Littler, Humphries, Wade & Beckham in King's Honours
Darts players Luke Littler and Luke Humphries have become MBEs in the King's Birthday Honours, while Virginia Wade is made a CBE and knighthoods are confirmed for David Beckham and Billy Boston.The awards for teenage world champion Littler and world number one Humphries are further evidence of darts' booming popularity.Former tennis player Wade, meanwhile, is the only British woman to have won titles at all four majors. She is honoured for her services to the sport and charity.News of former England football captain Beckham becoming a 'Sir' emerged last week, while rugby league legend Boston was knighted on Monday.
Motorcyclist Michael Dunlop - the winner of a record 33 Isle of Man TT races, will become an MBE. The Northern Irish rider has carried on racing after the death of his father, brother and uncle in road accidents. Aston Villa striker Rachel Daly - capped 84 times by England - is another to become an MBE, along with golfer Trish Johnson, BBC gymnastics commentator Christine Still, Bury FC chair Marcel de Matas and former Great Britain basketball player Julius Joseph.Boxer Natasha Jonas, former Great Britain ice hockey captain Saffron Lane and wheelchair tennis player Andy Lapthorne are also honoured along with former England cricketers Steven Davies, external and David 'Syd' Lawrence.Deta Hedman - the winner of more than 200 titles and the first black woman to play in the PDC World Darts Championship - is made an OBE, as is former England cricketer Devon Malcolm.Retired Paralympic swimming champion and volleyball player Monica Vaughan and two-time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee are also appointed OBEs.So too is Oldham Athletic owner Frank Rothwell, for charitable services to dementia research.
Littler and Humphries lead darts charge
Littler and Humphries are honoured in the week they compete together for England at the World Cup of Darts in Germany."This is an amazing and unexpected honour but one which I am very grateful for," said Littler."To receive a recognition like this is something I had never thought would be possible, and it is a proud moment."It's unbelievable what I've done for my sport; I'm happy, my family is happy and I can't wait to receive it."In January, Littler - aged 17 - became the youngest world darts champion in history, beating three-time winner Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the PDC final.The teenager was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in December and was also runner-up for the main award.He is not the youngest sporting figure to feature on the honours list, however - Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds was made an MBE aged 14 in 2009.Littler's rise, which has also brought Grand Slam of Darts, World Series and UK Open titles, has helped fuel a boom for darts, with record crowds, prize money and numbers of young people taking up the game.Humphries, 30, the reigning World Matchplay, Premier League, Players Championship Finals and World Masters champion, said he "couldnt believe it" when notified of his award."Everyone's talking about darts now, and I think that we're two of the pioneering parts of that," he added."We've changed the face of darts over the last couple of years. It's starting to become a younger man's game. It's nice to be at the forefront of that."His most recent big victory came in the Premier League last month, when he defeated 2024 champion Littler in the final.The pair join fellow darts players Keith Deller, Trina Gulliver, Fallon Sherrock, John Lowe and the late Eric Bristow as MBEs.
Tennis champion Wade honoured
Wade's royal connection endures after she famously won Wimbledon in 1977 - Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee yearWade, now 79, remains the last British woman to secure the singles crown at SW19.She won three Grand Slam singles titles in all, having also triumphed at the US Open and Australian Open. Wade also secured women's doubles titles in New York and Melbourne, along with the French Open.She went on to become a successful commentator and pundit, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1989.This is the third time she has been included in a Birthday Honours list, having made the Queen's in both 1973 (MBE) and 1986 (OBE).
Knighthoods confirmed for Beckham and Boston
Beckham, 50, was appointed an OBE in 2003 and receives further recognition for both his football career and charity work.He played 115 times for his country as well as for Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Paris St-Germain and AC Milan, retiring in 2013."Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour," said Beckham."It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I'm immensely proud and it's such an emotional moment for me to share with my family."Beckham was reportedly first nominated for a knighthood in 2011.In 2017 several British newspapers printed details of leaked emails in which Beckham allegedly criticised the honours system and the honours committee.A spokesperson for Beckham said at the time the emails were "hacked", "doctored" and "private".Beckham played a key role in helping London secure the 2012 Olympics, and has been an ambassador for children's charity Unicef since 2005.He also became an ambassador for The King's Foundation in 2024 - supporting King Charles' education programme and efforts to ensure young people have a greater understanding of nature."I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Britain around the world and work with incredible organisations that are supporting communities in need and inspiring the next generation," Beckham added."I'm so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I'm grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment."Boston received his honour from King Charles at Buckingham Palace, making him the sport's first knight in its 130-year history.The 90-year-old was awarded his knighthood early - before the birthday honours list was officially announced - because of concerns over his health.Cardiff-born, he was one of the greatest stars of rugby league and a trailblazer for black sports stars when he played for Wigan and Great Britain in the 1950s and 1960s.Boston, who has been living with dementia, was accompanied at the Palace by his family and representatives of his former club.
