the war they fought and how they died.

One of the best lock forwards in the history of English and Lions' game, and a successful captain to boot. Bill Beaumont's popularity on the field and his appearances on A Question of Sport have made him a household name. This is the light-hearted and amusing life story of a larger-than-life character. A serious head injury forced Bill Beaumont to retire from rugby prematurely at the age of 29, after leading his country 21 times in 34 appearances - including a memorable Grand Slam in 1980 - and captaining the Lions to South Africa in 1980. Since then he has been honoured with an OBE and turned effortlessly to a career in broadcasting as a BBC and Sky Sports summariser and, more famously, as captain on the sports quiz show A Question of Sport. He is also a brilliant after-dinner speaker, and recently became chairman of the RFU's National Playing Committee. Beaumont reflects back on a wonderful career, reliving the dramatic events on the field as well as the off-the-field scrapes and humorous escapades that characterised the game in its amateur era. And now as an elder statesman, he is perfectly positioned to talk knowledgeably about the game he so loves, and will comment on the 2003 Rugby World Cup and England's performance in particular.

Some of Britain's most famous sporting legends regale their favourite tales in this humorous compilation of after-dinner stories. These are real stories from their lives both inside and outside the world of sport; some already known and much loved, others untold until now.

To top it all, the royalties from the book are being donated to the SPARKS (Sport Aiding medical Research for KidS) Charity.

John Kendall-Carpenter was a truly extraordinary man. He captained the England rugby team in the early 1950s, when he was widely regarded as one of the cleverest and most tactically astute players in the world. At the same time he launched out on a career in education which saw him not only hold the headmastership of three well-known public schools but also play a prominent role in the Headmasters’ Conference in its negotiations with the Labour Government in the 1970s to ensure the continued independence of that sector. In addition, the first Rugby World Cup simply would never have happened without him. President of the Rugby Union in 1980, he was then elected as England’s representative on the International Rugby Board where his role was to defend the amateur code which was coming under increasing pressure from professionalism. His conversion to the cause of international rugby and the commercial potential of the Word Cup, with his subsequent passion and energy, was instrumental in getting the first World Cup in 1987 off the ground and also paved the way towards the professional game. He then threw himself into the planning of the next World Cup but sadly died just a year before it started in 1991. John Kendall-Carpenter was remarkable man with many friends – and a few enemies! – not only in sport, but in education, the theatre, among politicians and writers. He is still a legend in Cornwall – his adopted home. This biography will appeal to every dedicated rugby supporter as well as those interested in sport in general and how rugby emerged from the fields of English public schools to the huge commercial sporting event it is today.

Risk Assessment in Social Care and Social Work outlines the theoretical issues behind the decisions, processes and organisations involved in risk assessment. Written by leading academics and experienced practitioners, it considers implications for future policy, drawing on the full range of perspectives in the most recent research. It considers the following themes: * The concepts of risk and dangerousness, and the ethical questions, which arise when assessments of risk are made. * The wider context of social policy and legislation, and the interaction between rehabilitation and the distribution of risk. * Social services staff and the risks they pose to their clients - the issues of selection, supervision and accountability; and risks to practitioners themselves. Individual chapters describe and compare methods of risk assessment with different client groups, including older people, children, people with mental health problems, and sex offenders. This book will ensure that practitioners, managers and policy makers deepen and coordinate their understanding of the key issues involved in both the initial choices made about the extent of risk, and the stable and productive management of the outcomes of those decisions.