Matthew Clarke Winners

Congratulations to Castilion Primary School who won the 15th annual Matthew Clarke Memorial Tournament which took place on the brand new, 3G pitches at Sporting Club Thamesmead on Thursday 13 June 2013.

The tournament, which is held every year in memory of former St John Fisher Primary School pupil and Thamesmead Town Football Club under-10s team member, Matthew Clarke, attracted 13 Thamesmead primary schools in what was the first year pupils of Discovery Primary School could take part, not just as an exhibition match but as part of the tournament now they are old enough to play.

The 3.5 hour event saw 36 matches taking place before reaching the semi-final stage which saw Jubilee V St Margaret Clitherow and Hawksmoor V Castilion and led to Hawksmoor V Jubilee battling it out in the 3rd/4th place playoff in a nail-biting penalty shootout and a Castilion V St Margaret Clitherow final.

Step forward this year’s winner’s Castilion Primary School who beat St Margaret Clitherow 1-0 and were presented their cup and medals by Matthew Clarke's mum, Marcy and Thamesmead Town Football Club's Manager, Keith McMahon.

Castilion’s team captain, 11 year old Harvey Browne said: “It has been brilliant! Our school has never won this tournament before which made us try extra hard.”

The win was made even more amazing by the fact the team only played together during their breaks, as their school pitch was strictly off-limits due to building works.

Coach, Elaine Squirrell said: “The team played brilliantly! This was their last match together as a team before they leave for secondary school, which makes it even more special. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Sporting Club Thamesmead’s Sports Development Officer, Dan Wells who led the day said: “The Matthew Clarke Memorial Tournament is always a momentous occasion in both Trust Thamesmead’s and Thamesmead primary schools calendar. Not only does it help to keep Matthew’s memory alive but it brings all the schools together, whether they are based on the Greenwich side or Bexley side of Thamesmead.

“Every single person who took part today should be very proud of themselves. The dedication and sportsmanship they showed was fantastic and there are some outstanding footballers out there.”