CUMBRIA’S rugby league clubs will pay their respects tonight to former player Garry Purdham, one of the victims of last week’s shootings in West Cumbria.
Wreaths will be laid by delegations from Barrow, Whitehaven and Workington Town ahead of tonight’s Championship match between Raiders and Haven at Craven Park.
A minute’s silence will also be held for Mr Purdham, a former player for both Workington and Haven, and the other 11 victims of Derrick Bird, before the 7.30pm kick-off.
The full squads from all three teams will line up in their full kits on the pitch to honour the dead.
All professional rugby league clubs held a minute’s silence at the weekend in memory of Mr Purdham before their weekend games, but neither Whitehaven nor Workington had fixtures.
The decision to include Workington in the remembrance and to lay the wreaths was taken after discussions between representatives of all three clubs over the weekend.
Barrow Raiders chairman Des Johnston said: “There will be full representations from all three clubs there. The three chairmen will lay the wreaths and that will be followed by the minute’s silence. We would ask that everyone arrives early to observe that.
“We felt it was only right to involve Workington as well. What has happened affects the people in the whole of the west of the county and Garry Purdham played for both teams, so it was only right they were involved.”
After the match, the three wreaths will be placed as a mark of respect at the site where Mr Purdham was killed, while trimming hedges at his Gosforth farm.
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