to download a pdf of the - Sir Bobby's Breakthrough Auction and Ball

50
SPORT
Follow our Town fan on Twitter @North_Stander
seeing stars:
Barcelona’s Lionel
Messi celebrates with
team mate Bojan Krkic
Photos: PA
East Anglian Daily Times Thursday, October 6, 2011 www.eadt.co.uk
Your chance
to meet Messi
THE Sir Bobby Robson Breakthrough Auction launches this
Saturday - and more great prizes are being added all the time.
Here, we bring you the latest news on the fantastic fund-raising effort.
By Mariam Ghaemi
THE ONCE in a lifetime experience of
rubbing shoulders with some of the best
footballers in the world is up for grabs
as part of a phenomenal fund-raising
auction for two good causes.
Two people have the chance to watch
a training session at FC Barcelona,
meet and greet with the superstar
players - such as Argentinian international
striker Lionel Messi and former
Arsenal captain and midfielder Cesc
Fàbregas - and receive a first team
signed shirt presented by their manager
Pep Guardiola as part of the Sir
Bobby’s Breakthrough Auction.
Also included in this sought-after
opportunity is two tickets for a
Barcelona home match at the iconic
Nou Camp, one of the world’s great
stadiums.
This is just one of more than 130 fantastic
prizes which are going under the
virtual hammer of the auction, which
will run online for two weeks from this
Saturday.
It is hoped £250,000 will be raised for
the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and
Breakthrough Breast Cancer through
the auction, as well as a fundraising
ball.
Mr Guardiola said: “I encourage everybody
in this charity initiative for Sir
Bobby Robson.
“For us as a club and for myself (it)
is an honour to participate and to have
the opportunity to invite two persons
to come and visit our training session,
attend a game at our stadium and
receive as well a signed shirt from our
players.
“I encourage everybody in England
and around the world to contribute
in this and to fight against cancer by
supporting Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough
Auction.”
Founder of Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough
Auction and Ball, Gina Long, who is a
friend of the Robson family, said it was
“just astonishing” that FC Barcelona
had come forward with such a fantastic
prize.
She said: “They are one of the best
football clubs in the world and for them
to be participating so willingly is just so
heartening.”
She added how after the club finally
responded to her emails they “had their
arms wide open to embrace everything”.
As well as the array of fabulous sportrelated
prizes, others include a London
Eye private champagne capsule for 20
guests and a one-week stay at a cottage
in Cornwall.
Some of the well-known names to
have already shown their support for
the auction include David Beckham,
Delia Smith, Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose
Mourinho, Andre Villas-Boas and
Arsene Wenger.
The initiative will culminate in a
fundraising ball at the Apex in Bury St
Edmunds later this month.
And as part of the campaign Mrs
Long is due to appear on the BBC
Breakfast show this morning with Sir
Bobby’s widow Lady Elsie.
The ball and auction is being held in
memory of Sir Bobby and breast cancer
campaigner Sally Balch. Sally was a
founding member of the Breakthrough
Suffolk group and died of breast cancer
in 2004.
For more information on the auction
and ball and to see the prizes on offer go
to www.sirbobbysbreakthrough
auction.com and follow on twitter
http://twitter.com/sirbobbyauction
mariam.ghaemi@eadt.co.uk

East Anglian Daily Times Thursday, October 6, 2011 www.eadt.co.uk 51
Thoughts on our sport coverage? E-mail Head of Sport Mark Heath at mark.heath@eadt.co.uk
Swann backing for Sir Bobby
By Nick Garnham
ONE of the world’s leading cricketers
has added his backing to a
charity auction and ball being
organised in memory of Sir
Bobby Robson.
England off- spinner Graeme
Swann, a lifelong Newcastle
United fan, had no hesitation in
supporting the events after he
was approached to do so.
Swann met ex-Ipswich Town
boss Robson, who hailed from
the north east and was manager
of Newcastle United towards the
end of his illustrious career in
football, shortly before he died in
July 2009 following a long battle
with cancer.
