Stick from the stars

OLYMPIC champion Stephen Parry rolled back in his chair with a wiry grin and a glint in his eye at the Sports Personality of the Year Awards this week.
I sat facing him, under a barrage of questions and the butt of a ton of cheap jokes.
Monday night's awards at the ECHO Arena gave the region's sports stars the first opportunity to quiz me on the year ahead and Parry was loving every minute.
Tranmere boss Ronnie Moore's smile and shake of the head said it all, while Saints skipper Paul Sculthorpe's hearty handshake and best wishes masked what was really on his mind.
Needless to say the best abuse came from my own table.
Young swimming sensation Francesca Halsall stared at me open- mouthed while I talked her through my plans for the year ahead, while the array of boxers simply poked fun at my current condition and made plans to take their turns putting me through a 'real' training session.
Meanwhile, Mr Parry just sat back and enjoyed the show.
It was Steve who inspired the challenge and I get the feeling that he's going to enjoy this year as much as anybody else.
“I can't believe you're actually going to try and do this,” Parry finally offered, once the giggles ceased. “Good luck. You're going to need it.”