Piers Morgan has donated £1,000 to help a cricket-mad groom fly directly from his wedding in north Wales to Lord's in time to play in a cup final. Peter Melhuish, 32, is set to marry Izzy Upton in Groesffordd Marli next week, just 24 hours before he is due to take to the field for Blackheath Cricket Club in the National Village Cup final.
Fundraising Target Met
The donation from the broadcaster to Melhuish's GoFundMe page has met his £4,500 fundraising target. Over 100 people directly sent money at the time of writing, with funds going to a £10,000 helicopter flight between the two venues. Club members had already contributed £5,500 towards the expense before the public appeal was launched, meaning the target was set at £4,500.
Morgan wrote on the crowdfunding 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!"
Wedding and Match Schedule
The Crowdfunder states that Pete and Izzy must leave their wedding in north Wales on September 5 and arrive at Lord's by 10am the following morning. A helicopter is the sole means by which they can complete the journey within the available time, with the flight expected to take just over an hour.
Melhuish, who initially joined Surrey-based club Blackheath at the age of six, acknowledged the club's progression to the final had generated an unexpected dilemma after he and Izzy arranged their wedding for the Saturday following his club's local league season's scheduled conclusion. However, they had not foreseen Blackheath reaching the final of the nationwide competition, which takes place on Sundays, with village and local cricket clubs from across the UK participating.
Support from Club and Fiancée
"It'd be amazing if we can afford it and pull something together," Peter 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."
The groom revealed his bride-to-be had been enormously supportive of his remarkable effort to attend 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 added. "She's been really supportive and very understanding of how much it means, not just to me but the club too."
