Bike ride raises thousands

The coffers of Cancer Research UK are now better off to the tune of almost £30,000: put another way almost £80 a mile.

The five day push took them from Cork to overnights in Kilkenny, Dublin, Armagh, Londonderry and finally to Belfast where they were greeted by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Gavin Robinson. And it was money-raising all the way thanks to people’s generosity north and south of the border.

The whole shebang ended the way it deserved to with a money-spinning dinner at Belfast’s Europa Hotel. A host of auction and ballot items went like hotcakes - for example two passes for every England and Surrey game at the Kia Oval next summer, including the final Ashes Test, fetched £2,200.

For Wilson and Porterfield it’s been gruelling to say the least and for Wilson there’s been more than a touch of emotion. The two best mates understood the bike in memory of Gary’s mother who passed away earlier in the year.

“I think everyone’s family has been touched by the disease and I guess that’s why everyone has been so generous,” he says. “I am so grateful to the very many people who contributed - and, of course, particularly to William. His was a mark of true friendship.”

The two men had special thanks for the President of Cricket Ireland, Arthur Vincent, who sat on the committee which helped organise the campaign.

And at the dinner they made special presentations to four friends who travelled the journey with them - albeit on four wheels!

Cricket Ireland’s Conditioning and Fitness Coach, Brendan Connor, kept them on their bikes; Porterfield’s old university pal Tim Smalley knows all there’s to know about bikes and kept the wheels turning; Irish team manager Roy Torrens rode shotgun in a camper van which catered for every conceivable need and next year’s Cricket Ireland President, Robin Walsh, kept in touch with the media.