Rain may have stopped play at a David Wilson Homes’ sponsored cricket match but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the has-been cricketers booked for the event.
Mark Watson recently grabbed the headlines at the Edinburgh Festival by becoming the first comedian to perform continuously for 24 hours. A similar feat of endurance faced the star turns at the celebrity cricket match between the Lord’s Taverners and the Duke of Richmond & Gordon’s XI at Goodwood House, last Friday.
Rain stopped play at the David Wilson Homes sponsored event somewhat conclusively by mid-morning, leaving the assorted ex-professional cricketers and Sky Sports presenters facing the prospect of entertaining the gathered construction glitterati for the whole afternoon.
Thus it was that we were treated to such delights as The Times’ cricket correspondent Christopher Martin-Jenkins’ Ian Paisley impersonation and Alan Frost, chairman of the West Sussex region of the Taverners, repeatedly threatening to get out his book of 1001 Funniest Jokes.
Despite the wash-out, Nick Twine, of David Wilson Homes South, remained upbeat: “It’s a great event for us to be connected with. Even with the weather, hopefully people have had a good time and had a chance to get together and talk business.”
As one of the construction world’s most eminent companies, David Wilson Homes might be more concerned about the comments of Lord’s Taverner and doyen of cricket statisticians Bill Frindall. “The stage was very wobbly. It was all I could do to stand up,” he said following his own after-dinner stint. Wilson may want to look in to the construction methods used – or perhaps just cut down on the free wine for next year’s event.
