Freddie bats to be auctioned
Two cricket bats signed by England legend Andrew Flintoff will be going under the hammer at a fundraising auction in memory of a Halesowen sailor who was killed earlier this year. Two cricket bats signed by England legend Andrew Flintoff will be going under the hammer at a fundraising auction in memory of a Halesowen sailor who was killed earlier this year. The signed mini-bats will be among the lots being auctioned at the Paul McCann Memorial Cricket Day at Halesowen Cricket Club, in Grange Road, on July 29. The bats were secured by Malcolm Roberts, a consultant with tax investigation insurance company PFP Limited which is supporting the event. Mr Roberts met the England all-rounder at a conference in May where he managed to secure the giant Lancastrian's signature. "I was thrilled to be able to chat with Andrew for an uninterrupted 20 minutes and cheekily asked him for his help with this charitable good cause that PFP and I are supporting," he said. Read the full story in the Express & Star.
The signed mini-bats will be among the lots being auctioned at the Paul McCann Memorial Cricket Day at Halesowen Cricket Club, in Grange Road, on July 29.
The bats were secured by Malcolm Roberts, a consultant with tax investigation insurance company PFP Limited which is supporting the event. Mr Roberts met the England all-rounder at a conference in May where he managed to secure the giant Lancastrian's signature.
"I was thrilled to be able to chat with Andrew for an uninterrupted 20 minutes and cheekily asked him for his help with this charitable good cause that PFP and I are supporting," he said.
Paul, a former Earls High School pupil and member of Halesowen Cricket Club, was killed following an explosion aboard his submarine HMS Tireless in March.
The 32-year-old grew up playing for the club's youth teams and continued to play for the senior teams when back on leave. The day will see a select Halesowen XI play a special one-off match against the Royal Navy.
Admission on the day will be £4 per person. Parking costs £2 per car with spaces for 150 cars. The gates will open at 12noon with official proceedings starting at 1pm.
The Mayor will be introduced at 1.15pm and will give a speech at 1.30pm. The match will start at 2pm. For details visit www.fundforneedychildren.com or call Rob Round on 07711 758670.