CHARITY CRICKET MATCH FOR NIGEL

SPEEDWAY supporters are warmly invited to join several stars of the sport at a charity event celebrating the life of legendary writer and broadcaster Nigel Pearson on Sunday.

Riders will be swapping their kevlars for cricket whites in a special match taking place at Wombourne Cricket Club, with a full day of entertainment getting underway at 1pm.

It’s FREE admission throughout the day, and with the venue just off junction 2 of the M5, it would be an ideal stop-off for supporters making their way back north after the British Grand Prix.

Wolverhampton stars Sam Masters, Ryan Douglas and Leon Flint along with Sheffield’s Kyle Howarth will be joining personalities from football and darts, along with local club representatives, as they look to show their skills with bat and ball.

Meanwhile former Wolves No.1 Ronnie Correy will be amongst those taking the indoor option, with a darts match taking place, whilst invitations have been extended to Tom Brennan, Luke Killeen, Archie Freeman and Ashley Morris – and indeed all riders on their way back from Cardiff will be made very welcome.

Amongst the celebrity guests from the sports with which Nigel was involved will be his long-time co-commentator Kelvin Tatum, and top TalkSPORT presenter Adrian Durham, and Wolves bosses Chris Van Straaten and Peter Adams will be in attendance and have offered great support despite their own issues at club level.

With thanks to Chris Adams, a replica bike from American speedway legend Bruce Penhall will be on display, along with Peter Karlsson’s machine which he rode to help Wolves to the Elite League title in 2016.

The cricket match starts at 1.30pm with the darts at 2pm, and this will be followed by a raffle with over 40 prizes, and an auction of sporting memorabilia.

Also on display, and subsequently being made available on eBay, will be an unused Great Britain racesuit which was to be worn by Kyle Howarth in last season’s Test match at Glasgow.

Kyle was unfortunately unwell and could not ride on the day, and with thanks to Simon Stead and GB bosses Rob Painter and Vicky Blackwell, the racesuit will now be on offer to supporters.

There will be entertainment for the children throughout the day, before Wolves presenter Ian ‘Porky’ Jones rounds things off with his 70s disco.

All monies raised will go to fund a commemorative bench at the club, with a donation being made to the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund.

The venue is: Wombourne Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club, Church Road, Wombourne, WV5 9EZ. Please use the local car parks nearby as parking at the club itself will be limited.

A reminder it’s FREE admission and all speedway fans are welcome for what will be another memorable celebration of Nigel’s life and career.