AN all-male reading group which meets in a Manchester pub has won a prize for its imaginative and diverse range of reading.

The Racketeers, who have Bolton members, are the winners of the Penguin/Orange Readers' Group Prize 2004.

The group has won a trip to the Edinburgh Book Festival, lunch with a Penguin author and £200-worth of Penguin books.

Formed over Christmas 2002, the Racketeers comprises eight members ranging in age from 30 to 50 who meet on the first Friday of every month in Manchester pub the Briton's Protection.

Racketeers group leader Chris Chilton said: "We're chuffed to bits. We're all passionate about literature and pubs - we like the noise, we like the beer and we like the idea of talking about literature in these surroundings."