NATWEST MEDIA CENTRE
AT LORDS CRICKET GROUND

As I had made sure that I had kept all my contacts in cricket - I still worked with all the cricketing bodies and in particular, the MCC.

They approached me to find sponsorship to enable them to build a Media Centre at Lord’s in time for the World Cup in 1996. I said I couldn’t do it unless they had a different and exciting design – so this is what we came up with

This was really futuristic - so I was sure that I would get the money from somewhere – and I did. NatWest paid around £3m for sponsoring the building which equates to around £10m now.

This was the first real change in MCC philosophy with them adopting a modern and creative attitude to the development of Lord’s Cricket Ground. It is now an eclectic showcase of architecture and the envy of most sporting arenas around the world.

The building of the Media Centre was down to me and so I consider this one of my best achievements.

Designed by Future Systems and winner of the Stirling Prize in 1999, this aluminium, ‘semi-monocoque’ building was ground breaking, both in its design and in the boat-building technologies used to build it. David Miller, Director & Principal Architect at DMA was project architect for the original building and was asked to take on its refurbishment, which was part of a larger £200m redevelopment by the Marylebone Cricket Club to upgrade the ground and increase capacity.

BUXTON WATER

In 1999 I negotiated a three-year deal for Buxton Water to sponsor the MCC's major new programme of events for schools. The sponsorship received a Sportsmatch Award thus ensuring an investment of over £300,000 into the development of ball skills, cricket clinics and cricket camp activities for children, who have previously not had access to the sport or the necessary facilities.

MITSUBISHI MOTORS

In May 2000, I secured a new business partnership for MCC with Mitsubishi Motors agreeing a 3-year deal to become the official supplier of vehicles to MCC. The sponsorship gave Mitsubishi marketing, promotional and hospitality opportunities at the international home of cricket.