BOWLED OVER
Former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss said last summer’s World Cup victory “did everything we hoped it might” to raise the sport’s profile as he was knighted by the Duke of Cambridge during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace yesterday.
THE DUKE of Cambridge put any concerns about his family to one side yesterday but confessed to worrying about the endof-season prospects for his favourite football team.
According to David Gill, vicechair of the FA, who collected a CBE from William at Buckingham Palace, the Duke’s thoughts were mostly with Aston Villa.
He is known to follow the Midlands team, currently facing Premier League relegation.
Last year he was photographed a Villa match, having gone with Kate, Prince George and Princess Charlotte to Carrow Road, to see them beat Norwich City 5-1.
“I’ve been lucky enough to meet (William) a few times and talk about football,” Mr Gill said. “He was more worried about Aston Villa and how they’re going to finish this season.”
Mr Gill, a former chief executive of Manchester United and still a fan, said he remained confident that the club would overcome the recent dominance of their traditional rivals, Manchester City.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world,” he said. “It’s up to teams like my own, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Spurs to challenge and get back up there.”
Newly-knighted former England cricket captain, Andrew Strauss, doubted his fellow players would ever achieve the celebrity status of footballers.
Sir Andrew said that although cricketers were “a long way off that”, he thought player profiles were nevertheless rising.
He said: “We’re going in the right direction, but those big players of ours, with an increase in profile comes an increase in responsibility to be good ambassadors for the game.”
Sir Andrew also said last summer’s World Cup victory on home soil “did everything we hoped it might” by reaching “a broader section of the public”.
Meanwhile, Theresa May’s chief Brexit negotiator collected a knighthood granted in her resignation honours last year.
Sir Oliver Robbins, one of the architects of the old Brexit deal which failed to pass the House of Commons, was made a Knight Commander by Order of Saint Michael and Saint George – an honour given for extraordinary services abroad.