JEREMY Guscott behaved like the consummate celebrity at Wharfedale RFC last Sunday when he called in at The Avenue on his Tetley's Trek around the UK to raise funds for leukaemia research. In return, the Dalesmen responded in the best possible way, not only parading a generous audience to welcome their guest, but also sending him on his way with around £1,000 to add to his charity treasure chest.

Maintaining the smiling countenance which brought instant popularity among an enthusiastic welcoming party was not as easy at it seemed for the former England player. He confessed later that England's failure to win a Grand Slam for the third year in succession had driven him to drink - or, more accurately, to abandon a hitherto 'dry' walk - when his Saturday leg finished just south of Burnley.

The legacy of that minor fall from grace was an inkling of a hangover as he set out for the Dales, but judging from his affable manner at Wharfedale, when he chatted with youngsters, posed for the cameras and even managed to get onto a picture with the Calendar Girls, the walk blew away any cobwebs.

"It was a great occasion and I was very proud of the club and the way the whole afternoon unfolded," says director of rugby, Michael Harrison. "Everybody made an effort and it produced a wonderful occasion for all concerned, especially leukaemia research."

Below, Jeremy Guscott is a face in the happy crowd at The Avenue.