Many books have been written about the 1966 World Cup but this one is different. Brian Scovell was the only national newspaper sports writer-for the 'Daily Sketch'-to report on both the World Cup and the England v West Indies series dominated by Gary Sobers. He had full access to the heroes like Bobby Charlton, who was nearly run over on the day of the Final, Bobby Moore, who was sacked by West Ham just before the event and reinstated, Eusebio, Alf Ramsey, Colin Cowdrey, Tom Graveney, Brian Close, Ken Barrington, Wes Hall and all the leading figures. He contrasts these stirring and sportsmanlike happenings against what is occurring now-greed and corruption in football and the absence of genuine heroes in cricket. His 'on the spot reports' from his cuttings and the book he wrote on the Test series at the time, 'Everything that's cricket,' brings to life the action which captivated the nation. This is his 27th book and four of them have been short listed by the British Sports Books Award. After the 'Sketch' was merged with the 'Daily Mail' in 1971, he completed forty years with Associated Newspapers before retiring to write books.

In his time working for the Daily Sketch and Daily Mail, Brian Scovell probably reported on more Test matches and more international football matches than any other English sports writer. This fascinating, amusing and finally very moving memoir is filled with hundreds of anecdotes and insights into top sports personalities and other public figures. And he has Goering to thank for the way his life has turned out. Following a German bombing raid on the Isle of Wight when he was a child, Brian spent two years in hospital listening to match commentaries on the radio and reading the leading sports writer of the day, Tom Phillips. While in that hospital bed, Brian decided on his future career. Thank You, Hermann Goering contains dozens of previously untold stories about, among others, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Princess Diana, Brian Lara, Enoch Powell and Alan Sugar.

This light-hearted book is not wholly about the perils of trying to park but it has a strong theme about cricket and football, and it is also a memoir as a veteran sports writer for the Daily Mail. I write about 350 or more personalities I've interviewed or known about. My hero was Denis Compton. I used to listen to a portable radio in hospital aged 11 about his dynamic batting after WW2. Another hero was the great all-round cricketer, Lord Learie Constantine, whom I wrote his articles in the Daily Sketch. He was the first Afro-Caribbean to be a Lord and as a barrister he broke the colour bar in the High Court when he won damages of five guineas, also gave advice for the Race Relations Acts. No-one has done more for diversity than this remarkable, lovable man - and today's generation haven't heard of him, sadly. We are campaigning for a statue of him in the Parliament Estate to add to the three black statues there compared to nearly 300 white statues in the borough of Westminster.