A host of England sporting legends descended upon The Ivy, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, last night for an evening of celebration and revels, to raise money for a worthy cause.

Matt Prior, Stuart Broad and Alastair Cook were the England cricket stars who took part in a Q&A session which gave a great insight into life in the England camp and how the top Test team in the world prepares for, and deals with, matches such as the current Test series against Pakistan. The panel was also joined by Monty Panesar, Steve Finn and other friends from the world of sport.

Guests arrived in a fleet of Jaguars and then dined in the private terrace of The Ivy, on a three-course dinner including Severn & Wye smoked salmon, slow-braised beef bourguignon with parsley mash potato, truffled green beans and banana sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream.

A silent auction was held during the evening with prizes including a signed England/Pakistan bat from this UAE Series, a signed England World No. 1 Test Match side shirt, signed by all the current England XI, four tickets to Lord’s Test Match in 2012 and a private cricket lesson or training session with Matt Prior.

The England cricket team has been the dominant force in world cricket over the past two years, having won their first ICC world event, an away Ashes series (for the first time in 24 years) and being crowned as the World Number 1 Test team.

Matt Prior, speaking on behalf of the cricketers, said “Tonight’s event at The Ivy has been fantastic, and I am delighted to have been part of what I hope will be a long series. It is great to have the opportunity to spend time with fans from different countries and especially here in the UAE.”

Gallery of images from the night can be found HERE.

Source - The Ivy, Jumeirah Emirates Towers