Athletics great for Festival Ball
Steve Cram (C) BBC - Photographer: Dan Prince
OLYMPIC silver medal- winning athlete, and former world champion and world record holder, Steve Cram will be the special guest at this summer’s inaugural Newmarket Festival Ball.
It will be held at the Millennium Grandstand at the Rowley Mile racecourse on Saturday, July 7, the day the Olympic Torch procession will make its way through the town.
And the ball, sponsored by HSBC, which in the past has supported the Festival’s popular sporting dinner, will have an Olympic theme.
Mark Edmondson, chairman of the festival’s organising committee said the confirmation that the ,former 1,500 metre track star would be attending as guest of honour was “fantastic news.”
“Steve will be remembered by so many for his great athletic achievements on the track and is known today as the voice of British athletics as a highly respected BBC commentator. We are delighted that he will be joining us and he has agreed to speak at the ball and help out with the auction,” said Mr Edmondson.
“This will be the gala event of the summer and we hope the town will get behind it. We plan to release news of how tickets will be available very shortly.”
The ball is one of three major events that will see the start of a week of festival celebrations. Ahead of it on Saturday, July 7, will be Newmarket Carnival which this year will be held on The Severals and the Olympic Torch Parade. The day will also see a street fair organised by town retailers.
Details of another important festival event were also revealed this week. A charity cricket match will be held at the Godolphin cricket ground in Newmarket’s Snailwell Road featuring a match between the Lord’s Taverners and a Newmarket Select X1.
Mr Edmondson said the Lord’s Taverners side was likely to include Devon Malcolm, Gladstone Small, Chris Silverwood and Matthew Hoggard.
The day will also features an under-11s cricket tournament backed by Godolphin, which will have trophies and sports equipment as prizes for the winners and participants. The tournament is being organised through local schools by schools’ sports co-ordinator Ian Jackson.
“The Godolphin cricket square and its pavilion provide excellent facilities and we also plan to have some marquees providing refreshments,” said Mr Edmondson.
l For full details about festival events keep in touch with the Journal and through the festival website on www.newmarketfesti val@wordpress.com.
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