Tired after a late gig and pondering my set tonight at The Comedy Store, my phone rings. It’s a Canadian number, so I know that it is either my eldest son, Tom – currently making a movie in Canada, or my second son, Harry, accompanying Tom and helping out with the camera dept on said film.
Turns out it is Harry and he shares with me a great story…
An avid Spurs fan (Harry lives in West London and has been to the ‘Lane’ precisely once), Harry is watching Spurs on telly (probably illegally) playing Barnsley in the cup. A routine game for the resurgent Spurs but Barnsley are spirited and ably led by a black striker who is making light work of the Spurs defence and he catches Harry’s attention…
So good is this striker that Harry is motivated to look him up. Do a google on him as they say and it turns out that he is none other than Ike Ugbo.
Ike was at school with Sam and Harry and in the same year! And he is now on loan to Barnsley from his own club, Chelsea.
What a terrific outcome. This is a kid who Sam and Harry used to play football with (more likely, just watch and admire) and he is now a professional and it seems with a bright future.
And even better than this, we can all recall the coolest sports kids at school and how often they were cocky and aloof.
‘…and the best thing dad, Ike was a lovely kid as well.’
Tom was briefly at the same school and it is where Paddy is now.
Not bad for a London Comprehensive eh?
Richard Challoner School, Worcester Park, take a bow.