Vantage to Le Mans
How Cricket, Creativity, and a Red Aston Martin Helped Launch the CPL
My involvement in the formation of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) traces its roots back to 1981, when a fearless Ian Botham lit up Headingley with a swashbuckling 149 not out. That innings ignited my lifelong passion for cricket - as both a dedicated player and now an avid spectator. But it wasn’t until Spring 2012 that Mark Twain’s words truly came alive for me: “The key to success is to make your vocation your vacation.”
London was preparing to host the Olympic Games, and I was in experimental mode.
Inspired by Peter Saville’s appointment as "Creative Director of Manchester," I wondered: What if I were Creative Director of London? My imagined brief led me to investigate Jermyn Street - the centuries-old centre of bespoke gentlemen’s fashion.
Restless curiosity led to a collaboration with a leading car photographer, Alex P. Aston Martin lent us a red Vantage for a shoot at the Le Mans Classic.
The result? A project called The London Gentleman - a leather-bound, 12-inch coffee table book with a built-in 10-inch video screen. A fusion of visual storytelling and luxury craftsmanship, it was handcrafted by Blissetts, the Queen’s bookbinders.
On the day we collected the prototype, I had a meeting with Pete Russell, a leading sports marketeer. Pete had just bombed an initial pitch with Denis O’Brien, the Irish billionaire. “I’ve got one more shot,” he said. “I need to make a powerful impression.”
The moment Pete saw The London Gentleman book, he knew it was the game-changer. A week of intense design and production followed. Pete flew to New York, book in hand. Within hours, he emailed: the meeting was a rip-roaring success. Denis had agreed to back the CPL for the next 25 years.
What followed was a whirlwind - bespoke video books for Richard Branson, Gerard Butler, and even one of the IPL franchise owners.
From Ian Botham at Headingley to the heart of Caribbean cricket, it turns out the path to the CPL wasn’t a straight line - it was initiated by a bold, creative drive in a red Aston Martin.
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