Photography © David Betteridge

Special report by Stephanie Lynne Thorburn

In April this year, Sir Ian Botham completed a special anniversary walk, marking some 25 years since his first hike from John O’Groats to Land’s End in aid of Leukaemia Research. As a special finale celebration, Dr David English organised the annual Bunbury ball to salute the dedication and tenacity of Ian in the field of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. The atmosphere and social milieu was suitably effervescent, with the evening featuring a salubrious combination of cricket and music legends.

The reception took place in the Buckingham Suite and resembled a buzzing hive of activity comprising many charismatic and prestigious faces. A debonair Bill Wyman arrived with Rhythm King Terry Taylor and was rapidly rubbing shoulders with manager extraordinaire Johnny Cousins, John Altman and ‘whispering’ DJ Bob Harris. As the evening settled, David English arrived suitably parched and enquired emphatically as to where the alcoholic refreshments were situated?

In the absence this year of the moderating eye of Eric Clapton, the Bunbury reception had reverted to the equivalent of a gratifying alcoholic distillery in the south of France- Sauvignon Blanc was available in abundance from an on tap fountain! Buckingham Suite was certainly transforming into a true Pandora’s Box of surprises... It was around this time that I secured some further photo opportunities with Sir Ian Botham and Chris Tarrant, before being ushered toward the dining area in the Great Room for the inception of our evening’s entertainment.

Broaching the wide angled stairway towards the Bunburys’ extravaganza involved hitching my elaborate flowing dress whilst in motion- for a moment the occasion resembled a scene from a more idyllic Victorian era. In fact, the historical resonance of the evening was actually a very pertinent theme, as the 6th May was also of course General Election night; both expectations and spirits were subsequently running high.

The Royal Marines marching band punctuated my descent into the Bunburys’ ballroom, with Chairman Naynesh Desai reminding the assembled Bunbury guests of the raison d’etre for our gathering, namely the evening’s key beneficiaries Leukaemia Research, Crossroads Centre, Antigua and English Schools’ Cricket Association. Naynesh reflected on the selfless devotion of Ian Botham in helping to beat childhood Leukaemia and on a more satirical note, the “irritating persistence” of skipper Dr David English in succeeding with the organisation of a fourth marvellous annual charitable ball courtesy of Fireball, despite the current economic times we are facing.

Following a fluent recital of ‘Moondance’ from Damien Flood, Sir Ian took to the stage to introduce the night in context of his role as President of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. Ian reflected on his humble beginnings, his love of cricket, football, golf and fishing- he talked too of the motivating elements of competition and challenge that continue to mediate his behaviour. Ian reflected on what now comprises some 5,000 miles of walking since he first began raising funds for Leukaemia Research in 1985- undoubtedly the challenging discipline needed to fulfilling his onerous schedules has been beneficial to the lives of many childhood Leukaemia sufferers.

The survival rate in 1985 for most childhood Leukaemia patients was around 20% and has now increased dramatically to 90% today. In a similar vein to the Bunbury cricket club, Ian has enjoyed a significant amount of success in fundraising and has in total contributed over £12 million to Leukaemia Research through his charity walks!

After Beefy’s suitably reflective introduction, Nick Hancock hosted some truly evocative anecdotes on the theme of, ‘Walking with Sir Ian Botham’. These anecdotes were set in motion first, by an unconventional prayer of grace from Devon Malcolm, before a cast of cricketing legends took to the stage for a half- hour of professional jousting. Jeff Thomson and Allan Lamb were joined by proletarian hero ‘Bruce Willis’, (or Bob Willis to you and I...) Bob Willis in turn heralded the entrance of Umpire Dickie Bird and the evening was duly overtaken by some unexpectedly hilarious displays of stand- up comedy.

The audience was subsequently immersed in some vintage cricketing connoisseur’s nostalgia, as Thommo set the ball rolling by diversifying his brief from Beefy’s infamous walks toward great moments from classic Test matches past. Ian Botham had already reminded us of his 1980’s heyday, when the competition and camaraderie was inevitably fierce between England and sparring partners Australia and the West Indies- Thommo then clarified for us some incidentals of his formidable delivery technique. Umpire Dickie Bird brought the discussion full circle by simply declaring Sir Ian Botham “his friend”- a little too much of the free flowing Sauvignon Blanc perhaps, although the friendship and respect these colleagues have for one another is still very evident.

Sam Torrance, Darren Gough and Chris Tarrant were next to the stage, offering reinforcements. Sam reminded us simply of Ian’s prowess as an all rounder and the extent to which his example has left a legacy for future generations of cricketers. Most notably, every speaker was forthright in illustrating their own ‘tale of the unexpected’ regarding their first-hand experiences of Botham’s walks and it would seem that most have employed somewhat Machiavellian means to complete those toe blistering miles and kilometres with Ian!

Chris Tarrant gave an especially loquacious series of anecdotes- Chris’ quote in the brochure for the evening sums up his learning curve beautifully, “I’ve never walked with Beefy before, but I know a lot of mates who have and they all say it’s absolutely excruciating, utterly gruelling and agonisingly hopeless trying to keep up with a complete maniac...”

In fact the Fireball brochure accompanying this year’s Bunbury event offers further evidence of the eccentric, affable genius of Sir Ian and contains some fine qualitative passages, including a heart-felt testimonial from Dr. David English titled ‘Beefy’s Amazing Feet’. Allan Lamb has also offered some insightful words on his friendship with Beefy and further sentimental journey style vignettes comprise testimonials from Devon Malcolm and David Gower. All contributors recount too, the important role offered by Ian’s family in actualising his achievements for Leukaemia Research and especially the unfaltering dedication of Kathy Botham over time in supporting this worthy cause.

