Cricket legend Merv Hughes serves up the English at men’s health lunch

CRICKET legend Merv Hughes predicted Australia will dominate the Ashes series against England when he was the special guest speaker at a lunch for men’s health at Cherry Street Sports Club.

It was a fundraiser for the Ballina Seagulls rugby league club and Rotary on Richmond, promoting mental health and prostate cancer awareness.

It was a coup to get Hughes at the event; it coincided with the first Test match in the Ashes series.

“The English have been talking up a storm, it’s up to them whether they can back it up or not now,” Hughes said.

“I think Australia will win comfortably; England play a very high-risk game, bordering on reckless.

“That might bring them undone playing on harder wickets with a bit more bounce and pace in them.

“The positive for the Australian selectors is they’re not worrying about who to pick, it’s more who to leave out now.”

Hughes represented Australia in 53 test matches between 1985 and 1994, taking 212 wickets.

He was part of three national teams that won Ashes series, including two in England.

The 63-year-old was joined at Ballina by rugby league legend Paul Sironen, who now lives locally.

Sironen is a Balmain Tigers legend who also represented NSW in State of Origin and the Australian Kangaroos.

A big crowd turned up for the event, which was organised by Mark Turner with support of the Cherry Street club.

It had prizes for best moustache as well as football passing and bowling competitions on boards that featured giant images of Hughes and Sironen.

Hughes still has his iconic moustache and enjoys being an ambassador for men’s health.

“Men’s health is 12 months of the year, that’s why I don’t shave mine off,” he said.

“I’ve done a bit of work with Siro in this space, and he asked me to come up for this one.

“Its great people get behind the cause, we want to make sure men over 40 are getting down to the doctor for a prostate check.

“It’s a lot easier now with the blood test and it’s something we should keep talking about.”