World Book Day is here, and the Fen Regis Trophies team are combining our passion for reading along with our passion for sports. While children up and down the country are going to school dressed up as their favourite literary character, we are getting lost in sporting stories – in between supplying and engraving trophies and awards, of course!
Below you can see what books we thoroughly recommend if you haven’t already had the pleasure of reading. From football to gymnastics and darts to cycling, this is quite the eclectic mix.
FA Cup 150, Phil Annets
The first book we recommend is FA Cup 150, which as you may have already worked out chronicles the history of the English FA Cup, which celebrates its 150th anniversary. Author Phil Annets is perhaps better known by his Twitter handle @FACupFactfile and has been published in programmes for each of the 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 finals.
This is an unofficial compendium of FA Cup facts and stats, correct as of the time of publication, and is a must-read for any football fan that loves to impress their mates down the pub. FA Cup 150 is packed with anecdotes aplenty and doesn’t disregard non-league clubs that take part in the competition’s qualifying rounds.
The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods, Hank Haney
Anyone who has ever swung a golf club has watched Tiger Woods in awe, even if they aren’t necessarily his biggest fan, and wondered how he manages to achieve the sublime and seemingly impossible. Hank Haney was Tiger’s coach between 2004 and 2010, during which time the superstar won six of his 15 major championships.
Haney, in his book published two years after his split from Woods, details the intricacies of the former world number one’s swing that won his countless golf trophies and casts light on the experience of coaching one of the game’s greatest players. Although this book has been out for 10 years, it is still a must for any golf fan who wants to understand the psyche of Tiger Woods at his peak.
Tour de Force: My History-Making Tour de France, Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish’s place at the table of British sporting greats was never in doubt, even before his resurgent Tour de France performance in 2021 which only adds to his legend. In this memoir, Cavendish goes into gritty detail about how he overcame illness, depression, and other setbacks to grasping the opportunity afforded to him at the Tour de France, coming in as a last-minute replacement, to win four stages and match Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins at the world’s most famous road race.
Even if you aren’t a cycling fan and have never watched a single stage of the Tour de France, you won’t help but be encapsulated by Cavendish’s pursuit of the green jersey. When discussing sport’s greatest comebacks, Cavendish’s Tour de France is certainly in the conversation.
Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts, Sid Waddell
The greatest darts commentator that ever lived, Sid Waddell, sadly passed away 10 years ago this year but his unique perspective and style is timeless which is what makes his offering of Bellies and Bullseyes a must. Waddell was present as darts emerged from the pub to the big stage, with his unmistakable and over-excitable Geordie commentary heard over countless televised games.
Bellies and Bullseyes intertwine the rise of darts with his own journey, including his stints at ITV, BBC, and Sky Sports. Reading this will take you back to the humble beginnings of darts, truly making you appreciate the hard work and graft that has gone into transforming the game into what we see it as today, which is one of the most popular sports on television with more and more children throwing arrows.
Nile Wilson: My Story, Nile Wilson
Autobiographies released by someone as young as Nile Wilson can often be met with scepticism, but the gymnast has achieved and endured so much already in his 26 years that makes this a bona fide page-turner. Wilson is an inspiration to many, not just because he is England’s most successful gymnast to compete at the Commonwealth Games, winning five medals in 2018, but because he has overcome personal struggles which he does not shy away from.
Wilson comes across as a smiley happy-go-lucky young man who is best known for winning bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, but this book details the hard work, grit, and determination that the cameras don’t see behind the scenes. This is an inspirational read that reaffirms the message that anything is possible.
When our team is not engrossed in a book, they are making sure that the awards and trophies we supply are finished to the highest of standards. For more information, please get in touch with us today.