Sportsfile snappers maintain the usual excellent standards

ONE SURE sign that Christmas is on the way is when those ads clutching at our heart-strings start to appear on television. However, if you’re a sports fan, there’s a better chance that you will realise the festivities are just around the corner when the Sportsfile photography team unveil their latest books.

And they have really outdone themselves this year, with the grand total of four fine publications on offer to whet the appetites of keen followers of G.A.A. and rugby.

‘A Season Of Sundays’ has been produced on an annual basis since 1997, painting an evocative picture of hurling and football from the early-season tournaments all the way up to and including the four All-Ireland final Sundays.

And the latest edition has some company this time around in the shape of ‘treaty triumph!’ (the first word of the title is not capitalised on the cover for some reason).

It’s a 166-page souvenir of Limerick’s first Liam MacCarthy Cup success since 1973, with the words to accompany some stunning photographs supplied by Damian Lawlor.

It starts with a Munster Senior league game against Cork in Mallow on December 30, and captures all of the county’s special moments right up to the homecoming in the Gaelic Grounds.

One particularly nice touch is a two-page spread showing all of the panel members and backroom team lifting the silverware in sequence on the Croke Park podium, ensuring that those who worked so diligently in the background are equally recognised.

And there’s one beautiful picture of Seamus Hickey lifting his smiling baby son, Patrick, in the minutes after that memorable win.

A word of warning, though - the first edition of 5,000 copies sold out immediately, so it might be difficult obtaining this souvenir.

That won’t be the case with ‘A Season Of Sundays’ if you visit The Book Centre today and, for good measure, rugby enthusiasts are also catered for with ‘Double Delight’, a look back at Leinster’s fabulous achievements, and the more general ‘Great Moments In Irish Rugby’ which will no doubt require an update in the not too distant future in order to mark Saturday’s success over the All Blacks in Lansdowne Road.

If you’re looking for a present for a loved one with a big interest in sport, nothing says you care more than a book from the Sportsfile stable. And with the purchaser spoiled for choice this year, there’s really no excuse not to invest in at least one of the four pictured below. ALAN AHERNE

Visit The Book Centre on Wexford’s Main Street for the very best selection of sports books.