Shortly before the one-year anniversary of his death in June, pool players from across Ireland came together to pay tribute and honour Northern Ireland International player Gary Johnston, who sadly passed away suddenly from a heart-related illness aged just 50.
Gary, a member of The Coach Club in Hillsborough, had been playing the sport for over 20 years. He had previously represented Northern Ireland in the European Championships and was a regular competitor at NI Pool Association events alongside his brother Stephen. The tournament held in his honour was also fundraising to support the work of Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS), a cause now close to the Johnston family’s heart.
The event was one in a series in memory of Gary. In total, the Johnston family and their friends have raised more than £5,000 for NICHS via taking part in the charity’s annual 5K Red Dress Fun Run in February, hosting a bingo night, and Gary’s daughter Gabrielle recently braved abseiling down the Europa Hotel in Belfast. This has all been in aid of helping the up to 1 in 3 people across Northern Ireland who are living with a chest, heart or stroke related illness.
The pool tournament was held at Crumlin United FC. The event was organised by Kenny Geddis, Mark Davidson, Raymond Christie, and Matt Short in Gary’s memory. A special shout out of thanks must go to Pamela for the wonderful hospitality over the weekend and Ciara for her brilliant fundraising efforts.
Gee Crawley was victorious in winning the Teams Trophy alongside his team- Neill Campbell, Jason Voorhees, Aaron Leslie, and Wayne Lewis. Gee was also runner up in the individual Gary Johnston Memorial Cup. The Cup winner was Willie Brown, and the other semi-finalists were John Tennyson and Neill Campbell, who all, along with other players on the day, generously donated their winnings back to the charity to boost the overall tournament total to an amazing £1200. The Johnston family and NICHS would like to express their deepest thanks and gratitude to all the players, the organisers and everyone who supported the event.
