Our Next Event…..
Tuesday, 12th June 2012
Speakers: Sir Garfield Sobers & Lea Roberts
Members Tickets: £59 + VAT each
Non Members Tickets: £79 + VAT each
Our Subsequent Events in 2012
Tuesday, 18th September 2012
Tuesday, 4th December 2012
Speaker Profiles
Sir Garfield Sobers
Born in Barbados, Sir Gary or Garry (as he is widely known) is generally regarded as cricket’s greatest ever all-rounder, because he was outstanding in all of the game’s essential skills, batting, bowling and fielding. Such was his contribution to cricket that he was Knighted by HM The Queen in 1975 and named as one of the ten National Heroes of Barbados.
The fifth of six children born to parents in Bridgetown, this world-renowned cricket icon began to demonstrate the talent of a natural ball player from an early age and could easily have excelled at football and basketball as well. It was hardly a surprise to many that he made his Test debut – in only his third appearance in first class cricket – at the tender age of 17, against the touring England team in the final Test match in Jamaica in 1954.
A left hander ‘par excellence’ with bat and ball, Sir Gary enjoyed a glittering International career that spanned twenty years and 93 Test appearances, 39 of them as Captain from 1965 to 1972. Along the way he amassed a total of over 8000 Test runs, including 26 centuries, and 235 wickets. Sir Gary scored a massive 365 runs against Pakistan in 1958 at Sabina Park, Kingston – a record for an individual batsman in a Test match that stood for 38 years. A decade later, he became the first ever batsman to hit six sixes in a single over in first class cricket, whilst playing in a county match here in the UK at Swansea against Glamorgan for Notts, whom he also captained for 3 seasons, up to 1971. In January 1972, in an unofficial Test match against Australia in Melbourne, Sir Gary scored 254 – a feat that was described by the great Sir Donald Bradman as the best innings that had ever been played in the history of the game. He retired two years later after a knee cartilage finally gave out.
Sir Gary’s appearance in Oxford is part of a UK speaking tour, during which he is being accompanied by his good friend and former Nottinghamshire playing colleague, “Basher” Hassan who, born in Kenya, played county cricket at Notts for nearly 20 years.
Lea Roberts
Lea hails from a family steeped in sporting tradition and he himself has always had a keen interest in sport. Indeed, he played professional rugby league for Halifax, after a serious injury playing as an amateur had almost put paid to his sporting prospects. On any Top Table that includes Lea, the conversation will always turn to sport, where he willingly expounds his wide knowledge of the subject, not to mention his passion for Halifax RLFC.
After his retirement from rugby league, Lea’s natural wit and warm personality took him into the world of stand-up comedy where his ability to make people laugh without causing offence brought him much success and notoriety, particularly on the northern circuit, over many years, until his big break…….
In 2002, having already finished runner-up in the 2001 “Batchelors Cup-A-Soup” Comedy Challenge, perfoming at London’s Comedy Store, Lea was voted the outright winner in the ITV talent show, “Stand Up Britain” which was screened live on ITV1. Two years later he was invited back by ITV to perform in “That’s Entertainment” – a big budget UV variety showcase. Since then, Lea has become one of the country’s most sought after comedians on the corporate, cabaret and sporting circuits, with a well-earned reputation as an outstanding entertainer and raconteur.