A former chief sports reporter of the Press Association has penned a new book documenting his 25 years of reporting on some of the world’s biggest sporting events.

Frank Malley has published his autobiography ‘Living on the Deadline’ four months after taking voluntary redundancy from PA in January.

The book charts some of sporting history’s most glorious and dramatic moments, including Sir Steve Redgrave’s fifth Olympic Gold Medal in Sydney, Manchester United’s Champions League triumph in Barcelona in 1999, George Best’s funeral inside Stormont Castle, England rugby’s World Cup victory in 2003, and the heady emotion of the London Olympics.

Frank’s memoir, his very first project as a freelance writer, also contains a foreward written by Olympian and 2012 Tour De France winner, Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Wigan-born Malley, a lifelong Wigan Athletic and Wigan Rugby fan, began his journalistic career as a news reporter on the Evening Post and Chronicle in the town.

Later as a columnist with the Daily Express and chief sports writer with the Press Association, Frank amassed a wealth of poignant tales and anecdotes and interviewed some of the biggest celebrities in sport while reporting on Olympic Games, World Cups, Ryder Cups, tennis Grand Slams, and Ashes Test matches.

Along the way he sailed with Ben Ainslie, kicked with Jonny Wilkinson, faced Greg Rusedski’s 149mph serve, played in a football cup final at Wembley stadium (albeit the press cup), and was even hypnotised by Paul McKenna.

Frank told HTFP: “I had thought of cycling 1,000 miles to raise cash for the charity but they say you should stick to what you know best so I started compiling a memoir of my career, and pretty soon found I had more than 100,000 words.

“I feel privileged to have been paid for what was always a hobby. Writing the book and remembering being at dramatic events such as Manchester United’s Champions League triumph in Barcelona in 1999 and Liverpool’s in Istanbul in 2005, two of the greatest finales in sport, plus attending every day at the London Olympics, has brought home just how fortunate I have been.”

The Daily Mirror’s Chief Sports writer, Oliver Holt, called Frank’s book “a beautifully written memoir of a life in modern sports journalism, his book is an evocative page-turner, providing a fascinating glimpse of another side of some of the world’s biggest sporting events”.

Living on the Deadline by Frank Malley is published by Pitch Publishing, Price £12.99. The Press Association have supported Frank’s project by supplying the pictures, and all royalties will be donated to the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre charity.