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Hundreds expected at memorial day at Tewkesbury Rugby Club

All Areas > Sport > Rugby Union

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Wednesday, 19th July 2017, 12:20

Hundreds of people are expected at Tewkesbury Rugby Club later this month to mark the 10th anniversary of the deaths of Bram and Chris Lane.

The club are hosting a sevens rugby day on Saturday 29th July in honour of the two men who died so tragically in the 2007 floods.

“It’s going to be an emotional day,” said club official Geoff Sallis. “When the rugby finishes at 5pm we’ll hold a memorial ceremony by the two stones we put up in Bram and Chris’ memory 10 years ago.

“Hopefully we’ll get a good turnout from the town and we’ll get a few hundred people at the club to pay their respects.”

Club stalwart Bram, 64, and his son Chris, who was in his 20s, were killed as they tried to pump floodwater out of the clubhouse in the Vineyards.

It is thought they were either electrocuted or overcome by fumes when they tried to clear water from the cellar.

In a foreword for the tournament programme, Tewkesbury chairman Dave Randall wrote: “Tewkesbury Rugby Club would like to extend a warm welcome to you on our memorial day for Bram and Chris.

“Some days it seems like yesterday this terrible event happened at our club and other times it feels like a lifetime, but I'm sure that looking around the current facilities and the way the club has moved forward Bram would have taken a great deal of pride in what 10 years have done for the club.

“I think we will all have our own memories to look back on and a smile when we think of the times we have spent at the club with Bram and the times we have spent with other friends who are no longer with us, but today I would like you to think of the times you spent that made you laugh and to recall a few with current friends to keep the spirit of those we remember today alive in our mind’s eye.

“Thank you for helping to celebrate and remember dear friends today.”

The sevens tournament will be split into two with a competition for rugby teams and a separate one for social teams.

“We’ve had a good response,” said Sallis. “We’ve got around eight to 12 teams for both competitions and the plan is to have two groups in each competition with the top team from each going through to the final.”

Matches will be seven minutes each way with the two finals consisting of two 10-minute halves.

Tewkesbury will enter two teams in the rugby competition and Sallis said that Cheltenham North and Cheltenham Saracens are among the clubs who are sending teams.

The social competition has received entries from Cotswold Dairy, the Fire Brigade and a team from Tewkesbury Rugby Club.

The rugby kicks off at 1pm and away from the pitch there will be plenty of other activities going on including a barbecue, play area for children and evening entertainment with Thunderoad.

There will also be a charity raffle with an extensive list of prizes.

Donations on the day will be accepted for both Wooden Spoon and Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

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