SBC News Celeb captains announced for 2018 BetBright Cup

Celeb captains announced for 2018 BetBright Cup

BetBright has announced its duo of celebrity sporting captains for its fiercely contested 2018 Cheltenham Festival charity cup.

Ex England cricket spin bowler Phil Tufnell and former snooker star Ken Doherty have been appointed as captains of Great Britain and Ireland respectively, as they bid for bragging right.

The trophy is to be awarded to the country with the greatest number of Cheltenham Festival winners, with Ireland current title holders.

A crushing 19-9 defeat was handed out at the Gloucestershire turf last year, despite Great Britain starting as favourites.

Rich Ricci, BetBright chairman, commented: “Cheltenham Festival is the horse racing event of the year, an exciting time for racing fans from both sides of the Irish Sea.

“The Irish contingent will be looking to retain the BetBright Cup for the first time and I am sure that the British trainers and horses will be wanting to avenge last year’s heavy defeat.”

The BetBright Cup is a fun complement to the serious sport on the track, allowing racing fans to get behind their country’s contenders throughout the weekend and this year we will be making a donation of £10,000 to the Injured Jockeys Fund on behalf of the winning captain”.

Tufnell, who went on to be a regular face of British television following the culmination of his professional cricket career, said of the event and his captaincy: “Cheltenham Festival is my favourite sporting event of the year and I’m delighted to be captaining Great Britain again this year.

“Last year’s defeat was almost as crushing as the England side in the Ashes, but I am predicting a resurgence of British winners and I can’t see anything beyond a whitewash victory for the red, white and blue.”

Doherty, who in 1997 triumphed in the World Snooker Championship, added  “What a festival it was last year, the trophy was heading across the Irish Sea before the last day of racing had finished last year and I can’t see anything beyond another resounding victory for the Irish.

“The main man, Ruby Walsh, will be back from injury and I’m backing Faugheen to be the first 10 year old or older since Sea Pigeon in 1981 to win the Champion Hurdle.”

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