11th May 2008 -  Darren Fletcher Charity Match              Match Summary & Photos

Rugby legends turn out to support Fletch
Team-mates of a rugby player paralysed in a swimming accident are pulling on their shorts for a charity match featuring Yorkshire and England rugby stars past and present. Back row Darren Fletcher, 26, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was left tetraplegic after breaking his neck while diving into shallow water in the sea during a visit to Cornwall last August. Now friends from Darren’s former rugby clubs have reunited to organise a charity rugby match aimed to pay for a wheelchair and much needed equipment.
The match, on May 11 at Hull Ionians RUFC, will feature a Fletch’s XV led by Mark Sowerby, the former England 7’s captain, against a Yorkshire Legends XV, led by former England A star David Scully and North of England player Paul Stewart. The home team will include players from Darren’s previous clubs including Wakefield RFC, Cleckheaten, Dinnington and Hull Ionians.
The accident while diving into the sea on August 18 last year happened while Darren was spending a weekend in Cornwall following a friend’s funeral. His C4 and C5 vertebrae were crushed and he was left without movement in his arms and legs. Surgeons also had to insert seven metal plates and a metal rod to fuse the bones in his neck. He spent a month in intensive care at Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital before being transferred to the spinal injuries unit at the Northern General in Sheffield on 20th September, where he has remained as an in-patient. Since the accident Darren has needed 24-hour round-the-clock care and could no longer work as a self-employed electrician. He also has to move his family to a specially-adapted bungalow which requires specialist work.
Darren, who has a one year-old son Edward, said he had been overwhelmed by the support of his friends and family. “It’s great to have support from the lads and I hope to be well enough to be able to be there to watch them come out of the tunnel and be part of the day,” he said. His wife Lisa spoke of her pride at how her husband had faced his ordeal. “Throughout the whole thing he has taken each day at a time with a smile on his face and is a true inspiration to everyone ­­- I am extremely proud of him,” she said. “I know when Ed is old enough to understand he will look back on this time with great admiration for him.” She added: “People keep saying to us how do you cope, but the way we see it is that Daz may not have survived the accident and we are grateful that he is here and Edward has still got his Daddy to look up to.”
The event, at Hull Ionians rugby club at Brantingham Park, near Brough, will also include a three-course luncheon at 12.30pm and will feature an after-dinner speech by British Lions legend John Bentley and a charity auction.  The match kicks off at 3pm and has been sponsored by HSBC, where Lisa works as a marketing administrator, Jenkinson Insurance and Halifax-based Paul Stewart Transport. A barbecue will also be held after the match and entry to the match will be £10.
Tickets for the luncheon cost £25 and are available from organiser Mark Sowerby by ringing 07908 485078 or emailing mark.sowerby@uk.henkel.com.

Proposed teams
Teams are to be selected from the following confirmed players.  More players are to be added closer to the date.
Fletch’s XV v Yorkshire Legends XV
James Greene
Jon Feeley
Matt Callaghan
Andy Metcalfe
Ross Winney
Alex Birkby
Mark Sowerby
Richard Wigham
Lance Hamilton
Mick Watson
Paul Spivey
Jim Lamptey
Adi Longbone
Rob Kench
James Tapster
Richard List
Scott Plevey
Johnny West
Dominic Castle
Mark Cahill
John Bentley
Brad Hunt
Brad Hepi
Mark Farrer
Simon Cowling
David Scully
John Dudley
Craig West
Paul Williams
Paul Stewart
Simon Bunting
Steve Worsley
Rod Lathem
Terry Garnett
Ian Horsley
Ian Carroll
John Rawson
Mea David
Tevita Vaikona
Dan Cook