2012 saw the 11th annual Farrer Barnes Celebrity Select Touring Challenge 5 aside Practice Tournament. Arguably one of the strongest turnouts in terms of the standard of players, the tournament provided great entertainment for the large audience that attended. This year we decided to introduce a secondary competition for those that did not make it past the group stages which, overall, was a resounding success. This resulted in support for all teams throughout the tournament to the very end.
‘Why always Burgess Hodgson?’
Again, Burgess Hodgson managed to walk away with the Cup trophy after displaying some exciting and intelligent football. A strong performance in every game in the tournament lead to a decisive 4-0 win over Reeves in the final.
Why Always Burgess Hodgson?
The Shield trophy provided a chance for the teams that did not quite make the cut through the group stages. The final saw Magee Gammon take on Pentins which resulted in a 4-2 thriller. Strangely, Magee Gammon did not manage to score in the group stages but tapped in 10 goals once their Shield run began. Something tells us they had their eye on the Shield this year!
Burgess Hodgson’s ‘Single Bed’ James Eyres claimed the Player of the Tournament after an incredible display of skill throughout. The Top Goalscorer prize was shared between Burgess Hodgson’s Alex Baker and Magee Gammon’s James Wake with a high scoring 7 each.
James Wake / Alex Baker - Top Goalscorers (7)
James Eyres - Player of the Tournament
This year, the tournament was held in aid of Dave Lee’s Happy Holiday’s, a local charity focused on providing holidays and outings for sick, disabled and underprivileged children based in Kent. We managed to raise £582.40 so we would like to thank everyone for their generosity and support. We would also like to thank Kevin Alyward, the Chairman of the charity, for introducing us to the work done by them at the beginning of the night.
Special thanks goes out to Phil Rowley, the referee this year, who gave up his own time for the evening. I think we can all agree that he was fantastic and allowed the tournament to be played fairly and sportingly. We would also like to thank the generous donations by local and national business for the raffle; P&O Ferries, Manchester United FC, The Red Lion Stodmarsh, Shepherd Neame, UK Paintballing, Kent County Cricket Club, Charlton Athletic FC.
Phil Rowley - Outstanding Referee
Ben Purcell (Co-ordinator at Farrer Barnes) commented, ‘The standard of football was high and every team put in a strong performance. I thought Phil Rowley, the referee, was extremely good and I hope he’ll join us for next years tournament! I would also like to thank everyone that I was in contact prior to the tournament. Each team captain was very helpful and this resulted in the tournament running smoothly prior and during.’
We look forward to hosting the tournament again next year. I will be in contact in January 2013 so please ensure you respond ASAP to gain a place! We are also open to suggestions regarding the tournament. If you have any ideas that would help improve the evening, we are all ears! Farrer Barnes would like to thank each and every team for the manner in which the tournament was played in and hope that you all enjoyed yourselves.
Over and out!
Ben Purcell – Business Co-ordinator
