CANCER CHARITY BIKE TOUR EXCEEDS 1,000 MILES

BY THE time the cricket season ends, most people connected with the game want a long lie-down and maybe the odd round of golf. And the last place they want to see is a cricket ground. This year two cricket writers will be visiting the lot. 

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Colin Bateman, of the Daily Express , and David “Toff” Lloyd, of the Evening Standard , have planned 16 days on a thousand-mile charity cycle ride to all 18 county headquarters.
 
They are due to set out at 10am on Sept 13  from The Brit Oval, finishing at Lord’s on Sept 28 about 1,006 miles later, touching Chester-le-Street, Taunton and all points in between. Colin and Toff will be accompanied by Colin’s sons Tom and Jack, his nephew Alan Dracey and the now-retired Sun cricket writer Ian Todd.
 
Colin said: “We’ve done John o’Groats to Land’s End and a similar one in France, but this is our biggest challenge yet. It seemed a good idea over a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc in New Zealand. But we know we’ve got to get ourselves fit pretty fast now.”
 
The aim is to raise money for two charities. One is the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Laurie Engel Fund, set up in memory of the son of former Wisden editor Matthew Engel, who died aged 13 in 2005. The fund is helping build a new specialist unit for young cancer patients in Birmingham.
 
The other is Heads Up, which is researching into the causes of head and neck cancer. The charity’s patron is former Test batsman Hugh Morris, now managing director of the England team and a former patient himself.
 
Engel said: “We’ve had hundreds of people doing sponsored events for Laurie’s fund over the past three years, but I’m just awestruck by what these blokes are doing.”
 
To support the TCT Laurie Engel Fund go to:

www.justgiving.com/colinbateman

To support Heads Up go to:
www.justgiving.com/davidtofflloyd
 
For press enquiries or to offer any other help, please call Colin on 07831 237025 or Toff on 07768 723929.
 
During the ride, when they might be a bit preoccupied, you can call Matthew or Hilary Engel on 01981 241210. 
 
ITINERARY
Sept   Name of stage               Miles                                                    
13      “Pilgrim’s Way”                55      THE BRIT OVAL to CANTERBURY
14      “The Home Ride”             64      To HOVE
15      “The Coastal Jaunt”         66      To SOUTHAMPTON
16      “High Plains Drifters”        63      To Montacute (Somerset)
17      “The Cider Classic”          62      To TAUNTON and BRISTOL
18      “Border Patrol”                71      To Monmouth via CARDIFF
19      “The Heart of England”     42      To WORCESTER
20      “The Midland Miles”          52      To Stafford via EDGBASTON
21      “The Second Half”           55      To OLD TRAFFORD
22      “The Viaduct Velo”          75      To Hawes (Yorkshire)
23      “Top of the Country”       75      To CHESTER-LE-STREET
24      “The Long Haul”              70      To HEADINGLEY
25      “Industrial Industry”         76      To DERBY
26      “The Fox Chase”             65      To Moulton (Northants) via TRENT BRIDGE and LEICESTER
27      “The Penultimate Push”    65       To NORTHAMPTON and Bishop’s Stortford
28      “Lords of the Road”         52       To CHELMSFORD and LORD’S