Ware TV FC defeated by Albury Cricket Club XI
Hertfordshire football team Ware TV FC took on a local cricket side in a thrilling one day charity test match on a warm Bank Holiday Monday 31st August 2009 to help raise funds for the charities Muscle Dreams™ programme.
The clash in the picturesque Hertfordshire village of Albury was promoted widely (see poster below) throughout the surrounding villages and local towns. The match saw Ware TV FC put up a brave resistance against Albury CC XI, but fall to a noble 5 wicket defeat. Experience told as Albury CC XI finished with 132 runs all out, while Ware could only manage 92 runs. Ware TV FC are more known for their allergy to winning football games then their cricketing prowess!
The game was played for UK muscular dystrophy charity The Muscular Help Foundation (MHF). Nearly £400.00 was raised at the event with all proceeds going towards MHF’s Muscle Dreams™ programme, which provide unforgettable experiences in the UK for children and young people afflicted by this muscle wasting disease.
Both sides pulled on their whites, laced up their boots and came together at the wicket to deliver MHF’s trademark Muscle Salute™ (pictured below), a visible symbol of hope, courage and inner strength for the 60,000 or so UK sufferers of muscular dystrophy.
Commenting on the event, the charity’s co-founder Michael McGrath said: “Undaunted by their evident aversion to winning football matches, Ware TV FC turned their hands, their heads and their hearts to the willow and the hard ball – a real cricket match ensued against a real cricket team (Albury CC XI) in aid of the charity. The match was played in high spirits on an extremely warm summer afternoon. The BBQ was sizzling thanks to a number of supporters and despite the colossal efforts of Ware TV FC, not even the demon bowling of ‘Jake Klintoff’ or a supply of chilled Fosters could prevent defeat. The lost ball remains lost forever, but the resilient spirit of Ware TV FC remains strong as rumors abound of a re-match in 2010!”
McGrath added, “A big thank you to all those involved in helping to organise and promote this event. The posters looked fantastic and the many branded lamp-post signs within a 3 mile radius on all roads leading to the location of the match were I know really helpful to those who travelled from afar! It was a great team effort, a lot of fun and fantastic that nearly £400 was raised – every penny makes a difference. That’s precisely what it’s all about – my special thanks to Suzi Kelly and Steve Stoney Stone for their amazing support!”
Muscle Dreams™ can cost anywhere from £250 to £5000 depending on what they are – whether meeting Lord Alan Sugar, chefing with Marco Pierre White, driving around a motor-racing circuit or going on the set of your favourite TV programme!
About Muscle Dreams™
These can cost anywhere between £250 to for example £5000 – The Muscular Help Foundation (MHF) is unable to fund every single Muscle Dream™ nomination received – if you or your company would like to either help us raise further funds so we can deliver more Muscle Dreams™ or perhaps sponsor s specific Muscle Dream™, you can contact us via email or phone the charity directly on +44 (0) 1763 274658.
About Michael McGrath
Michael is the co-founder of The Muscular Help Foundation. He works tirelessly to raise funds and awareness of muscular dystrophy, a disease that he himself suffers from. Muscular dystrophy is the single biggest genetic killer of children in our world today. A relentless and unforgiving disease, it robs sufferers of their mobility, independence and finally for those with the most severe form, predominantly children, their lives.
Michael is a well-known international motivational speaker and an inspiration to tens of thousands of people around the world both with and without this disease. In 2002, despite his worsening condition and with the guidance back home from Pen Hadow, his polar pal and fellow Ready Steady Cook contestant (the pair appeared on the programme in Feb 2007), Michael led an expedition to the North Pole, an achievement he repeated two years later at the South Pole. In so doing, he became the only disabled person in the world to have successfully led expeditions to both the North and South Poles.
Michael’s extraordinary feats earned him an invitation to Buckingham Palace in December 2004 where he joined a small group of invited guests representing the diverse communities of Britain and subsequently, he appeared in the Queen’s 2004 Christmas Day broadcast to the nation from Buckingham Palace in … recognition of his contribution to national life. This has subsequently brought further awareness for the charity established for fellow sufferers even less fortunate than himself.
Within the past year (2009) and as a direct result of further muscle deterioration, Michael has lost his ability to walk. He now uses a powered wheelchair which he himself lightheartedly refers to as his ‘chariot’. This enables him to continue with both his charitable work and his advisory / speaking assignments in engaging the hearts and minds of audiences around the world.
With thanks to Jake Kanter for his editorial contribution
MHF Friend and News Editor at Redactive Media Group
From the press office of The Muscular Help Foundation
Registered Charity No. 1096716
