EVENING TIMES sports writer Chris Jack has become one of the youngest winners of a major journalism prize.

Chris, 25, won the Jim Rodger Memorial Award after impressing judges with two exclusive Evening Times articles.

The award was set up in 1997 in honour of the late veteran reporter and is backed by newspapers and the Journalists' Charity, formerly known as the News- paper Press Fund.

Sports journalists aged 35 and under working on a Scottish daily, Sunday or evening paper are eligible to enter.

Chris is one of the youngest to win the award in its 18 year history.

The first of his two winning articles was an exclusive on Partick Thistle coach Scott Allison who founded a charity called ClubWorld Sports to help players who have "fallen out of the game but not out of love with it" get back on their feet.

The judging panel said the article carefully examined how players were being helped after the final whistle blows.

One judge said: "It is easy to forget that not everyone in football is a household name and what happens to players after the spotlight is turned off made for a great read."

Chris's second piece was an in-depth analysis of the rows of empty stadium seats which have plagued Rangers games and illustrated the crisis at the club.

Malcolm Speed, chairman of the judges, said: "Chris Jack is a worthy winner indeed and was the stand-out entry from this year's field.

"He is undoubtedly a credit to the Evening Times."