The captain of the England Test cricket team was the prize catch as he offered a safe pair of hands as the VIP opener at a new sports facility on Tuesday.
Alastair Cook, holder of the English record of 25 Test match centuries, went beyond the boundary in helping to officially launch the revamped Henlow Cricket Pavilion.
The left-handed batsman – who celebrated his 30th birthday on Christmas Day – good-naturedly chatted to a large number of cricket-mad youngsters and signed autographs.
Richard Clay, a director of the pavilion’s builders Ashe Construction, said: “At £750,000 this is definitely one of the biggest projects we’ve undertaken. This really does feel like a community project.”
The building includes a main hall area, kitchen, bar, offices, changing facilities and parking – with provision made for a further entertainment venue at first floor level.
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