Man flees the scene after bidding millions at cricket auction!

[Ninjaman]

In order to lighten the mood considering the whole Woolmer issue and Ernest getting bent out of shape over Flintoff's sacking , I present to you the funniest World Cup 2007 related story so far. Well apart from Vaughan stepping in a pothole!!

http://www.sunheraldjamaica.com/coverstory2.htm

How he got into the US$150 (J$10,000) per plate black tie affair hosted by Jamaica Trade and Invest (JAMPRO) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel last Monday remains a mystery, as a man claiming to be a Roger Clarke from Trinidad reduced a charitable auction of cricket memorabilia to a farce.
After engaging in an ostentatious bidding spree that saw him easily outpacing competitors and racking up a total of $3.15 million for three signed items, the man tried to bluff the organisers before making a sudden escape on foot from the venue.

While Jamaicans would not associate the name Roger Clarke with speed, the man who assumed that moniker on the night reportedly moved like lightning up the Knutsford Boulevard strip, leaving police pursuers and bewildered officials in his wake.

For those in the UK, replace Roger Clarke with John Prescott to understand the comment. He is a spot on English equivalent of Roger Clarke and vice versa.

Auctioneer William Tavares-Finson started proceedings with a cricket ball signed by Joel “Big Bird” Garner. The bids escalated in uniformed increments until the imposter set the bar at $150,000.
The next prized lot was a cricket bat signed by the “master blaster” Viv Richards, who was the 1979 CWC finals man of the match. There was significant interest in this item as several persons upped the ante from $200,000 to $300,000. “Roger Clarke” then nonchalantly raised the bid from $300,000 to $500,000, which proved too much for anyone in the room to follow.

The bat signed by members of the 1975 West Indies CWC team commanded the most attention and at least three or four persons were dedicated to the cause of procuring it. The serious bidders traded monetary jabs but the imposter was the spoiler.

Bids climbed all the way up to $1 million before the imposter, in a brash and arrogant move that seemed to say, “enough of this chicken feed nonsense”, put in a bid for $2.5 million. The smiling “Roger Clarke” readily facilitated interviews with the media at the end of the proceedings.

I plan to add it to the other items in my collection,” he responded when the Sunday Herald asked him about his plans for the memorabilia.

William Tavares-Finson told the Sunday Herald that the organisers were initially suspicious of the strange young bidder because of the rapidity of his bidding and the sizeable jumps he instigated without apparent thought. He added that given the mix of people from different countries and the nature of the event, it was difficult to put the necessary checks and balances in place.

When the organisers made efforts to determine the imposter’s accommodation, checks with the hotel where he said he was booked came up empty. He subsequently changed his story and provided the name of another nearby hotel, however, that also was a dead end. It was at the point when the organisers were trying to establish his identity that the imposter hastily left the ballroom and made his dashing midnight escape on Knutsford Boulevard.

According to JAMPRO president Robert Gregory, the incident was an unfortunate one that put a damper on a wonderful affair. Sources say the man is a con artist who often passes himself off as various persons in order to attend major functions.

Now, I should not laugh because the event was for good causes and he spoiled it, but part of me finds it damn hilarious.

[Ernest]

Well Flintoff will get the blame, even though he is not the same shape as John Prescott, there will be an anonymous tip of from Vaughan .
On a more or less serious note, what's the betting they will auction the now famous pedalo at some stage?.

[Occasional Fan]

Ern, it will be yours for a buck. No-one else cares about it, I think.

Ninj - what does the law have to say about this in Jamaica (which I know is not your home)? In the UK, when you bid at an auction you are making a binding offer in contract law and when the hammer falls you are on the hook. That means the auction house and the seller can sue you for the bid (and a fat lot of good that will do if you are, as this chap probably is, a man of straw). I have a feeling - but I'm not a lawyer so it's no guarantee - that bidding without the intention to complete the purchase is also a criminal offence in many countries. Which means you get jugged when the magistrates catch up with you.

Is this joker taking the risk of having a couple of months of relative idleness in which to reflect about the humour of the situation?