World Cup winners

Last night I went to Billingsgate on the site of the old fish market to join Ben Cohen and 600 other guests for his testimonial dinner. Ben of course was a member of the 2003 world cup winning rugby team, and he was joined by his uncle, George Cohen, a member of the 1966 World Cup wiining team. The Q&A session had on stage Martin Johnson, Matt Dawson, Ben and George Cohen, Martin Peters and the legendary goalkeeper Gordon Banks who told the audience about his famous save when Pele was standing only a few yards in front of him.

I conducted the auction on behalf of the Warwickshire & Northampton Air Ambulance and ORCHID (Fighting Male Cancer) and we raised £92,500.00 for these two very good causes. One of my three stars (never fails to give generously) Nigel Wray was in the audience (chairman of Saracens) and paid £10,000 for the rugby boots Ben Cohen wore in the world cup final. It's not that people like Nigel Wray give so generously - because people who have no money say well he can afford it can't he, which is among the most ridiculous cliches I've ever heard - it's that he turns up time and time again to support rugby players and cricketers who are coming to the end of their careers; this also applies to the amazing turnout that Ben achieved from his fellow players.

The funniest moment of the evening came during question time when Kyran Bracken (formerly England scrum half, now better known as an ice skater) was asked by a lady to poke his tongue out. This brought the audience into fits of laughter, as Mr Bracken's tongue is about twice the length of anyone elses. You have to see it to believe it. Despite this, a pair of skates signed by Kyran, only managed £2,000.