It's not all downhill for John Matthews in retirement

Jul 19 2008

I bump into John Matthews, construction and property expert, who retired earlier this year. So what is he up to now?

He tells me: “I have been to South Africa for two weeks, the Lake District for three days, and Prague for a week’s drinking … and I haven’t had time to book a holiday yet!”

Goodness. That’s the sort of schedule which Trade Minister Digby Jones and socialite John James would be proud of.

But there’s been the more mundane too. John reveals: “I was dog-sitting as a favour for friends in downtown Broadwas-on-Teme in Worcestershire, whilst they were attending a family wedding in Italy.

“The residence is situated at the top of a hill in the village and has fantastic views over the Teme Valley with the Malvern Hills as a back-drop. There are also many fine pubs in the locale, so all in all, it was a relaxing week.

“My sole requirement was to take Mitch, the ageing mutt, for a daily walk which, from our lofty location, meant that we had to go down fairly steep hills.

“The bad news was that, in order to get back, we had to stagger back up said hills. For two elderly males, this proved quite knackering.”

I know the feeling.

Still, there is yet a sparkle in the Matthews eye even if there isn’t much of a spring in the step.

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Fresh from putting his problem-solving skills to the test in the Stoford Challenge, Alex Morgan is stepping out today for something far more stamina sapping.

The commercial property project manager, who was part of the Stoford Developments team that finished in third place this year, has set himself the task of running 100km across the South Downs in fewer than 12 hours.

He is taking part in Trailwalker, the annual event which raises money for Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust, first established by the Queen’s Gurkha Signal Regiment in Hong Kong in 1981 as a military exercise.

It covers two days from July 19-20 but the Lost in Wanchai Boys will be aiming to start and complete the job in one. Alex is no stranger to the event – in 2007 he was part of a mixed team which set a record by completing the course in 12.5 hours.

“As we were so successful, we decided to enter both a men’s and women’s team this year in the hope that we will raise more money,” said Alex, who has been preparing with 30-mile runs each weekend.

Anyone wishing to sponsor Alex, and there’s still time, should click on www.justgiving.com/lostinwanchaiboys

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Responding to Edgbaston’s Conservative Councillor Deirdre Allen (Birmingham Post June 25) and her battle cry of “We can fight and win post office closure plan”.

Wolverhampton PR man David Cooper has proposed that Post Office counters should be relocated into local public houses in a combined effort to slow down the closure of both endangered species.

Picture the scene.

Popping his head around the kitchen door at around six o’clock each evening the cunning Mr Cooper will inform Mrs C that he is popping out to post a letter.

Gone for ever will be the time honoured art of “going for a Burton”.

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Very sad to hear of the death of Bryan Cowgill, former Controller of BBC 1, who lived in the Midlands. I last spoke to him after the recent BBC drama about the life of anti-smut campaigner Mary Whitehouse.

It had not gone down well with certain of the Corporation’s former executives including Bryan who could, even after so long, barely disguise his contempt for the woman, describing her as “totally sex crazed”.

To have jumped to the Whitehouse tune would have seen the freedom of creative artists “pathetically curtailed”.

He went on: “I did not like her and in that I was in common with many people in the TV business. That was not just because she was teaching granny to suck eggs, but because she was pushing the reputation of Mary Whitehouse.”

And Mr Cowgill had a pop at today’s BBC for the drama’s portrayal of former director general Sir Hugh Greene.

He described it as a “travesty”.

End of an era, I am afraid.

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I arrive at the Birmingham Post Business Awards, find my table and discover the French are deeply into karaoke. I always thought that was the Japanese.

And, apparently typical French, instead of having a laugh like us Brits, they take it extremely seriously.

Still, main speaker Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, of Warwick Manufacturing Group, was on good form.

Put four years on the age of master of ceremonies Bob Warman though.

Oh dear. Icon, veteran – nope, Bob isn’t having any of it.

Still Kumar did say he’d like to see Bob still there in another 25 years.

And the Central TV news reader was certainly toasting that.

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Birmingham’s cricketing lawyers are out of this year’s John Bright Trophy after PricewaterhouseCoopers won a semi-final place on Monday.

The calculators were out as the accountants reached a winning score of 111/4 in 10.4 overs v No5 Chambers to achieve a net run rate marginally ahead of solicitors Challinors, who also won three of their four group matches.

PwC play the impressive Ernst & Young side next Thursday, while GVA Grimley meet the strong KPMG team in the other semi-final in Birmingham’s corporate cricket tournament at Britannic Park, Moseley, on Tuesday.

The week did provide a consolation for lawyers though when Harborne CC’s captain Darren Culbard blitzed his way to a textbook 35 and then took 3-7 in his two eight-ball overs for solicitors Pinsent Masons. But opponents King Sturge gamely weathered this tour de force gaining an exciting five-wicket win.

Results – Week 11
Mon July 14 – No5 Chambers 108.4 in 16 overs (A Hafeez 30, S Rauf 3-4, E Crust 2-15) PwC 111/4 in 10.4 overs (A Noor 35 rtd, T Singh 2-4, R Moat 1-14, R Bealby 2-22. PwC won by 6 wkts
Tuesday July 16 – GVA Grimley 180/4 in 16 overs (P Taylor 35 rtd, J Gibson 35 rtd, D Hampton 35 rtd, C Bell 1-8) ) Scott Wilson 79 in 15.4 overs (M Arshad 36 rtd).
GVA Grimley won by 101 runs.
Wed July 16 – Pinsent Masons 142 in 16 overs (D Culbard 35 rtd, C Luton 35 rtd, G Evans 32, H Martyn 2-12) King Sturge 143/5 in 14.4 overs (R Sykes 36 rtd, B Blackwell 33, D Culbard 3-7, P Batchelor 2-10).
King Sturge won by 5 wkts.
Bond Wolfe 140/8 in 16 overs (J Mattin 37 rtd, M Lynch 3-7, D Hill 2-14) Cobbetts 143/9 in 15.6 overs (M Lynch 49*, A Bartle 2-15).
Cobbetts won by 1 wkt
Thurs July 17 - GVA Grimley 146/8 in 16 overs (R Moran 35 rtd, E Richards 2-20, B Goldby 2-18) Martineau Johnson 109/9 in 16 overs (B Goldby 39*, K Hayfield 21, D Hampton 2-11, A Turner 2-13).
GVA Grimley won by 37 runs.