Man lives to 100, wins bet
From correspondents in London
April 23, 2007 09:36pm – Australian news
A MAN who bet £100 ($240) a decade ago that he would live to be 100 is preparing to pick up his £25,000 ($60,000) winnings.
So confident was bookmaker William Hill in 1997 that it gladly offered Alec Holden odds of 250/1.
But the retired engineer, born April 24, 1907, celebrates his century – to the bookies’ dismay.
Mr Holden, from Epsom in Surrey, joked: “I’ve been very careful about what I’ve been doing in recent months. If I saw any hooded groups from William Hill standing in the street, I avoided them.”
“Forty birthday cards came for me this morning, including one from the Queen – in fact, I think I saw her delivering it on her bicycle this morning.”
The bet was placed on December 10 in 1997 when Mr Holden was 90.
Mr Holden, who has two sons aged 70 and 60, puts his longevity down to porridge for breakfast and “remembering to keep breathing”.
He also plays chess every day, running a local club, he said.
Here is the full article.
That is fantastic – living to 100 and still having a good functioning mind. I want to be like him, still playing chess at 100.
I was just about to email you that story – saw it on the BBCs website. It is encouraging, and who knows, by the time I am 100, I may have had time to get reasonably competent at chess!
hey u guys , blogjam me too its like a long dream live to 100 and play cheesss. i have a grandfather who will reach too whether u believe me or not, a hundred but he dont play play!!
he sai d he use to play when he wa young!! but later forgot; he can move much but he has a good mind still.
of course i believe that instead of growing old the newer generations wont reach that old, theres many factors maybe the most is that its biblical.
anyway i wish u blogjam to live to 100 and play chess, by the way how old are u right now???