Last week, C&C Insurance Brokers headed to the Algarve as sponsor of the International Footballers v International Cricketers Golf Event, bringing together some very familiar names from two of the nationโs favourite sports for a couple of days of golf, sunshine and, inevitably, a healthy amount of competitive banter.
This now legendary event was founded and organised by ex-England and Derbyshire cricketer, John Morris and ex-England and Newcastle United player, Rob Lee, who both co-own M&L Leisure.
The event kicked off at Ombria Golf Club on Wednesday 23 September with a Texas Scramble, before attention turned to Vila Sol on Thursday for the main event. This latest instalment couldn’t have been more finely balanced, with the footballers holding a slender 9-8 series lead!ย ย
Captained by former Newcastle United and England defender John Beresford, the footballing line-up included Dean Ashton, Rob Lee, Steve Stone, David Hirst, Keith Gillespie, Seth Johnson and Rory Delap.
Facing them was a cricket team captained by former England fast bowler Steve Harmison, alongside Warren Hegg, Gladstone Small, Ed Giddins, Ryan Sidebottom, John Morris, Ronnie Irani and Phil DeFreitas.
No pressure, then.
This was C&C’s first year as the event sponsor, although Managing Director Malc Cooke is certainly no stranger to the occasion, having supported the event for several years. This time Malc captained the C&C team, with the C&C name appearing across the event shirts and caps.ย ย ย ย
And while the Algarve weather did its bit, the competition was every bit as hot. Eventually though, the cricketers edged it by just five points, levelling the overall series at 9-9 and setting things up rather nicely for next year.
There were, we’re reliably informed, contrasting fortunes among the professionals too. Rory Delap (to pick a name purely at random), might have wished for a few more birdies, while Phil DeFreitas apparently spent rather more time soaring with the eagles. We’ll leave it to those who were there to fill in the details!
Event organiser and former England and Derbyshire cricketer John Morris said:
โWhat makes this event special is the people who come back year after year. There’s always been a great rivalry between the footballers and cricketers, but just as importantly it’s an opportunity for everyone to enjoy some fantastic golf, make new connections and have a lot of fun along the way. We’re delighted to have C&C involved as sponsors this year and hugely appreciate Malc’s continued support of the event.โ
C&C Managing Director Malc Cooke added: โI’ve enjoyed supporting this event for a number of years, so it was great for C&C to step up as sponsor this time around. It’s competitive, probably more competitive than some of them would admit, but there’s always a brilliant atmosphere. Bringing people together through sport is something we’re very keen on at C&C, and this event does that perfectly. Congratulations to the cricketers, although with the series now at 9-9, next year could be interesting!โ
With the scores level, bragging rights temporarily shared and another memorable Algarve trip completed, attention now turns to 2027.
Footballers 9. Cricketers 9.
Game on!
