Tiki Dickson, co-author of Talking Balls: A Collection of Light-Hearted Writings about Sport, introduced the book humourously at its launch earlier this week - a crowded event hosted by BookWorld in Pietermaritzburg - saying that she and John Bishop wrote it so that its profits could pay for John’s daughter’s wedding next year. Returning to a sporting theme, she averred that it was up to the readers to decide if the authors “should be red-carded, or awarded the try”.
Andy Capostagno, the well-known sports journalist and a contributor to the book, carried on with the puns where Dickson left off, riffing on the book’s title, saying that if had just been about rugby it would have been called “funny-shaped balls” - and if it were about running, “powdered balls”.
The book includes pieces not just by professional journalists and writers like Capostagno, but also by a few enthusiastic amateurs, many of whom were in the audience on the night. It does not claim to be comprehensive or representative in any respect; as its title suggests, it is a carefully-chosen sampling from the lighter side of sports writing.
Taking over from Capostagno, co-author John Bishop thanked his book club, which he called his “sounding board”, and commended his book to them with a wink. He also mentioned his indebtedness to Dickson, who was the “driving force” behind getting the book into print. Bishop was well-supported at the launch by his colleagues from the Witness (he has worked there as Sports Editor for 35 years). The mood at the gathering was cheerful, and many copies of the book were sold, hopefully setting the trend for times to come - and contributing to the defrayment of those wedding costs!
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