Currently the No.1 ranked spin
bowler in the world, Swann is
the latest high-profile personality
to donate towards the auction
prizes, with support coming
from David Beckham, Sir Alex
Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and
Arsene Wenger among others.
Swann will be donating a pair
of tickets, with VIP hospitality,
for the Friday and Saturday of
the First Test between England
and West Indies at Lord’s next
summer. He will also be donating
a signed England shirt which
he will get autographed by the
England team that plays in the
match.
The ball and auction aim to
raise £250,000 for the Sir Bobby
Robson Foundation and cancer
charity Suffolk Breakthrough.
Swann said he had heard
about the Foundation, but didn’t
know too much about it until
he received an email from Gina
Long, the founder of the auction
and ball, which is set to be the
biggest charity night ever in
Suffolk.
Although he was born in
Northampton, Swann’s family are
from Blyth in the north east and
are proud Geordies.
The 32-year-old, who has played
more than 100 times for his
country, said: “She had heard I
was a Newcastle fan and would I
consider helping out. Sir Bobby
Robson is an absolute legend,
so I was more than
happy to do so.
“Anyone
who saw the
television
programme
he did with
Gary Lineker,
when Sir
Bobby took
him behindthe-scenes
at
Newcastle United,
and also reading
his book which talks
about his pride in the
North East could see
the passion and pride
he had.
“He was one of the
nicest blokes going. Sir
Bobby was so dignified
and humble. He had great
qualities which so many
people lack not just in
football but in other walks
of life.
“I only met him
once, which sadly was
just before he passed
away, when Newcastle played
Middlesbrough and both teams
were trying to cling on to their
Premier League status.
“He was sat in the directors’
box a couple of places along from
me and it was a thrill for me to
meet him, although it was sad to
see one of your heroes in such a
frail state as he was by then.”
Even though Sir Bobby was a
big cricket fan and used to follow
the fortunes of the England team,
Swann said: “We spoke more
about Newcastle than anything
else and whether they could stay
up or not and we both came to the
same conclusion that we could.”
Although Newcastle beat
Middlesbrough 3-1 that night,
defeat at home to Fulham followed
by another loss, this time at
Aston Villa on the final day of the
season, saw Newcastle’s 16-year
stay in the top flight come to an
end.
More than 120 prizes have been
donated for the auction which
goes live online on Saturday, and
is being followed in more than 70
countries. The glittering fund
raising ball is taking
place at the Apex
in Bury St
Edmunds on
Thursday,
October 20.
For more
information
and to see the
prizes on offer go
to www.sirbobbysbreakthroughauction.com
and follow
on twitter http://twitter.
com/sirbobbyauction
FgFgF: england’s twenty 20
captain graeme swann
Photo: PA
SPORT
Swann recalls
Minor Counties
debut in Ipswich
GRAEME Swann was quick to respond
when asked if he could remember his
Minor Counties Championship debut.
The England off spinner took some
of his first steps on the road to stardom
when he made his bow for Bedfordshire
against Suffolk at Ransomes Sports
Ground in Ipswich in June 1996.
“I do - I am blessed with a good memory
for cricket matches. It was against
Suffolk at Ransomes and we clung on for
a draw in the end.
“Suffolk had a good left-arm spinner
and it was a turning wicket. I got 20 or
30 in our second innings.”
The left-arm spinner in question was
ex-Essex spinner Andrew Golding, who
took six for 75 including the wicket of
Swann, batting at No.9, after he had
made 34 from 51 balls.
Swann neither batted nor bowled on
the first day of the two-day match, but
took three wickets in Suffolk’s second
innings - including former England
batsman Derek Randall - before Suffolk
declared, setting Bedfordshire 339 to
win in 67 overs. The visitors ended on
233 for nine.
Swann chuckled as he remembered
an incident in the match involving
Gary Stanford, the Bedfordshire
wicketkeeper.
“He stood up to one of our seamers,
who hit him on the head!”
Swann’s father, Ray, used to open the
batting for Bedfordshire, but they never
played together in the same side.
“Although he never played with me he
did play in the same side as my brother.
But by the time it came to my turn it was
a bridge too far for him,” said Swann.