PUBLICANS Gary and Sarah Jane Marlow have to wait until at least July to see how they fare in their court battle with rock legend Van Morrison.

The Belfast-born superstar was due to appear at the Marlows'pub, the Crown Hotel in Everleigh, last August.

But it was announced that Van Morrison had pulled the plug on the event less than three weeks before it was due to take place.

The couple claim that without compensation for the aborted Van Morrison concert they will be bankrupt.

They hoped that by selling 1,600 tickets they would break even on the cost of booking Van Morrison and support act Chris Farlowe.

A year earlier they had booked another rock and roll legend, the former Fleetwood Mac front man Peter Green.

The pub lost more than £10,000 on that concert but it did not deter the couple from trying to lure more big stars to perform in their pub garden.

But after a huge wave of publicity over the impending concert by Van Morrison, he pulled out.

The couple had spent two years negotiating for him to play, had sold hundreds of tickets and made an advance payment to Van Morrison and his production company, Exile.

Last Wednesday, lawyers for the Marlows and the rock superstar clashed in the High Court in London.

Initially, Mr Marlow had claimed £20,000 in damages from Van Morrison to cover the advance payment made to the star, lost profits from tickets and drinks on the day and the long-term effect the cancellation of the concert had on the pub's finances.

Then Mr Marlow's lawyer, Stuart Cakebread, upped the claim against Van Morrison and Exile to £30,000.

He told Mr Justice Buckley that the increase was due to the long-term effect of the cancellation.

The court was told that after taking over the 17th century coaching inn in 1997, Mr Marlow had boosted its weekly turnover from £1,500 to £7,000.

After the cancellation of the Van Morrison concert, takings plummeted to only £1,000 a week.

Counsel for Van Morrison said he pulled out of the concert complaining that publicity surrounding it had breached his contract with the pub.

Thomas Croxford, for Van Morrison, who was not in court, said that parts of the claim were scandalous, and "deliberately and plainly over-stated."

Mr Cakebread argued there was "nothing spurious" about Mr Marlow's claim which, he said, was well founded on documentary evidence.

Mr Marlow's counsel said: "He is facing a multi-millionaire and a city firm of lawyers to pursue his claim to try to salvage something of his business and reputation."

The judge adjourned the case in order to obtain expert financial advice about Mr Marlow's claim.

It's estimated the case will last about five days when it returns to the High Court on July 21.