Member Article

Forfeit dished up for Birmingham boss after French rugby victory

The director of a Birmingham chartered accountancy firm scrummed down and scrubbed up to complete a Six Nations rugby forfeit after losing a challenge set by a neighbouring French hotel manager.

Nathan Golby, finance director at KSA Associates, based in Hubert Street, Aston, graciously accepted his forfeit and washed the dishes at the nearby Campanile Hotel Birmingham after England were defeated in the tournament opener.

Matthieu Vandendaele, general manager at the Campanile Hotel Birmingham in Chester Street had set the challenge based on the result of the France v England match in Paris – with the losing supporters having to donate one hour of their time to their rivals.

Matthieu couldn’t believe that France snatched the victory with a late try and KSA Associates were left to put the washing up gloves on and swap the office for the kitchen.

Nathan said: “The rugby challenge definitely spiced up the game particularly with all the twists and turns during the match.

“Unfortunately I had to listen to the last 10 minutes of the game on the radio. I definitely thought England had it in the bag and I was looking forward to seeing Matthieu work on our reception desk for an hour – unfortunately the sweet taste of victory soon turned sour.

“But in true British style I accepted my forfeit and was more than happy to help out and put the washing up gloves on.”

Matthieu said: “It was a very close match and England had definitely made a fantastic come back. I couldn’t quite believe it when we scored a try to put us ahead in those last few moments.

“Nathan was a fantastic sport and even helped to clear away the breakfast dishes. The rugby challenge was a fantastic way to get to know our neighbours and both firms got involved to root for their teams.”

KSA Associates, which provides virtual accounts departments to small businesses, has also set-up the Birmingham Rugby Business Network for business professionals interested in the sport and has organised the first event at The Jam House, at St Paul’s Square, Birmingham on Thursday, March 6.

The Campanile Hotel Birmingham, which is part of the French Hotel Group Louvre Hotels, includes 111 rooms, which are suited for both business and leisure as well as state of the art conference suites for hire.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophie Marsden .