
Sam Williams hits double top
My great friend, Sam Williams is 40 today. There is only one thing for that. A list of the fourty reasons I like – no, love – this extraordinary, unique man.
He loves sport – really loves it
He has been my Cheltenham Festival companion for over ten years
He loves his friends and family
He can play football – sorry, could play football – even after a fry-up
He is a very proud welshman
He loves unbelievable scenes
He loves a bet
He is a news junkie
He would do anything for you
He would go home after a night out or a day at school and immediately put 150 and 350 into Ceefax
He trained for the London Marathon like a pro and ran it like a legend – I will never forget his tears on Whitehall
He lived and breathed every minute of the 2002 Commonwealth Games
He has great nicknames; Blanco and Sumo
He embellishes the Paul Capper – Steve Gibson story
He wore a Katuo Star scarf at Cheltenham
He loves a good podcast
He is genuine and honest
He loves a bit of Pricewise
He got drunk on pink champagne on the train back from Royal Ascot (at York) and was sick on the train
He met my wife (then girlfriend) for the first time and downed a class of champagne
He can cook
He phoned me once when I worked at the GMC and said to my PA that he was “Dr Williams”
He helped me put together Capper’s box
He is full of integrity and strong values
He wore black socks with his shorts and white trainers in Porto at Adam Gumbley’s pre-wedding day drinks
He never complains – except about important stuff like Lewis Hamilton being a clown
He has great friends
He does a brilliant impression of Mike Reid
He doesn’t lie
He was the mastermind behind “the big sting”
He is from Manchester – which despite not being Liverpool is a magnificent city
He is brilliant, brilliant company – I have never been bored when I’ve been with him
He loves a ROCU
He love the radio
He loves Radio 5 but hates radio phone-ins
When he got our Cheltenham tickets he would give a different title each year – he was once Brigadier Williams
He has never met a single friend or relation of mine who haven’t liked him
He once rang me from Vegas for me to commentate on the King George from Kempton down the phone
He loves the Racing Post – aka the Trade Newspaper
He loves Test Match Special
He made me feel welcome when I moved to Manchester, even in The Wardorf on Manchester derby day (at 9am!)
He introduced me to The Circus Tavern and George in Manchester
He text me at half time during Liverpool’s European Cup win in Istanbul with a load of abuse……not at full time though…….
He has never let me down
He once got in a taxi in Amsterdam and agreed to speak to the driver in the style of Bernard Manning for the whole journey – I was nearly sick laughing
He makes me smile, he makes me laugh, he makes my day when I speak to him
He is Sam. There is only one Sam Williams. Thank god. God bless you Mr Williams.
BTW, that was 46. I could have written 400.
#ben2b40