Alan Lee (cricket writer)

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Alan Lee (1954 – 19 December 2015) was a prolific British writer and author on cricket and horse racing.

He was the cricket correspondent at The Times from 1988 to 1999, and from 1999, the horse-racing correspondent. He authored many books on cricket, including biographies, co-written with the subjects, of David Lloyd, David Gower and Tony Greig.{{cite news|last1=Atherton|first1=Mike|authorlink1=Mike Atherton|title=Farewell Alan Lee, 'superlative and the most brilliant, most natural writer'|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/article4645774.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220140446/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/article4645774.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 December 2015|access-date=21 December 2015|work=The Times|date=21 December 2015}} In the field of racing, he wrote a 2002 biography of the jockey Richard Johnson.

In 2001, Lee won the SJA Sports Writer of the Year and the Racing Journalist of the Year awards.{{cite news|title=Times shocked by death of racing writer Alan Lee|url=http://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/members-news/times-shocked-by-death-of-racing-writer-alan-lee/|accessdate=21 December 2015|publisher=Sports Journalist Association|date=20 December 2015}} He was named the Racing Journalist of the Year again in 2003.{{cite news|title=Alan Lee is Racing Journalist of the Year — again|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/article2379945.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222195124/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/article2379945.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 December 2015|access-date=21 December 2015|work=The Times|url-access=subscription |date=14 December 2004}} He headed London Times' cricket coverage from 1988 to 1999 between the stints of two of the biggest names in cricket journalism in the second half of 20th century : John Woodcock was Times' Cricket Correspondent from 1954 to 1988, and Christopher Martin-Jenkins from 1999 to 2008.

Lee underwent heart surgery on 6 November 2015 and was expected to make a full recovery. He attended Ascot on 18 December where he was reportedly in "sparkling form", but he died unexpectedly the following day, aged 61.{{cite news|last1=Cobb|first1=John|title=The Times racing reporter Alan Lee dies|url=http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/cheltenham-the-times-racing-correspondent-alan-lee-dies-aged-61/2007148/#newsArchiveTabs=last7DaysNews|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222125514/http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/cheltenham-the-times-racing-correspondent-alan-lee-dies-aged-61/2007148/#newsArchiveTabs=last7DaysNews|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 December 2015|accessdate=21 December 2015|work=Racing Post|date=20 December 2015}}