Charity pot breaks £17,000 barrier for Keith football match featuring Scotland legend Colin Hendry
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A football match aiming to raise £10,000 for two cancer charities has smashed it's target.
Keith's favourite footballing son, former Scotland and Rangers star Colin Hendry led a Scotland team made up of locally-based veteran players into battle against English opponents at Keith's Kynoch Park.
The men from south of the border represented Catskill FC, near Birmingham, led by former Keith man Gary Macpherson.
The event has been organised for the past 21 years by former Dufftown goalkeeper Willie Dick, who has helped raise many thousands for good causes through the football and associated auction events.
Regular beneficiaries Keith Cancer Link and Midlands-based Primrose Hospice were named as the two charities to split this year's proceeds.
Announcing that this year's fundraiser would be the final one, Dick aimed to make a five-figure sum for the first time.
By Sunday over £13,000 had been raised and two days later he announced that the overall total had reached £17,359, more than doubling the previous best.
"It's just an unbelievable amount and will make a big difference to the charities," he said.
The Scotland team, wearing the colours of home club Keith, defeated the English visitors 4-2.
Ryan Green, a Highland League title winner with Forres Mechanics a decade ago, netted a hat-trick for the home veterans while Keith favourite Hendry netted the other goal for his team.
The game was also be staged as a testimonial for Gogs Younie, a former Highland League player who kept playing Moray welfare football into his 60s - though the charities received all the cash raised.
Hendry donated one of his 51 Scotland caps as well as signed Scotland and Rangers shirts for the auction, which raised over £6000 alone.
