THESE dedicated fundraisers achieved their goal of remembering a much-loved fallen soldier – while raising money for Help For Heroes.
It is the fourth year the group has held a memorial five-a-side football tournament to remember Cpl Graeme Stiff, 24 – a member of the Light Aid Detachment of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDGs).
As reported, the former St James' School pupil was killed on his first tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009, when the Jackal off-road vehicle he was travelling in was struck by an explosive device.
Cpl Dean John, 25, from Wales, also died in the blast. Both served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME).
Cpl Stiff, from Keelby, was born in Munster, Germany, and came from a military background, having accompanied his father to various postings around the world.
And for the past four years, his friends and family have come together to remember his sacrifice – and that of other fallen soldiers.
Eight teams took part in the event at St James' School – collecting more than £200 for the charity – and observing a minute's silence before the tournament got underway.
Four of the teams comprised of old boys from the school – where Cpl Stiff was head boy – while the remainder were made up of parents and staff, senior pupils and local firms Forrester Boyd and Wilkin Chapman Grange.
Each team played the other seven, in a "round-robin" group, with the top two teams qualifying for the final.
A spokeswoman for the school said: "There was, once again, a lovely atmosphere at the school games field, with several other former pupils of St James' School, as well as family members, coming along to spectate.
"The weather was kind and the overnight rain provided the ideal surface for free-flowing football."
She added that the final clash – between Harrison Carroll's History Markers and three-time champions Simon Grayson's Black and White Mackham Army – was a "really well contested and tight affair".
She said: "Neither team were giving anything away. With the score at 0-0 after ten minutes, the final went to two minutes each way of extra time. In the end it was a Wayne Rodgers strike, one minute from time, that finally decided this thoroughly enjoyable game.
"Fittingly, it was Graeme's brother, Michael, along with his team, comprising of many of Graeme's former school pals, who led the Black and White Mackham Army to their fourth victory."
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