Mike Gatting charity dinner

Rotary President David Smithard and Mike Gatting

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The Rochdale Rotary Club held a Sportsman's dinner on 21 March with guest of honour Mike Gatting OBE former Middlesex and England Ashes winning Cricket captain.

Rotarian John Holder knows Mike from his days as a test umpire and invited Mike to come and share his cricketing knowledge to help raise funds for cricket coaching for young amateur cricketers in Rochdale.

Mike met Rochdale's Mayor Jim Gartside who enjoyed the evening alongside over 120 Rotarians, friends and cricket fans including a delegation from the Lancashire Cricket Board and former Lancashire Captain John Abrahams.

Rochdale Comedian Dudley Doolittle was compere and Mike talked of his often humorous and sometimes painful experiences meeting West Indian fast bowlers literally in the face (broken nose received from pace man Malcolm Marshall). The famous Shane Warne dismissal - spinning him out - was described ("didn't know my bail was off!") He described other famous cricketers of the time, Phil Tufnell, David Gower and Ian Botham and each with their own laid back personalities; slightly unsympathetic attitudes of the established cricketers in those days to new kids on the block; pleased that modern day youngsters are given a better introduction when getting into test cricket.

Mike is nowadays Managing Director on the Cricket Partnerships Committee of the the English Cricket board which has the aim of raising money to bring more youngsters 'off the streets' to play cricket.

Over £2000 for cicket coaching in Rochdale was raised.

The event was sponsored by Hills Packaging.