King's Birthday Honours list for sport
KnighthoodDavid Beckham (former England footballer), for services to sport and charityBilly Boston (former rugby league player), for services to rugby league footballCommanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)Virginia Wade (former tennis player), for services to tennis and charityOfficers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)Alistair Brownlee (former triathlete), for services to triathlon and charityDeta Hedman (darts player), for services to darts and charityDevon Malcolm (former cricket player), for services to cricket and to diversity in cricketTerence Pateman (Chair, Northern Amateur Football League), for services to grassroots sport and to community relationsFrank Rothwell (Oldham Athletic owner), for charitable services to dementia researchStephen Sutherland (commercial manager, Charlton Athletic Football Club), for services to sportMonica Vaughan (former Paralympic swimmer), for services to sportMembers of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)Neil Booth (former lawn bowler), for services to lawn bowlsAnwen Butten (lawn bowler), for services to lawn bowls, to cancer care and to the community in WalesMaureen Clark (former netball player), for services to netball in SurreyJill Coulter-Sloan (head coach at Craigavon golf and ski centre), for services to disability sportRachel Daly (footballer), for services to association footballChristopher Davies (runner), for services to running and to health and wellbeingSteven Davies (former cricketer), for services to sportMarcel de Matas (lately chair, Bury Football Club), for services to association footballMichael Dunlop (motorcycle road racer), for services to motor cycle racingBryan Henderson (director of cricket and NFL, Sky), for services to cricketFrederick Hudson, for services to Arsenal Football Club communityLuke Humphries (darts player), for services to darts Patricia Johnson (golfer), for services to women's golfNatasha Jonas (boxer), for services to boxing and to the community in LiverpoolJulius Joseph (basketball player), for services to basketballLucy Katan (founder, British Grooms Association), for services to sportAndrew Lapthorne (wheelchair tennis player), for services to tennisSaffron Lane, nee Allen (ice hockey player), for services to sportDavid Lawrence (former cricketer), for services to cricketLuke Littler (darts player), for services to dartsGrace Muir (founder and chief executive officer, homing ex-racehorses organisation scheme), for services to charity, to animal welfare and to educationChristine Pascall (lately president, England Golf), for services to golfSanjay Patel (lately managing director, The Hundred), for services to cricketSheelagh Redpath (lately technical officials co-ordinator for netball, Commonwealth Games), for services to netballChristine Still (commentator), for services to gymnasticsBritish Empire Medal (BEM)Joseph Adams, for services to Altrincham Football Club and to charitable fundraisingKathryn Burgess (founder, Cheshire Girls Football League), for services to girls football in mid-CheshireColin Dalgarno (President, Strathaven Rugby Club; Chair, Whiteshawgate 3G Sports Trust and volunteer), for services to the community in StrathavenValerie Hoyle (secretary, Rotherham United Women Football Club), for services to association football and to the community in RotherhamZarit Hussain, for services to cricketJohn O'Connor (Director, Angling Cymru), for services to recreational angling in Wales
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Farokh Engineer: I don't know how Clive Lloyd and I are still alive, we were party animals
The difficult part about writing up an interview with Farokh Engineer is choosing where to start. Do you go with one of his stories about George Best, Denis Compton, Sir Donald Bradman, Muhammad Ali or Sir Alex Ferguson, to name just a few of the sporting legends we chat about? Or how about this one. 'You know Pele once slept in that room?' he says pointing at an upstairs window of his detached house in Cheshire. 'I met him at a dinner in Stoke organised by Gordon Banks. He was playing Mere Golf Club the next day, which is right next to my house, so I said: 'Come over and stay.' 'My wife took him up a cup of tea in the morning, he was very nice. Then we played golf with Bobby.' With Bobby? 'Yes, Bobby Charlton.' It was a throwaway anecdote at the end of nearly two hours packed full of stories tumbling out of the 87-year-old Engineer, fuelled by regular cups of coffee brought to us in the garden by his wife Julie, and with their toddler grandson running around, playing at our feet in the warm sunshine with the family dog. Engineer made the north-west of England his home almost 60 years ago when he joined Lancashire as one of county cricket's pioneering overseas players and the dash and twinkle in the eye have not dimmed with age. True, two new knees and an upcoming heart-valve operation would make hooking Wes Hall off his nostrils a little more difficult these days than in 1967 when he almost made a hundred before lunch for India against West Indies. 'No helmet and just a pink plastic box that wasn't going to do anything,' he says about that innings. 