Village cricketer raises cash to fly by helicopter from wedding to play at Lord’s in lifetime ambition

A village cricket player has raised enough money to fly by helicopter from his wedding in Wales to Lord’s Cricket Ground to captain his team in a national final.

Peter Melhuish is due to marry his fiancée Izzy Upton in North Wales next Saturday – which meant he looked set to miss out on playing for his team, Blackheath Cricket Club in Guildford, in the final of the Cawston Press Village Cup at Lord’s.

But in a bid to overcome the dilemma, the club – who Mr Melhuish has played for since he was aged six – set up a fundraiser to have him flown by helicopter from his wedding venue in Wales to the stadium in northwest London.

The club has now raised over £6,000, well over the £4,500 goal for the ride, with a £1,000 donation from Piers Morgan helping him hit the target.

“For many a young cricketer there are two great dreams in his life, the one where he marries the beautiful girl in the idyllic hills of North Wales, and the one where he plays cricket for his boyhood team at Lord’s,” said Blackheath Cricket Club in a statement for the fundraiser.

“Very few people are lucky enough ever to achieve both of those dreams, but vanishingly few are UN-lucky enough to have them both happen within 24 hours of each other!”

After the fundraising target was met, the club said: “We’ve done it! Pete and Izzy will be able to fly from their wedding in North Wales on 5th September to Lord’s Cricket Ground by 10am on 6th September, to fulfil Pete’s lifetime ambition of playing for Blackheath Cricket Club in the final of the National Village Cup.”

The only other option would have been for Mr Melhuish to take a taxi at 5am to reach the game at 10:30am. Flying by helicopter means he will be able to make the trip in around 90 minutes.

Mr Melhuish explained that his partner had been very understanding about the situation.

“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 told the BBC.

“She’s been really supportive and very understanding of how much it means, not just to me but the club too.”

Any surplus funds will be donated to Kids for Kids, a UK-based charity that has been helping children in Darfur, Ethiopia since 2011.

“It’s a cause that was dear to the heart of Pete’s Mum and he’s raising the money in memory of her,” read a statement by Blackheath.