FELIXSTOWE: He is widely regarded as one of the best commentators of his generation.

And last night Peter “the voice of golf” Alliss delighted a packed Spa Pavilion in Felixstowe.

The 79-year-old was visiting Suffolk as part of his “Evening with…” tour.

Ambling onto the stage wearing a cardigan and sporting some rather fetching bright red socks, all he needed was a pair of slippers and a roaring fire place and you could have been in his living room.

He engaged the audience in the style all golf fans would recognise from his commentary – warm-hearted anecdotes with a laid back humour that made you feel as if he was intimately chatting to an old friend.

The first half featured a potted history of the Alliss family and how he got into the world of golf following in the footsteps of his father.

After the break he took questions from the audience and described how he stumbled into commentary because he was “not a renowned practicer” so would have a spare morning or afternoon while playing in tournaments.

This is Alliss’ first ever theatre tour of Britain and the thoroughly enjoyable evening came to an end all too soon – with such a wealth of knowledge about the game and so many stories to tell lets hope it is not his last.

CRAIG ROBINSON