Published at 10:30, Saturday, 05 June 2010

BARROW Raiders coach Steve McCormack has added his tributes to former rugby league player Garry Purdham, who died in the West Cumbrian shootings on Wednesday.

Mr Purdham played for Whitehaven while Mr McCormack was in charge of the side between late 2002 and early 2005.

The current Barrow boss, along with his players and a crowd of 1,718, observed a minute’s silence in memory of Mr Purdham and the other 11 victims of Derrick Bird before Thursday night’s match against Widnes.

Mr McCormack said: “I coached Garry in my first two seasons at Whitehaven.

“He was an honest, hard-working player. He was the same on the field as he was off the field, many times he would come to training caked in a load of mud from having been working on the farm.

“He would play a game and then he would go straight back to working at the farm. He was a big family man, he was always polite and very honest and always very dignified.

“He had a good sense of humour and what has happened is a massive shock for everyone concerned.”

On the minute’s silence, Mr McCormack added: “I think it was everything you would expect from a rugby league crowd.

“Wherever you are from, the incidents of Wednesday really touched everybody.

“I had three or four great years at Whitehaven and made a lot of friends up there.

“Wednesday was worrying for myself and I dread to think what it was like for the people up there.

“Our thoughts go out to everyone concerned.”

A tribute to Mr Purdham will take place before Barrow’s match against Whitehaven at Craven Park on Tuesday.

It will be Whitehaven’s first match since the shootings.

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk