Ageas Bowl Players and Staff Undergo Charity Health Check

Club supports Director's sky-dive

Players and staff at Hampshire Cricket’s The Ageas Bowl have been having a health check to help raise money and awareness for Wessex Heartbeat.

The volunteers, which included Club Captain Jimmy Adams, First XI Manager Giles White, overseas batsman Simon Katich and seam bowler, Chris Wood all donated a minimum of £5 for Health & Rehabilitation Cardiac Nurses from the Cardiac Unit at Southampton General Hospital to measure their Body Mass Index (BMI – Weight and Height), Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose and Cholesterol. Thankfully, the results were all healthy!

The Club took part in the event in order to raise awareness of Wessex Heartbeat, which is also the chosen charity of The Ageas Bowl’s Group Commercial Director, Zac Toumazi, when he undertakes a sky-dive to raise money for them later this year.

Zac said; “I am scared of heights so what better way to deal with this than jumping out of a plane, 13,000 feet (two and a half miles) up? I’m particularly looking forward to the 45 seconds of free fall before the parachute opens at 6,000ft, when I can enjoy the "leisurely" ride back down to earth under the canopy. Oh, and by the way, I will have a Red Devil strapped to my back!

“In all seriousness, though, I am challenging my fear of heights in the hope of raising lots of money for Wessex Heartbeat, who are a fantastic charity. They are locally based and a great group of people. Having lost my closest friend in January through heart failure, it makes the cause all the more personal.”

The jump – which has already achieved support from former Hampshire and England cricketer, David Gower [see image gallery] - will take place on 22 May at Netheravon Airfield, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Anyone wishing to sponsor Zac can do so at www.justgiving.com/zac-toumazi.

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: David Blundell

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