Matthew Syed, the former England number one and Commonwealth Champion, won the best new writer at the 9th annual British Sports Book Awards this week. The awards were presented at a black tie dinner at The Savoy Hotel in London.

Syed’s book Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice was the overwhelming choice of the judges. A fascinating examination of the nature of talent, with excursions into psychology, neuroscience and economics, Bounce has been described as “the most intelligent sports book ever written”. Bounce also draws a great deal of evidence from table tennis, with players like Desmond Douglas playing a starring role.

You can vote for Bounce as the best overall British sports book of the year at www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk – the vote will run until mid-night on Sunday 12th June and the winner will be announced on Wednesday 13th June.