An investigation into the rape trial of an Australian Rules footballer and its wider ramifications for the country's sporting culture was on Thursday awarded Britain's leading sports book prize. "Night Games" by Melbourne-born journalist Anna Krien won the £26,000 ($40,950, Aus$ 47,820) William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award from a shortlist that included biographies of England football great Bobby Moore and Olympic ice-skating champion John Curry.
Krien is only the second female author to win the prize, sponsored by one of Britain's leading bookmakers, in its 26-year history. Her book, subtitled 'Sex, Power and a Journey into the Dark Heart of Sport', has proved timely in a British context. English lower-league football club Sheffield United recently withdrew an offer to allow their former striker Ched Evans to train with them after he was released from prison following a conviction for rape.
Alyson Rudd, one of the award judges and a sports reporter with The Times newspaper, said: "Night Games is not about English football, but its relevance to the game is all too clear in the context of the conviction for rape of Ched Evans. The book takes as its starting point a case involving two players from the Collingwood Australian Football League (AFL) team who, following the Melbourne club's 2010 Grand Final victory, were rumoured to have been involved in what Krien said was a "pack rape".