'I loved fast bowling. The quicker they came, the quicker they went, that was my theory.' Indian players were paid 50 rupees a day back then for facing Hall and Charlie Griffith. The mind boggles at what Engineer, the first Indian poster boy of cricket who oozed flair and panache, would earn now in the IPL as an opening bat and keeper. 'Sachin Tendulkar once told me: 'If you were playing today, you would be by far the highest earner.'' 'George Best was Rogue No 1, I was Rogue No 2' Engineer played 46 Tests between 1961 and 1975 and appeared twice in the Rest of the World XI series against England in 1970 that later had Test status withdrawn. He was at Lancashire between 1968 and 1976, signing alongside his great friend Clive Lloyd. In a golden era of domestic one-day cricket, Engineer won the Gillette Cup four times and the Sunday League twice. 'I recommended a player called Clive Hubert Lloyd, actually I was talking to him only yesterday, and Cyril Washbrook was the chairman of cricket at Lancashire and he said: 'But Farokh, he wears glasses.' I just said: 'Mr Washbrook, I know he wears glasses but you sign him and you won't regret it.' And he was my room-mate for over 10 years and we had a great partnership. We travelled everywhere together and, oh, gosh, I don't know how we're still alive; we were both party animals. 'My friendship with George Best grew at that time too because he had just come over from Ireland.' George Best, was he a star by then? 'No, nor was I really. Time and again I used to leave him at midnight and say, 'George, come on, time to go' and he would say 'Rooky', that was my nickname because Farokh was too difficult for an Irishman to say. He would say: 'No, you go home.' He would go to bed at 2-3am and the next day score goals; genius. 'My best story with him was that I had this car sponsored by Quicks, a Ford garage near Old Trafford. I had a red Ford Escort – Lancashire colours. After training, I said: 'Come on, George, I will give you a lift in my new car.' We were passing through Stretford and stopped at the traffic lights. George started chatting up this blonde next to the traffic lights. He was Rogue No 1, I was Rogue No 2. We were having a giggle and then I started the car and went straight up the arse of the car in front. I had taken my eyes off the road. I said to the driver: 'Sorry my fault, but after all you don't see many blondes in Bombay.'' A hearty laugh follows that one. Despite the stories of a life that belongs to a different era, you just know Engineer would love playing now. Not once does he imply it was better in his day and he is hugely complimentary towards the current India team, now in England and preparing for the first Test at Headingley on June 20. But despite his allegiance to India, Lancashire is in his blood, and he speaks with as much pride about the Red Rose as playing for his country of birth. 'The club have been great to me. They have named a suite at the ground after me, what an honour. The people of Lancashire have been so kind, too. I was caught speeding twice by this young cop, and both times he let me go. 'My dad would kill me if I gave you a ticket,' he said. 'I'm feeling great for 87 but so many of my colleagues have been dropping like ninepins. Peter Lever just died and so I'm very grateful to God for life. I've always lived my life. I've always enjoyed my life. I've never just existed, and even at this age I'm active.' 'Coming to England, I met all my heroes' Engineer ran a textile business in Manchester after retirement and was an ICC match referee for a while and briefly worked for Test Match Special, where he thinks he encountered racism for the only time in his long life in England. 'I thought I was doing well. Fred Trueman, Brian Johnston and Christopher Martin-Jenkins were really for me but there was one person who always put me down. And I just wondered, was it racism? I never experienced any racism on the field. 'I don't know the ins and outs of what happened at Yorkshire but Bumble [David Lloyd] was accused of being a racist in all that. I'm telling you, there's not a racist bone in Bumble's body. I know, because he was my team-mate for many years.' Engineer is an ambassador for Veterans Cricket India, run by his businessman friend Anand Nair, that holds tournaments all over the world for age groups from over-40s upwards. The Brylcreem boy of India in the 1960s can still pull in a commercial deal. 'They used to like it because I batted in a cap and so my hair was out. Palmolive and other companies offered much better money, but my contract was with Brylcreem and it was prestigious because of its history with Compton and Keith Miller.' There is a symmetry to the Compton association. A seven-year-old Engineer was in the stands at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai when Compton played in a Ranji Trophy match in 1945. 'He had just taken a fresh pack of chewing gum out and he saw me among the huge crowd, and he said: 'Would you like a chewing gum?' I was too nervous to say yes or no, and he just tossed it to me, and I caught it. 