Budding sports writers are being given the chance to get tips from a professional, on a new short course at University College in Falmouth.

The four-day course - run over four Saturdays - is designed to give anyone with a genuine love of sport the basic skills they need to write about it, and will be led by Rob Steen, who currently writes for The Sunday Telegraph, the Financial Times and Observer Sports Monthly.

It will cover match reporting, feature writing and interviewing, and it is also hoped that students will be able to gain real-life reporting experience at a live sporting event.

However Rob, who has also written more than a dozen sports books, warns that although it might seem an ideal job for sports fans, it is not all glamour.

He said: "The very best sportswriters do get to travel all over the world, and I've been fortunate enough to have reported on everything from baseball in New York to cricket in India.

"But there's only a handful of writers who get to that level. For the rest, it can be a great job but you still have to work hard and learn how to get the best out of your writing."

The course starts on Saturday October 8. For more information and to book telephone 01326 370444 or e-mail workingwords@falmouth.ac.uk