WHITCHURCH United boss Carl Bennett will take to the dug-out on Easter Sunday for a massive Hampshire non-league charity football tournament.

Around 80 participants – from former Eastleigh stars to Gosport Borough, Sydenhams League and Hampshire Premier League players – are gathering at AFC Totton’s Testwood Stadium for the Football for Cancer Charity (FFC) event.

Familiar non-league faces including former Spitfires, Barnsley and Reading midfielder Brian Howard, a host of Sholing’s FA Vase 2014 winning squad and Adam Wilde and Justin Bennett from Gosport will be in action among a host of other names.

From the Andover area Jam Boys pair Bennett and Ryan Lambert are set to take part.

Talking about the tournament, Bennett said: “It’s something close to my heart because I lost my dad to cancer five years ago, so this event is a massive thing for me.

“It’s going to be a great day because there are going to be football players from all of the leagues across Hampshire coming together and trying to raise as much money for a great charity. But it’s going to be competitive as well.

“It’s quite funny because when we originally got together to arrange it and pick the teams it was all about not being competitive but you know it’s going to be on the day.”

To make matters more interesting, Bennett, who will manage team Frank Whitman, will go head-tohead with Lambert on Saturday with the right back playing for opposition side, Terrence Bell.

On the prospect of going-head-to with his own player, Bennett joked: “I know all of his weakness!

“I think it will be fun to go against him.”

It is the first time that Football for Cancer has be involved in an event in Southampton, with the majority of its activity based around Portsmouth during the last seven years.

The likes of Pompey legend Alan Knight and former England striker Andy Johnson are patrons of the organisation and they have held a number of different events since 2009, which have raised more than a £250,000 for good causes.

Now, with the backing of the local football community led by nonleague man Ben Kneller and with the help of Hamble Club manager Scott Marchant and player Danny Cox, FFC have turned their attentions to fundraising in the Southampton area.

Mr Marchant said: “All the money will be going to Football for Cancer and it will eventually go towards helping people in Southampton that are battling with cancer.”

“It’s all pay on the gate, we’re hoping to raise around £20,000.”

In the first ever event of its kind, two games will take place at the Testwood for a place in the final of the charity competition on May 22, which see the winners of the two games go head-to-head after a thirdplace play-off game between the two losers.

The teams are named after family or friends of people involved in the fundraising that have died of cancer.

The first game kicks off between teams Tom Hefron and Reece Davis at 11.30am on Sunday, March 27, before teams Terrence Bell and Frank Whitman, managed by Carl Bennett, play at 3pm.

Tickets for the day cost £3 for adults, £1 for OAPs and children.

TEAMS

Team Name: Reece Davis

Manager: Lee Burch. Team: Barry Clements, Andrew Smallpiece, Marc Diaper, Liam Crook, Barry Mason, Chris Mason, Jonny Mulhern, Steven Green, Ben Thomson, Craig Davis, George Day, Bradley Flookes, Danny Stickles, Mark Foreman, Asa Agaboola, Ricky Dugdale,Joe Cooper, Matthew Fry, Liam Hindle, Craig Shrimpton.

Team Name: Terrence Bell

Manager: Jamie Stapleton. Team: Joseph Bell, Johnny Betteridge, Adam Wilde, Byron Mason, Peter Castle, Mike Carter, Luke Watts, Wayne O’Dell, Mathew Troon, Ryan Lambert, Ray Ogilvie, Nathan Golden, Ian Proctor, Darren Curtis, Stewart Beck, Beng Yela Ngwa, Lorimar Mason, Matthew Gregory, Pete Philpott, Dominic Yeandle.

Team Name: Frank Whitman

Manager: Carl Bennett. Team: Bradley Whitman, Sam Jordan, Brian Howard, Justin Bennett, Dave Marden, Patrick Nolan, Christopher Knight, Shane Flooks, John Cole, Terry Cox, Sam Scrase, Kevin Hayter, Kevin Braybrook, Ryan Ashford, Kevin Lewis, Lewis Crook, Giacomo Stevens, Alex Bacon, Joe Harman, Gareth Snelling.

Team Name: Tom Heffron

Manager: Scott Marchant. Team: Nick O’Donnell, Nick Watts, Daniel Mason, William Tickle, Kevin Brewster, Ricky Bull, Luke Pothercary, Daniel Cox, Richard Bridle, Lee Bright, Tyronne Bowers, Alex Hall, Simon Quirk, Dean Byrne, Richard Luffman,Warren Creasey, Chris Castle, Matthew Hutchings, Daniel Szasz