TV's Jonnie Irwin remembered at cricket match

Jonnie Irwin presented property programmes Escape to the Country and A Place in the Sun

A fundraising cricket match has been held in memory of Leicestershire TV presenter Jonnie Irwin, who died earlier this year.

Irwin, 50, who fronted property shows Escape to the Country and A Place in the Sun, died in February, four years after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

A memorial cricket match at Gumley Cricket Club, where he played many times, was organised by friends to raise money for ALK Positive, a charity helping those living with lung cancer. 

One of his old friends, Matt Wilson, who helped organise the match, said: "He would have absolutely loved today."

Matt Wilson played cricket with Jonnie Irwin at the ground many times

The match was played on Saturday by friends, family and colleagues of Irwin.

Mr Wilson, who organised the match, said: "Jonnie was a remarkable person, and many people will have seen him on TV and seen how he was there.

"But in normal life, he had a waspish sense of humour; he absolutely loved practical jokes and winding people up."

ALK Positive lung cancer is caused by a mutation in the ALK gene, but the trigger is currently unknown and treatment is limited.

University friend Stuart Kane said: "He was brave.

"The way he put it to me was 'This is coming for me, Stuart, but I'm going to keep running. It will catch up with me eventually, but I'm going to run as fast as I can'.

"And he was a fast runner!"

Friend and colleague Louise Patel said: "He was really talented, and he made people feel really special.

"I don't think I have ever laughed as much with anyone as I did with Jonnie."

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