The broadcaster has made a huge donation to help Peter Melhuish achieve his sporting dream hours after his wedding
Piers Morgan has donated £1,000 to help a cricket-loving groom fly straight from his wedding in north Wales to Lord’s in time to play in a dream cup final.
Peter Melhuish is due to marry his fiancée Izzy Upton in Groesffordd Marli, near Abergele in north Wales on September 5 – less than 24 hours before he is supposed to take to the field for Blackheath Cricket Club in the National Village Cup final at Lord’s.
The extraordinary bid to get the 32-year-old to the match has now received a major boost after broadcaster Morgan donated £1,000 to the Crowdfunder, which has gone past its £4,500 fundraising target.
The appeal had raised £5,340 from 112 supporters when last checked, with the money going towards the estimated £10,000 cost of a helicopter flight from north Wales to London.
Club members had already put £5,500 towards the cost before the public appeal was launched, meaning the target was set at £4,500.
Morgan said on the crowd funding page: “As someone who also comes from Guildford and has also always dreamed of playing in the village cup final at Lord’s, I’m very glad you will now be living my dream. Good luck Peter!”
The Crowdfunder says Pete and Izzy need to leave their wedding in north Wales on September 5 and reach Lord’s by 10am the following morning.
It says a helicopter is the only way they can make the journey in the time available, with the flight expected to take just over an hour.
Melhuish, who first joined Surrey-based club Blackheath aged six, admitted the club’s run to the final had created an unusual problem after he and Izzy planned their wedding for the Saturday after his club’s local league season was due to finish.
But they had not anticipated Blackheath reaching the final of the nationwide competition, which is played on Sundays by village and local cricket clubs from across the UK.
“It’d be amazing if we can afford it and pull something together,” Melhuish told the BBC.
“The only other way is a 5am taxi down from the wedding which wouldn’t be much fun.
“It’s amazing how the club are pulling together and helping us with it.
“It’s really nice to have that support from them.”
And the groom revealed his bride-to-be had been hugely supportive of his extraordinary attempt to make the match.
“We’ve been organising the wedding for well over a year so the fixtures for the Village Cup hadn’t even come out when we started organising it,” he said.
“She’s been really supportive and very understanding of how much it means, not just to me but the club too.”
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