Two sporting icons. One iconic venue. 🏉

Earlier this week I attended The Battle of the Beaumonts Charity Dinner for Josh Beaumont’s Testimonial at The Midland Hotel in Manchester.

The evening carried a strong Question of Sport theme with Lord Ian Botham and Sir Bill Beaumont. Both legends on the pitch and on the show brought great energy and entertainment to the room.

David Flatman, former England and Bath prop and now a leading rugby pundit and broadcaster, did a brilliant job hosting the evening and keeping everyone entertained with his trademark wit.

We were also joined by England internationals Tom and Ben Curry, identical twins who have both worn the England shirt with pride. Tom’s achievements stand out: six British & Irish Lions Test caps, featuring in every Test of the 2021 tour and again across all three Tests this year in their series win against Australia.

Jonny Gould did a fantastic job with the auction, helping raise funds for Josh’s chosen charities My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Restart, the official charity of The Rugby Players Association. Both are causes close to Josh’s heart.

A fun fact I learned on the night. The Midland Hotel is where Mr Rolls first met Mr Royce. A reminder that history and legacies often begin with one meeting.

It was also great to reconnect with George Ford, who I first met back in his Leicester Tigers days. As many of you know I relocated to Lancashire a couple of years ago with the family. Leicester is my home city, and now George is leading from the front at Sale Sharks and celebrating 100 caps for England.

A brilliant evening of sport, community and giving back.