Jeff Stelling and Sky's cricket team took centre stage at the Sports Journalists' Association's awards.
Cricket team follow example of five-up Jeff and scoop honour
Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling has won the Sports Broadcaster of the Year award for the fifth year running.
The
Soccer Saturday host picked up the prestigious prize at the Sports Journalists' Association's annual award dinner in London, while Sky Sports also picked up an award for its coverage of Test cricket.
The shortlist for these awards is determined by a panel of experts from the industry, and then voted on by members of the association.
They were introduced in 2005. Since then Jeff, who presents
Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports, has dominated the broadcaster category.
Jeff told
Sky Sports News it is a great honour, adding: "It's the best day of the week by a mile - 12pm, I can't wait for it every Saturday!
"I'm paid to watch football and have a bit of crack with my friends - it's the best job in the world."
Sky Sports also collected the TV Sports Programme award for its coverage of Test cricket in a year that England regained the Ashes under Andrew Strauss.
Commentator and skysports.com columnist Nasser Hussain collected the award and said: "It's a great thrill for all of us involved at Sky cricket. We are a team on and off the field.
"We have a lot of people who you see day-in, day-out - the Bothams, the Gowers, the Lloyds, the Athertons etc - and we have great fun and hopefully that comes across on the tele.
"But really the stars of this award are the people behind the scenes that try to make us look good! It's difficult sometimes!
"We have the easy job; as long as we give Bumble his medication, make sure Beefy's up and awake, and Lord Gower is alright - that's the easy job!"
There was further success for Nasser's fellow Sky Sports commentator and skysports.com columnist Michael Atherton, who was named as Sports Writer of the Year for 2009 and Sports Columnist of the Year for his work as cricket correspondent of
The Times.