'Oh', he said, 'good catch.' And when I got to know Compo later, I said: 'I used to worship you.' That was one of the advantages of coming to England and playing county cricket. I met all my heroes. I was a voracious reader of cricket books and I used to read all their life stories – Compton, Godfrey Evans, Len Hutton.' 'I was a bloody lunatic' Engineer was a keeper who would go for every catch, and dive around despite his size, which was bigger than the average keeper at the time. He kept to the great Indian spin quartet of Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, and to Brian Statham at Lancashire. 'I was a bloody lunatic. I used to go for second-slip catches. I just thought, whatever a wicket-keeper can reach with his gloves on is the wicket-keeper's catch. When Jack Bond was captain at Lancs, the first slip was called Butlin's, you know, you go to Butlin's for a holiday because you never got a ball. 'I covered a huge area, and I enjoyed it. That was my domain. I wanted to keep wicket to Brian Statham, such a nice man. He said publicly if I was behind the stumps throughout his career he would have finished with twice as many victims. I said: 'George [Statham's nickname], you must have been drunk when you said that.' Because he had Godfrey Evans, who was my hero. 'In those days English bowlers used to pick the seam, it was almost allowed, with the result that Statham's inswinger when it pitched middle and off, coming in, I used to charge down the leg side because I would get so many leg-slip catches which were four runs before that. I got a couple of stumpings off him down the leg side. When the ball was not carrying I would stand up to the stumps. 'We were in the Cayman Islands once with Fred Trueman. It was past his time.' Engineer now breaks into his very good Trueman impression. ''I'm the quickest bowler in t'world.' And anyway I got a couple of stumpings off him. 'Stop it', Fred said. 'People will think I'm a slow bowler'. 'These people, just legends of the game. I'm so lucky… Chandrasekhar, Prasanna, Bedi, Venkat. The other three were pretty easy to keep to but Chandrasekhar was very interesting to keep to because he bowled about 62mph. Normally he spun the ball viciously both ways, without knowing himself which way the ball was going three quarters of the time because he was a polio victim, his wrist bent a bit further. 'Time and again he bowled a batsman with a googly and I said: 'Chandra, you tried to bowl a leg-spinner there, didn't you?' And he'd say: 'Yeah, yeah.' He was a very humble man. And I think he was the greatest spinner in the world. I could read him because I saw him grip the ball and saw the way it left his fingers. I saw it in the air and off the pitch. For me, it was like a split-second computerised effect because I could read him.' Engineer feels that '99 per cent' of modern keepers have technical problems. 'In T20 you can get away with a batsman who can keep but not in Test cricket. You've got to have a proper keeper, not a backstop. I've watched modern keepers and they get up too soon. They snatch the ball, which is OK standing back. Some people only half-squat. I found you had to be right down, so it was much easier to stay low to go for diving catches or catches that don't carry. It is much easier to come up than to come up and go down again – you lose a fraction of a second. So when they are playing [in the] sub-continent and the ball is lower and slower, they struggle.' Keeping was in Engineer's blood. He describes his childhood growing up in Bombay with his older brother Darius, who was a good club cricketer, and how keeping to him for the first time opened up his path in life. In the evenings after school he would throw a soft ball against a corrugated wall so it could bounce in any direction, and try to catch it. 'I went to Don Bosco School and my best friend was Shashi Kapoor, who would go on to be one of the great Bollywood actors. We were sitting on a bench in class yapping away one day when suddenly I saw this huge wooden duster hurled 100 miles per hour at us by the teacher. I'm telling you, he should have been a cover point for India. I think he would have hit the stumps every time. 'Anyway, I saw this duster hurtling straight toward his [Kapoor's] face, and suddenly my sixth sense kicked in, I just stretched my hand out and caught the duster literally an inch from his face. I used to tease him that instead of getting the hero roles in films he would have ended up in horror movies if I hadn't caught that duster.' 'I stood up Miss Adelaide for Don Bradman' Engineer is still celebrated when he goes back to India every year, often when a birthday party is held in his honour. He was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the BCCI during the first England Test in Hyderabad last year but his links to Mumbai have faded. He sold his house on trendy Cuffe Parade years ago. 'I sold it for tuppence, and today it is probably worth about £40 million. The Ambanis live next door. I never imagined property would just go sky high all of a sudden. So, yeah, whenever I see that property, I feel a bit sick.' While we are chatting, Engineer's wife is searching for a Baggy Green cap given to him as a gift by Bradman, which excites the photographer but is somewhere in storage. Instead he poses with a silver bat awarded for being top run scorer in a series against England. There is a quote from Bradman on the back of Engineer's autobiography that describes him as one of the 'game's great ambassadors on and off the field'. The respect was formed during a tour to Australia. 