LICENSEE Gary Marlow has been awarded £40,000 High Court damages over the cancellation of a concert by rock star Van Morrison that he claimed brought his Everleigh business to the point of collapse.

Mr Marlow who bought The Crown in 1997 sued the 57-year-old rock legend and his production company Exile for up to £400,000 over the cancellation in August 2002.

On Monday a High Court judge awarded £40,000 compensation to Mr Marlow.

However the question of who pays the costs of the lengthy court battle was still being played out in the court yesterday.

The village pub had previously hosted concerts by former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green and blues performer John Mayall.

Mr Marlow's dream of bringing top rock and roll performers to their village pub was shattered when Van Morrison cancelled his gig.

He and his wife Sarah Jane had invested heavily in advertising the £35 a head concert in their pub garden and sold hundreds of tickets.

Yesterday some people had still not had their ticket money refunded.

Mr and Mrs Marlow claimed £300,000 that included the return of the £20,000 deposit they had paid to the superstar, but upped the claim saying the cancellation of the concert had ruined the reputation of the pub.

The singer's counsel, Thomas Croxford, told one of the earlier hearings that the concert was cancelled because Mr Marlow had breached a crucial condition restricting publicity to the local newspaper and a blackboard in the pub.

Mr Marlow contended he had no control over the ensuing widespread coverage in the national press.