Local author Steven Gauge last night had his book, My Life As Hooker, named as the third-best rugby book of the year. That’s surely over-achievement for a book about life with the Warlingham 4th XV, once reckoned to be the third-worst team in the whole of England, made up of players who “don’t give a sh*t about being sh*t”.
A national treasure meets Clare Balding: former Croydon Council candidate Steven Gauge demonstrates why LibDems ought never to be allowed to choose bow ties
Gauge, who has a deep, dark secret of having managed Nick Clegg’s 2010 election campaign, attended the presentation dinner at Lord’s, where the national treasure got to meet Clare Balding.
“Very chuffed to have been mentioned in dispatches by the judges and awarded third place,” Gauge said at some point in the early hours.
“The winning book was choc full of proper research, footnotes and an index, for goodness sake, so I can’t really complain. Thanks to the wonderful people at Warlingham RFC for the inspiration, motivation and great stories that made My Life as a Hooker such a laugh to write.”
And with that, he disappeared into the night with Lewis Moody and Terry Venables, creating one of the dodgiest looking front row combinations in the history of mankind.
Inside Croydon is delighted at Gauge’s book’s success, having been one of the first outlets to review the work, and also because the editor is featured in its pages (albeit fleetingly).
Less successful at the wide-ranging awards was an autobiography called Be Careful What You Wish For, written by Simon Jordan, the former owner of Crystal Palace, which won nothing, though the publicist got a gong. Might that be some sort of omen ahead of Monday?
- Inside Croydon: For comment and analysis about Croydon, from inside Croydon – 267,670 page views (Nov 2012-Apr 2013)
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