Knees Up Dougie Brown

WARWICKSHIRE TAKE ON VILLA ALL STARS

Warwickshire’s cricketers will switch sports on Sunday December 4 to help raise money for all-rounder Dougie Brown’s Benefit Year.

The cricketers will swap their whites for football shirts and boots when they take on the Aston Villa All Stars at Solihull Borough’s Damson Park ground (1pm kick-off).

Brown, a former Scotland Schools goalkeeper, has chosen a star-studded line-up for the game which will include Warwickshire first team players Jim Troughton, Ian Westwood, Nick Warren and Adam Shantry plus former county players Keith Piper and Neil Smith.

The cricketers’ side will be bolstered by the addition of former Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion favourite Darren Purse, now with Cardiff City, ex-Coventry City, West Bromwich Albion and England striker Cryrille Regis and former Coventry City star Dave Busst as well as Soccer AM’s Tim Lovejoy and Fenners.

England and Essex all-rounder Darren Gough has also promised to play for the Dougie Brown XI, subjecto his commitments on BBC Television’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing.’

The cricketers will face former Aston Villa playesr who turn out regularly for the All Stars in fund-raising matches across the Midlands.

Among the former Villa players included in the All Stars provisional squad list are: John Chambers, Paul Birch, Andy Blair, Darren Bradley, Des Bremner, Mark Burke, John Capaldi, Gordon Cowans, Tony Daley, Allan Evans, Colin Gibson, Tony Morley, David Norton, Ian Olney, Brendan Ormsby, Neil Rioch, Nigel Spink, Kenny Swain and Mark Walters.

Admission to the game is by programme for a suggested donation of £2.

Further information can be obtained from the Dougie Brown Benefit Office on 0121 446 3645.

Dougie Brown joined Warwickshire in 1990 after he had played first-class cricket for his native Scotland. He was a key member of the Warwickshire squad that won six domestic trophies in three seasons between 1993 and 1995 and also helped them win the County Championship again last year.

He played nine limited overs internationals for England between 1997 and 1998 and, having re-qualified to play for Scotland, helped his native country qualify for the 2007 World Cup by winning the ICC Trophy in Ireland in July.