A MEMORIAL football match, held to commemorate the life of local man Andy Southcott, has raised around £900 for various cancer charities.

A sizeable crowd gathered at the King George V Playing Field on Sunday at Gunnislake Football Club to watch the special tribute match held in honour of Andy, a former club player, who sadly lost his battle with cancer last year.

Friends and family organised the kick-about in order to gather in Andy’s memory, as well as raise money for various charities, including Cancer Research.

Match organisers comprised two diverse squads of local players named Team A and Team B. Each team was made up of Gunnislake FC veterans, current players, former players, alongside their sons, nephews and family friends.

The first half saw Gunnislake FC Saturday Side (veterans) take on Gunnislake Sunday Side (veterans), and then the second half made way for the current Gunnislake FC side to play against a team made up of sons, nephews and close friends.

The final score was a 5-3 triumph for Team A. Goals were scored by Stuart Wakenshaw, Liam Bryant, Josh Robbins and Ben Langton for Team A, and Stefan Kelly, Michael Bluett and Andy Campbell for Team B.

After the match players and spectators gathered at a local pub to toast Andy’s life. A raffle, barbecue and auction managed to raise a total of £583 — this combined with the generous donations made by various local people boosted the grand total.

Ian Southcott, Andy’s brother and Team A manager, said: ‘We would like to thank everyone involved for all of their time and effort making the day such a success and raising money for a good cause. We are currently processing some additional kind donations, this money combined with that raised on day should bring our total to £900.’

Andy’s nephew and centre back, Harry Southcott, added: ‘It was a great day, with great people, remembering a great person. Thanks to all those who turned up to help make the day special.’