Aussie bid to buy Lord’s

THE Aussies have made a blatantly stagemanaged bid to buy a part of Lord’s on the eve of an England Test at cricket’s headquarters.

It is claimed the South Australian state government are interested in purchasing some of the land under the tunnels at the Nursery End owned by property developer Charles Rifkind.

Rifkind is offering parcels of land for £500 as part of his long-term ambition to restore Lord’s as the best cricket ground in the world, paid for by building flats.

The letter from well known advertising industry figure Bill Muirhead, London-based agent for the government of South Australia, reads: ‘I would like to enquire as to how much of this land, we, the South Australia government, might be able to purchase. I believe we could improve the future of the grounds with a South Australia led initiative.’

Former England captain David Gower, a leading member of the Rifkind camp, said: ‘There may be an element of timing in when the letter has been made public. But the interest is entirely genuine.’

KEITH PELLEY, chief executive of golf’s European Tour, shocked guests at a swish charity dinner at Wentworth this week by claiming he had no clue who Albert Roux was — even though the world renowned chef had overseen the food being served on the night and had donated a meal for 10 cooked by himself for the auction. Event host Martin Bayfield ripped into Pelley for the rest of the evening.