A FOOTBALL match that was started to remember two best friends from Basingstoke has raised money for two new defibrillators.

George Nash and Fred Elgar were friends for nearly 60 years, moving from London to Winklebury in the early 1960s, but in October 2020 they both sadly died.

To honour them family and friends organised The Legends of Winklebury Memorial Football Match, and now in its third year the game took place on Sunday, August 6 at the Hampshire FA Winklebury Complex.

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This year the match raised funds for the provision and installation of potentially lifesaving Public Access Defibrillators (PAD).

As a prelude to the main memorial match, the event saw the introduction of a Junior’s Cup match, in memory of the late Graham Garrett, the founder of Winklebury Wizards, who died suddenly at the end of 2015 at the age of 63.

The Reds became the first team to raise the Junior’s Cup, presented to the winning team by Jackie Garrett.

Basingstoke Gazette: The 2023 event saw the introduction of a Junior’s Cup match, in memory of the late Graham Garrett The 2023 event saw the introduction of a Junior’s Cup match, in memory of the late Graham Garrett (Image: Paul Moulten)

The family-friendly event featured numerous stalls and Basingstoke Community Radio were also in attendance, broadcasting their day’s schedule live from the stadium.

Remembering the Legends of Winklebury who are sadly no longer here, the main memorial football match commenced with a roll call of local legends, followed by a one-minute applause, before kicking off the match.

This year even the memorial match was given a ‘promotion’ being split into two halves: with under 40s playing in the first half and the veterans in the second half. Being a deciding match, with the Reds and Blues each having won a match in the previous two years, this year’s match saw both sides strive to win the Cup. However, the final result saw the Blues go all out to take a strong lead with a Blues vs Reds score of 8-1.

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The huge success of this year’s event resulted in raising enough money to go towards the purchase and installation of at least two Public Access Defibrillators. The plan is to place these into strategic locations around the community and is hoped to improve the chances that anyone requiring lifesaving interventions will have the equipment on hand so that first responders have the tools they need to help save lives.

Cathy Nash, Founder, The Legends of Winklebury Memorial Football Event, said: “We obviously hope that they’re not needed but after speaking with numerous people during the planning stages of the event it is surprising how many people have needed the use of one of these incredible devices! If it weren’t for the incredible support of the local community, local businesses and of course the players and supporters we would not have been able to create such an event for all to enjoy, with such a good cause at the heart of it.”

Organisers of this year’s event also worked with the local primary schools within Winklebury on the topic of community, with work from pupils at Castle Hill Infants, Castle Hill Juniors and Winklebury Federation on display at the Willis Museum throughout August.