Sir Victor Blank has reached 30 not out: the old Lloyds Bank chairman has hosted the 30th annual charity cricket match in the grounds of his Oxfordshire manor house, featuring cricketing veterans and City big wigs. There was one notable no-show: Sir Martin Sorrell usually puts his pads on and flashes his off-drive at the event. But maybe the ad man was too busy outscoring his ex-employer WPP in a €300m auction for a Dutch production company. Featuring former West Indian fast bowler Curtly Ambrose — who took it easy on the amateur batsmen but showed he can still bowl a tasty bouncer against fellow former pros — this year’s event raised more than £400,000 for the Wellbeing of Women charity that Sir Victor chairs. That takes the total raised for female health to £7.5m since 1988. Ex-England players Mike Atherton and Angus Fraser were there too, as were City figures like M&A supremo Simon Warshaw, Worldpay boss Philip Jansen and Andrew Bester, the new Co-op Bank chief. The biggest surprise? Ex-West Indies captain Brian Lara scored only 17 runs.
Source: Financial Times