Garry Purdham
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| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Garry John Purdham | |||||
| Born | 20 October 1978 Whitehaven, Cumbria, England |
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| Died | 2 June 2010 (aged 31) Gosforth, Cumbria, England |
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| Playing information | ||||||
| Position | Second-row | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1999–2004 | Whitehaven | |||||
| 2005–2008 | Workington Town | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Garry John Purdham (20 October 1978 – 2 June 2010) was an English professional rugby league player[1] and farmer. He was killed in the 2010 Cumbria shootings.
Career
Purdham began his professional rugby league career in 1999 with Whitehaven.[2] There he played alongside his brother Rob Purdham.
In 2005 Purdham transferred to the nearby club Workington Town.[3] He struggled with a recurring knee injury at Workington[4] and ultimately required four operations in six years.[5]
Purdham retired from professional rugby league after the 2008 season;[2] however, he returned in 2009 to play amateur rugby league for Egremont Rangers.[6]
Death
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On 2 June 2010, Purdham was working with his uncle mending a wire fence on his father's farm near the Red Admiral Hotel at Boonwood, near Gosforth when he was shot and killed.[7][8] He became the ninth murder victim of spree killer Derrick Bird, who killed 12 people and injured 11 others that day before committing suicide.[9]
In honour of Purdham and the other Cumbria victims, one minute's silence was observed before every rugby league match played in England on the weekend of 5–6 June 2010.[10]
The Workington club has announced that a memorial in honour of Purdham will be established.[11] His funeral and cremation were held on 10 June 2010, attended by over 600 mourners.[12]
Family
Garry Purdham had a wife and two young children. He was the brother of Rob, a former player with Harlequins Rugby League[13] who played for England five times.[14]
Obituaries
References
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