July the 18th was my birthday and I had been invited to the World Series of Pace at Norman and Beverley Pace's home. The event was in aid of the Meningitis Research Foundation. For those that don't know Holly, one of the Pace children contracted meningitis when she was 4 weeks old and although she recovered she will never be able to live independently. She is a credit to the determination of both her parents to ensure she has the best quality of life she can, she is a beautiful young woman who has the confidence to address a room full of people, albeit with help from Norman.
So the buy in is £100, food included and a poker game with Skalie as the TD. Should be fun! Directions to the Pace house are simple and comprehensive, unfortunately they are also on my kitchen table but I make my way by memory and actually find the correct exit off the dual carriageway and look out for the house with the balloons. There it is, balloons galore. I park and ring the bell but there's no answer but there is lots of noise round the back. I try the front door, it's unlocked, so I walk through the strangely empty house to the back. A barbeque is in progress but it's a small gathering and I can't see the marquee. I have walked into the wrong house and the family of the 6 year old whose birthday party finished a few hours ago are obviously not expecting me.
A little further down the road I turn left and find the correct house with a measly 4 balloons but I know it's the right place as lots of people are walking in wearing black. If my life were truly like a sitcom I would find that I have now stumbled on a funeral but no - I am at the right place and as soon as I find my way round the back I recognise lots of familiar friendly faces.
Bev and Norman, Shelly Rubenstein, Compo, Jonny Gould, Tim Blake, Paul Jackson, Skalie. It's all good. The pimms is good and I start to regret the decision to drive home that night.
As we're all talking about the November Nine and who walks through the door but Karl Marenholz and James Akenhead. The parting of the Red Sea would have had less wow factor at that time as everyone wanted to shake James hand and congratulate him. Looking a little tired having just stepped off the plane they were both still running on adrenalin but looked happy to be there.
James has 'the cheque' with him for $1,200,000. Quite amazing that he still has it as he's managed to loose it twice since he got it. While enjoying a game of blackjack in Vegas James didn't realise that he had dropped the cheque on the floor and without the eagleyes of other gamblers he would have left the casino without it! Then at Passport control he handed over both the passport and the cheque and had to be called back to get it back.
Perhaps it's my age, perhaps I would be less blase but if it were me that cheque would have been safety pinned into my knickers.
Anyway he's a happy chappy, we are all pleased to see him and the pokers about to start.
Then the miracle of miracles happens, Steve Davis walks in. After a lot of ribbing following the Stve davis episode at DTD I am actually right when I say that someone at the game looks like Steve Davis. I had given Tikay the challenge of getting his autograph when he interviewed him in Vegas this year - he failed but no matter I have the real thing infront of me and I have to say the cameras don't do him any favours, he is much better looking in real life.
Starstruck I was unable to approach him but it was great to see him. Other stragglers included Simon Trumper and Rob Yong and all of a sudden we are playing poker. 5000 chips and quick blinds = quick exits = cash games and more money for the charity.
I get Carl M to my right and it's the first time I've really sat down and played with him that I can remember. What a nice guy. We must have spoken in the past because he knows me (which is amazing in itself because why would he know that?) and he also knows where I live and we talk briefly about Northampton. Now in my alternate world this indepth knowledge he has of me would be down to his admiration for me as I represent his unrequited older woman fantasy but in the real world he knows someone else from Northampton which is why he remembered where I live. Unlikely he'll be walking past my door several times trying to catch my eye but just in case....I live at no 49.
Winner of the tourney gets £1000 buy in at DTD for the Monte Carlo game, second prize was a buy in to the Killarney game. Sadly I made it to the break but not much longer after that. The guy to my left would have trouble folding an envelope let alone letting go of a hand and I was soon gone. The guy to my left is in tv, he is a presenter and for the life of me I can't place him. Richard Orford thinks he may be in gardening but I've googled and can't find him. Anyway he calls my all in with A 6 and it's goodnight to me. Apparently he's a champion scrabble player. I prefer to put him in the hustler category, he turns up with a copy of the hand rankings and tells us he hasn't really played before but his girlfriend gets chatty while he's in the loo and apparently he 'knows what he's doing'. Well he doesn't know pot odds and is taking people out with one outers but we've all had fun so that's good....
An auction of lots of goodies including a buy in to an EPT, holidays and a behind the scenes tour with Steve Davis helped raise more money and and to celebrate the 3 people who are celebrating their birthdays today the room sang happy birthday and Bev bought in a cake.
I stay to watch a bit of cash and then start to make my way home. As I leave I notice that Compo is still in the tourney. It's been a good night but now it's just becoming surreal.
If you would like to make a donation to the Meningitis Research Foundation you can do so here.
http://www.justgiving.com/worldseriesofpace/
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