World Cup winners booked for bar

England World Cup winners Geoff Hurst and Jack Charlton are among a host of star names booked by a Stourbridge bar this summer.

Cross Sports Bar in Oldswinford hopes the festival of sport in June will help footy fans banish the blues from England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008. The event will open on June 16 with a Manchester United Legends evening featuring Halesowen-born Lee Sharpe.

He will be joined by ex team mates Clayton Blackmore and Arthur Albiston.

On June 17 World Cup winning defender and one-time Republic of Ireland manager Jack Charlton will take questions from the crowd.

Former British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper – who famously rocked Muhammad Ali with "Enry's Ammer" – is next to appear for a question and answer session in the marquee on June 18.

The following night on June 19 more Manchester United stars have been booked in, with Gordon McQueen, Viv Anderson and Norman Whiteside appearing.

Of particular interest to Dudley football fans will be the event on June 23, called Memories of Duncan Edwards.

Two survivors of the Munich air disaster, Albert Scanlon and Kenny Morgan, will talk about the Dudley-born England international.

One-time prolific striker Jimmy Greaves will talk on June 24 and he will be followed two days later on June 26 by the man who took his place in England's 1966 World Cup winning side and famously scored a hat-trick in the final, Geoff Hurst.

Cross Sports Bar owner Wayne Etheridge said boxer Frank Bruno and racing driver Nigel Mansell would also appear in June with the dates to be confirmed.

Mr Etheridge said he was delighted at the line-up.

"It is absolutely fantastic," he said. "We are just a small sports bar in Oldswinford and yet after this, five of the 11 from that England World Cup winning team will have appeared here.

"Hopefully people will turn out and support us and it will provide some much needed cheer with England not being on the telly."