Ballymena students Michael wins prestigious sports journalism award

Michael Taylor became the first winner of the David Welch Student Sportswriter of the Year prize at the recent Sports Journalists’ Association Awards Dinner in London.

The award is named in honour of the former Daily Telegraph sports editor, who died last year.

Michael submitted three pieces which he had originally written for University magazine Varsity including commentaries on Zimbabwean cricket under the regime of Robert Mugabe and on issues surrounding the controversial sending-off of Wales rugby captain Sam Warburton in last year’s World Cup semi-final.

The 23-year-old, who is in the first year of a History PHD at Cambridge University’s Gonville and Caius College, was accompanied at the awards ceremony in London by his father, former Ballymena Cricket Club chairman Hubert Taylor.

There, he received the trophy from David’s son Chris and Lisa Dobriskey, the 2006 Commonwealth Games 1,500m gold medal-winner.

“I was absolutely delighted – it was a lovely surprise,” Michael Told Times Sport.

“I thought I might as well enter it and for people like Henry Winter, the Telegraph’s Chief Writer, and other members of the judging panel to say they liked your work is a great honour.

“It was great to be in the company of so many sports writers – a lot of the football correspondents weren’t present as they were covering the Arsenal v Newcastle match that night but it was nice to get speaking to some former cricket stars like Bob Willis, who have gone into media work.”

Despite his current study subject choice, Michael admits that he might yet attempt to make a career out of writing which, until now, has been merely a hobby.

“Working in sport and writing about it...I could certainly think of worse ways of life!

“I don’t finish my course until the summer of 2014 so I’m not really sure what I’ll go on to do but sports journalism is certainly something I would give some serious consideration to,” added Michael, who is looking forward to playing for Ballymena Cricket Club’s First XI during the summer break.