A memorial match for a Braintree Town supporter and Army sergeant, who died during the Iraq conflict, will be played next month.

Braintree Town FC and the Army will play the football match on July 26, in memory of Essex soldier Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth of 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordance Disposal) Royal Engineers, based at Wimbish, who took his Braintree shirt around the world with him.

Staff Sergeant Cullingworth, 36, and his father-in-law Neil Thorpe, who lives in South Street, Braintree, went to matches together and Mr Thorpe came up with the idea for the game.

Manager Gary Bellamy said a lot of interest had been shown in the match and coach-loads of people from the Wimbish base were expected to travel over for it, between a Royal Engineers team and Braintree Town.

Staff Sergeant Cullingworth's son Matthew, eight, who also went to matches, will play in a junior game at 2.30pm before the main match at 3pm.

Mr Bellamy said: "From the directors' point of view they are all backing it. They all think it is a wonderful idea and we feel privileged as a club that we can do something for Matthew in memory of Simon."

Children can get in for free and admission for adults is £4. The club would like to hold the match, which will be part of its pre-season training, every year.

The bodies of Staff Sergeant Cullingworth and Sapper Luke Allsopp were found in a shallow grave outside Basra and it is feared they were executed after they went missing on March 23.

The BBC came under pressure not to show the bodies of the soldiers in a Correspondent documentary recently

Published Thursday, June 19, 2003

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