Sport.co.uk are fortunate enough to get invited to numerous events of varying degrees of relevance throughout the year and put simply, many flatter to deceive. Last night was not one of them. A pre-Wimbledon party at the Kensington Roof Gardens hosted by Richard Branson no less, and courtesy of the WTA sponsors Sony Ericsson, on paper at least, ticks all the right boxes. It did not disappoint.
It’s extremely rare that Sport.co.uk is afforded the opportunity to rub shoulders with the likes of Gavin Henson, Maria Sharapova, Heidi Range from the Sugar Babes (in German no less), and that fella from Hollyoaks all in one sitting, but this event was just that.
Courteously escorted to the front of a queue that wouldn’t look out of place at Disney Land, and whisked in to the lift via a red carpet that was alive with paparazzi camera flashes capturing the statuesque Venus Williams and the less so Danny Cipriani (intriguingly minus his missus according to the Daily Mail but interestingly in tow with “sexy underwear boss Michelle Mone” said the Metro), this was evidently no ordinary night.
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Double parked with Ricky Whittle
A no expense spared evening at Ken Roof Gardens awaited as the World Cup, France versus Mexico (the latter of which was my lucky pick from the office sweepstake) to be precise, took second stage to a decadent evening of watermelon-martinis, medium-rare barbecued beef burgers, and Caprice.
Ellen Rives
Sport.co.uk were literally thrust into that adidas advert as the editor and his trusty deputy threw some shapes on the dance floor alongside Russell Brand and his old mucker Jonathan Ross.
Nice to see you, to see you nice
Neatly clad in white, the aesthetically pleasing bar staff were busy peddling passionfruit-vodka cocktails to the likes of Holly Branson and Frank Lampard’s ex Ellen Rives, while the A-list glitterati did their best not to be seen star spotting with the rest of the lucky laymen fortunate enough to wangle an invite.
Good times
It’s difficult to upstage football’s biggest event, but the WTA and their sponsor Sony Ericsson successfully confined the World Cup and England’s subsequent woes to a distant memory.
Take a bow Mr Branson.
Last year's event looked pretty good too