Following a satisfying session of delightful memoirs from the cricketing legends, Jeffrey Archer took over from our MCs for the night, Martin Bayfield and Nick Hancock. Lord Archer had some terrific lots to ply the audience with in the charity auction, highlights of which included the opportunity for two guests to attend a VIP trip to Sky’s 150th live England v Pakistan 3rd npower Test Match at the Brit Oval on the first day of play- this VIP hospitality package was sold for £3,000.

Other outstanding lots included Piers Morgan’s donation of two VIP tickets to the ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ live Semi-Final show and an ‘OK Corral’ style invitation to join the Botham family in North Yorkshire for a day of shooting, (offer open only to experienced and insured marksmen and women!) Botham’s ‘country pursuits’ day subsequently raised some £7,000. Jeffrey Archer’s epicurean ‘House of Lords’ tour was a further significant lot with a three course meal and tour of the Lords’ chamber reaching £5,500 in the bidding. For all those who have tried in vain to purchase tickets to sold-out concerts, there was a lot to appease the appetite comprising two tickets for Mark Knopfler at the Royal Albert Hall, four tickets for Bon Jovi and four to see Rod Stewart at the O2; this lot also raised £5,500.

Final notable scheduled lots included ‘Golf with Beefy and Torrance’, offering two guests the chance to play one fourball with Sam Torrance OBE and Sir Ian. The charitable profits inspired by the thought of golf with Beefy and Torrance were transcended by the notion of ‘Fine Dining with Freddie and Lamby’, enabling two guests to join Andrew Flintoff and Allan Lamb for a dining experience at Gordon Ramsay, in Claridges, Mayfair. The billed “fine wines and stimulating conversation” with these two talented sporting mavericks was sold for some £10,000 to the highest bidder.

Further welcome surprises followed, with an Eric Clapton cricket bat signed by 13 players including Viv Richards, Boycott and Mark Ramprakash, raising £5,000. Status Quo’s gift of a limited edition signed Fender brought in £7,000 towards the total proceeds for the evening’s selected charities. This unique raffle draw closed off the sporting segment of the evening and there was a parting of the ways as the stage was prepared for a quintessentially favourite British act, the inimitable Status Quo.

‘Caroline’ and ‘Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like’, marked the arrival of the band with a resonant helping of vintage boogie rock splendour - the Quo had kicked off their high octane set in fine form. Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi were also belatedly celebrating receiving OBEs for their considerable work over the years for charities including Nordoff-Robbins and The Prince’s Trust. The Bunbury ball was therefore a perfect abode for the band, considering their intrinsically English appeal and conscientious track record and ethos of contribution to major charities.

Status Quo can certainly be credited for defining British boogie-rock since the ‘70’s. It has been their consistency and to an extent, endearing predictable upbeat grooves that have propelled the Quo through their forty-plus year careers. The effusive one-hour set was suffused with tangible classic hits and exuberantly delivered favourites. Rossi was keen to progress toward the substance of the set, introducing the Parfitt/ Bown number from the album Just Supposin’, ‘Don’t Drive My Car’ and Parfitt subsequently returned the compliment in abundance throughout the night, offering some heavy riffing and soloing with the assistance of bassist John Edwards. ‘What You’re Proposing’ propelled the concert forward as the audience were taken for a detour on ‘High Flyer’, “I’ve got no time on the highway and too much time of the road..”

Rossi and Parfitt were cruising at top speed! ‘Big Fat Mama’ was next on the song list and ‘Creepin’ Up On You’ concluded the bread and butter of the set. The audience were alight as the unmistakable ‘In The Army Now’ hailed the attention of the madding crowd and the entire Great Hall let rip at the close of a marvellous, sentimental evening. ‘Down Down’ kept the party grooving as we worked up toward the pinnacle numbers, ‘Whatever You Want’ and John Fogerty’s ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’- a song that formed the key theme for the Bunburys’ salute to Ian Botham.

All renditions of these Quo classics were evocative to witness in the live situation and reinforced the considerable accolades the band has achieved over the years for their tremendous drive and energy. In fact, the statistics speak for themselves; 64 number one hits in Britain, 118 million records sold worldwide and over 600 live shows! The versatility of keyboardist Andrew Bown was only too evident, whilst Matt Letley’s drumming and John ‘Rhino’ Edwards gutsy bass lines evidently help shape the distinctive Quo sound. At one time in the ‘70’s, Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi were said to rival Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin- longevity wise they are also a challenging act to follow.

The final highlights of the evening’s play featured the Rick Parfitt Jnr band in fine form and were a perfect logical corollary to Status Quo’s performance. Rick Parfitt took his place, this time in the wings by the audience to witness his son’s impressive crowd pleasing brand of classic rock. Billed as a diverse indie, blues-rock act, the guys certainly did not disappoint and delivered innovative versions of Robbie Williams ‘Rock DJ’, followed by a dose of Free’s ‘All Right Now,’ Guns ‘n Roses ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and the Kings of Leon, ‘Sex On Fire’- some of the instrumental soloing was quite incendiary. So the RPJ band provided a perfectly pitched ending to an unforgettable experience.

I concluded the evening by watching the action from the balcony of the Great Room and finally took a carriage back home during those uncertain small hours of election night...

I would like to conclude my special report by thanking everyone who brought this spectacular occasion into fruition- especially Dr. David English, Fireball Management, Naynesh Desai and of course the many players and sponsors that work so tirelessly to make the logistics of David’s eccentric dreams of Bunbury pro-celebrity cricket matches and grand balls a consistent reality each annum.

This wonderful evening in salute of Sir Ian Botham’s amazing ‘feet’ for Leukaemia Research also coincided appropriately with Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research’s 50th Anniversary year. What a suitably warm happy birthday evening for the charity- keep up your lifesaving work! 

Stephanie Lynne Thorburn, May 2010.