'We were playing in Adelaide and I slipped over wearing rubber-soled shoes. Sir Don Bradman came into our dressing room and gave me a big telling off but invited me to his house for dinner. I had a date with Miss Adelaide that night, so I gave her number to one of my team-mates and told him to have a good time. 'I went to the Bradmans' house and just wanted a beer and a steak but they gave me carrot juice and a vegetarian meal, thinking that's what Indians ate and drank. Anyway, Sir Don gets out a projector and we start watching films of his innings. It is a bit odd, but he's Don Bradman. What do you say? He told me about this shot and that shot he played and said I was too flamboyant. As I left I gave him a gift and he went away and came back with a cap, his baggy green.' Engineer will be at Old Trafford for the India Test match in July. The struggles of his club this summer – coach and captain sacked and the team languishing in division two – have upset him. 'My heart bleeds. I can't bear to even open the papers. There is something radically wrong that needs to be rectified because Lancs are a great club. Bottom of the second division, I just can't believe it.' He thinks the retirement of Virat Kohli will help England but describes this India team as among the best to tour this country. 'They could probably pick two teams that would give England a run for their money.' A couple of weeks after our interview, I call to check on how the heart operation went. 'Yes, all good,' he laughs. 'I'm still alive and kicking.' The storyteller still has more tales to tell.
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43 minutes ago
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Sir David Beckham is seen beaming after finally getting his knighthood as he watches his team Inter Miami play during the FIFA Club World Cup
Sir David Beckham was seen beaming after finally getting his knighthood as he headed to Miami for the FIFA Club World Cup. The former footballer, 50, declared himself 'immensely proud' on Friday as he finally got a knighthood after years of being snubbed. And just after his honour, he jetted off to the US as the Club World Cup kicked off at the Hard Rock Arena in Miami on Saturday. The co-owner of Inter Miami watched on as his team played Egyptian squad Al Ahly SC. with the match ending 0-0. But the draw didn't stop Sir David from looking on cloud nine as he grinned from ear to ear pitchside. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Sir David said he 'never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour' receiving his knighthood on Friday, as his Spice Girl wife Victoria also became Lady Beckham. The former England football captain previously missed out when a 'red flag' from the taxman blocked him becoming a Sir in 2014. Leaked emails suggested he had savaged the nominations committee as 'unappreciative c***s' and branded their decision 'a disgrace, to be honest', although his office subsequently insisted they had been doctored by a hacker. But that was all behind him today as Sir David proudly led the King's Birthday Honours list recognising 1,200 people from community champions to cultural icons. The day before Sir David was given the honour, he was seen chatting with the King at a St James's Palace ceremony for the monarch's foundation, of which the retired footballer is an ambassador. He has been made a knight for his services to sport and to charity. He said: 'Growing up in East London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour. 'To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career and literally a boyhood dream come true.' The co-owner of Inter Miami watched on as his team played Egyptian squad Al Ahly SC. with the match ending 0-0 He said that, off the pitch, his charity work 'gives me so much fulfilment'. And added: 'It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I'm immensely proud and it's such an emotional moment for me to share with my family.' He has been made a knight for his services to sport and to charity, having partnered with Unicef and campaigned with Malaria No More, a charity working to eradicate the disease. Sir David was made an OBE in 2003 and has been in the running for a knighthood for more than a decade. Congratulating her husband, Victoria shared a loved-up photo to Instagram and wrote: 'You've always been my knight in shining armour, but now it 's official. 'Sir David!!! What an honour, I couldn't be prouder of you. 'Your dedication to the things that matter most — your country, your work, your passion, and most of all, your family — has never wavered. 'The way you've touched so many lives over the years with kindness and humility speaks volumes about the man you are and continues to inspire us everyday.' She concluded: 'But above all else, I'm so, so proud to call you mine. I love you so much xxxx'
