Kingswood AFC staged their annual ‘Raj’ memorial match last month, in memory of former player Mike ‘Raj’ Rodman who tragically died on the Kingswood pitch on January 26, 2013, after suffering a cardiac arrest.
The Kingswood AFC squad faced the Kingswood Legends side, the game being used as a fundraiser for the charity CRY, Cardiac Risk in the Young heart screening.
Kingswood’s Ben Foxwell told Stroud Times: “It was another fantastic occasion celebrating the Raj game, and it was great to see such a big turnout of players, ex-players and supporters showing up for the event.
“It was a great game, although we started slowly and a couple of mistakes were punished by the Legends team. Si Graham opened the scoring with a well-taken lob, and a Tommy Higgins’ brace meant the legends raced into a 3-0 lead.
“We started to find a bit of rhythm and pulled a goal back just before half-time through Tom Kinnear. A big change up of both teams at half-time saw a fairly even second half. Scott Harvey found himself at the back post to nod in for 4-1, before Cam Hinsley curled one into the far corner for Kingswood for 4-2. Ricky Bezar, playing for the legends team, extended their scoreline once again with a close-range finish, before Harrison Jackson made it 5-3 with a superbly taken goal. The game finished 5-3, but most importantly the occasion was a fantastic one yet again.
“We managed to raise £3,000 towards are £7,000 target to host a heart screening in the village, all thanks to some generous donations from our supporters. A big shout out to Tom Foxwell and his staff at the Village Inn for hosting a fantastic party in the evening, and Ashton Prior and Stu Morgan for singing during the evening.
“Also, a big thanks to our officials on the day, ref Terry Deakin and linesmen Dave Cook and Rich Wilsher. A brilliant day all in all and it was wonderful to see the whole community come together to celebrate Raj, and we’re already looking forward to the next one.”
Pictures by Matt Bigwood
