Sector Focus
Sport The Business of Sport Historic test match hailed a success
The inaugural day/night Test match at Edgbaston has been hailed a huge success – with impressive ticket and catering figures. The match saw England defeat
the West Indies inside three days to make it three straight Test victories at Edgbaston and five wins out of their last six at the Birmingham venue. Warwickshire County Cricket
Club chief executive Neil Snowball has praised the efforts of everyone involved in delivering a memorable first day/night Test match. Edgbaston accommodated
70,000 spectators across the three days of play, recording sell-outs on the second and third day and
despite the shortened match, the venue’s retail catering sales were also the highest ever for a non- Ashes Test match. Mr Snowball said: “One of the
primary reasons for playing this Test match in day/night conditions was to support team England in preparation for this winter’s Ashes Test in Adelaide. “However, to become the first UK
venue to stage such a fixture has been an honour and builds on our reputation for innovation. “We also recognised
the commercial opportunity and estimate that total ticket sales increased
by 25 per cent as a result of the change in format and the increased level of marketing.” It was also the 50th men’s Test
to be played at Edgbaston. The occasion was marked with a lap of honour by legendary England players who featured in the previous 49 Test Matches, including Mike ‘MJK’ Smith for 1958, Sir Ian Botham for 1981 and Michael Vaughan for 2005. Mr Snowball added: “The debate
will go on as to whether we need day/night Test cricket in this country. There are a number of Test match grounds who are very good at selling Test cricket in this
country, unlike in other parts of the world so there is an argument to leave well alone. “However, it was terrific to be
able to make history by hosting the first ever day/night Test. From our perspective, the whole
team at Edgbaston thoroughly enjoyed the experience of hosting the match and the combined attendance of nearly 70,000 shows that there is certainly an appetite. “The city of Birmingham again
showed its expertise in hosting marquee sporting events and our thanks go to Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police and the city stakeholders.”
Edgbaston’s County Ground: day/night test was a big success
Niall steps up as Acorns ambassador
Worcester Warriors player Niall Annett (pictured) has been announced as the club's official player ambassador for Acorns Children's Hospice. Annett will help support the
charity in its work in providing care for local children and young people. Annett, who has played for Warriors since 2014, was nominated for the position by former player and charity ambassador Sam Betty. Annett said: “I am really proud to
be the new player ambassador for Acorns this season. “It’s an important position and I’ll
do my best to raise awareness of the great work the charity does, both at the hospice and out in the community. We all know first-hand the amazing work Acorns does and we’re ready to help in any way we can.”
56 CHAMBERLINK October 2017
Up for the challenge: the Brownlee brothers
Sibling rivalry takes to the road
Olympic triathletes Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have reignited their rivalry in a triathlon with a difference – behind the wheel of a Jaguar XF and XF Sportbrake. The pair competed in a trio of challenges to show off
the dynamic performance, increased load space and parking technology of both vehicles. First was the swim, otherwise known as the
‘Smartcone Slide’, pitting the brothers against each other in a slalom contest on a wet skid pan. Round two put the pair on their bikes for ‘Pedal to Pack’ as they
raced to stow their equipment the quickest in the 565 litres of rear load space and on the versatile roof rack of the new XF Sportbrake estate. With all to play for in the final challenge ‘Race to
Reverse’, the brothers were tested with a parallel park in the XF saloon. Alistair took the wheel and manually tried to park the car in the shortest possible time, while Jonny put his faith in the semi-automated Park Assist function, proving the difference as he triumphed over his brother to take overall victory
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