My friend Andy Ward, who has died of lymphoma aged 72, was an unusual author who published almost 30 sports books as well as works on higher education, including What Use Is a Degree? (2002). He later became a fellow of the Royal Literary Fund.
Andy was born in Derby, the only child of Nancy (nee Elliott), a machinist, and Tim Ward, an England soccer international who went on to manage a clutch of league clubs, including Derby County. His father moved clubs several times, so Andy’s secondary schooling was fragmented – he attended grammar schools in Wakefield and Grimsby (1959-63), Bemrose school, Derby (1963-67), and Carlisle grammar school (1967-68).
