GEORGE Reynolds last night vowed to fight a High Court claim against him for up to £100,000 in damages over the writing of his life story.

Sports journalist and author John Sadler is suing the Darlington Football Club chairman after claiming he reneged on a lucrative deal to write his memoirs.

Mr Sadler claims Mr Reynolds entered into a verbal contract in 2001, agreeing to a joint venture to write and publish the story of his life.

He says he won a publishing contract with Time Warner Books in April last year, under which he and Mr Reynolds would each receive an advance of £35,000 and obtain royalty rights.

Mr Sadler, who lives in France, claims he invested considerable time and effort in preparing the book and proposed the title Cracked It!

He is also said to have recommended that the opening chapter should depict a helicopter ride by Mr Reynolds to the orphanage in which he was raised.

But Mr Sadler alleges that Mr Reynolds entered into a separate agreement to publish his life story using another ghost writer, Patrick Lavelle. The autobiography was published this year.

In his claim, Mr Sadler seeks compensation for the £35,000 he did not receive, as well as for the "lost opportunity to earn substantial royalties from the book".

But last night, a defiant Mr Reynolds denied entering into any such agreement with Mr Sadler and said a response to the writ was being drafted.

He said: "I will be vigorously disputing this claim. I had no contract with John Sadler and I will certainly be contesting his claims."

Mr Sadler's claims Mr Reynolds made himself available for interviews and provided information as the book was being prepared.

But after allegedly securing the agreement with Time Warner, Mr Sadler says the chairman informed him in September last year that he would "no longer co-operate with him for the purposes of publishing the book".

Mr Lavelle declined to comment last night.