Sporting Alliance - Sporting Alliance is a business dinner club run by Sporting Hospitality specialists Sporting Spectrum Ltd

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	16th October 2009 Gareth Chilcott Taunton RFC
	1st April 2010 Opening Dinner 2010 Somerset CCC

13th August 2009
Merv Hughes
The Sporting Alliance hosted its biggest ever dinner in the Colin Atkinson Pavilion at the County Ground in Taunton on Thursday 13th August when former Australian Test bowler Merv Hughes attracted almost 200 guests.

The larger than life character played in 53 Test matches between 1985 and 1994-5 during which he captured 212 wickets at an average of just over 28.

His best performance was in the Ashes series in the summer of 1993 when during the course of six Tests he bowled almost 300 overs and took 31 England wickets to help the men in baggy green caps to a 4-1 series victory.

Hughes is now a selector for the Australian national team and those present sat spell bound as he regaled them with sporting anecdotes from his long and colourful playing career.

If that wasn’t enough the big hearted Australian then invited questions from the floor during which he gave his thoughts on a wide range of subjects.

Many questions related to the upcoming crucial final Ashes Test at the Oval which he said was between two inexperienced but evenly matched sides.

Twenty20 cricket he thought was a way of introducing people to the game, but believed that Test cricket was the backbone of the game and would always be the ultimate contest- especially between England and Australia.

On the topic of the use of modern technology to aid the umpires Hughes believed that the game either had to embrace it entirely and use it for all decisions or not at all, there was no half way house.

There could have been no better way of bringing the curtain down on the Sporting Alliance Dinners at the Colin Atkinson Pavilion this year, before the venue is completely refurbished during the winter months, and re-opening in April- with another Alliance Dinner!

The final Sporting Alliance Dinner of 2009 will be on Friday October 16th at Taunton Rugby Club when former England and Bath rugby player Gareth Chilcott will be the guest speaker.