Don’t get hostile with the Sheriff

EYEBROWS were raised when it emerged last week that Alan Lovell, boss of Guy Hands’s renewable energy firm Infinis, had quit. Novera Energy, the quoted rival subject to a hostile bid from the company, suggested this was a sign that its suitor was in disarray.

The truth is much more entertaining. Lovell, who made his name by rescuing basketcases such as Costain and Jarvis, has decided to turn his hand to a new project: the mean streets of Hampshire. From April he will be the High Sheriff of the county, a two-day-a-week post. “The idea that Infinis is in disarray is bunk,” said Lovell. “I said yes to this four years ago before I had even heard of Infinis.” With his new powers, we won’t disagree. The High Sherrif role dates back to the Saxons, and the uniform includes britches and a sword. What, no stetson and shiny badge?

Twins peak for Boat Race

WATCH OUT, Cambridge. The 6 ft 5 in tall Winklevoss twins are vying for a place on the Oxford rowing team. Given that they made the final of the pairs at the Olympics last year in Beijing, they’re as good as certainties for the 156th Boat Race, which takes place on April 3 next year.

Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, 28, will also be the most independently wealthy rowers ever to join the team.

The brothers set up ConnectU, a social networking site, when they were at Harvard. It was the forerunner to Facebook and in 2004 the brothers sued Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he stole their ideas to build what is now the world’s biggest social networking site. A settlement of $65m was reached, yet this has hardly demotivated the pair, who are now gunning for the 2012 Olympics.

They started an MBA at the Saïd Business School this month and squeeze 12 weekly training sessions around 20 hours of lectures.

Their schedule runs like this: up at 6.30am, go to the gym for an hour and a half, grab “a couple of breakfasts” (they’re allowed, I suppose) before lectures and more training.

Everything has been going swimmingly for the golden boys, though despite their gargantuan fortune they failed the credit check to get iPhone contracts with Carphone Warehouse and O2. Apparently the computer didn’t like their student addresses and they’ve had to settle for pay-as-you-go. At least that way they can avoid the Facebook application, no? “Actually we both use it,” Tyler said, “it’s a really great utility.” Truly magnanimous.

Rich swim against the tide

WHAT most bothers the wealthy? We found out at Kensington Palace last week. Family Bhive, a networking forum for the mega rich, gathered to discuss the future of philanthropy. The chat, however, centred on more prosaic matters: the pain of building a private swimming pool in London. This topped the list of 109 “whinges” on Bhive’s site for members, who are ranked by their net worth. “Jet” for those worth over £100m, “Jade” for the £20m-100m bracket and “Amber” for those with £5m-20m. Nice to see the class system is alive and well.

- SCARCELY two months has passed since Jon Moulton quit Alchemy Partners in a poisonous letter to investors, but he has now made his comeback. His new firm is called Better Capital. Other than telling me that it will be a turnround firm with about £100m to play with, Moulton was unusually schtum about his new venture as it hasn’t got FSA clearance yet. He did let me in on a little secret about where the name came from.

“Look to the end of the letter I wrote to investors in September,” he said mysteriously. It finished: “I would do it again — but better.” Aaaah.

- BOOKIES love a good moan — whether it’s too many favourites winning or footie results not going their way. I hear Fitzdares, the telephone betting firm aimed at high-rollers, is doing a different kind of talking. The firm, backed by Ben and Zac Goldsmith, recently received a couple of bid approaches and asked Price Waterhouse Coopers, its accountant, to quietly offer the business around the market to see just how much appetite there is for a deal. A number of big players have been approached. Watch this space.

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