Road Racers win William Dunlop Memorial Trophy in charity football match at Seaview

The event, organised by Gary Dunlop and Nikki Coates, has become an annual fixture, raising thousands of pounds for the Children’s Cancer Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital. This year, the proceeds will also be split with William Dunlop’s family.

The Ballymoney man sadly lost his life in a crash at the Skerries 100 last July and the charity game on Sunday was named in his memory. William was an enthusiastic participant in the match in recent years.

Managed by Linfield boss David Healy, the Road Racers fought back to win the game after falling two goals behind after ex-Northern Ireland and Manchester United star Keith Gillespie opened the scoring for the Short Circuit team, while Nikki Coates made it 2-0.

Darryl Anderson, Paul Robinson (2) and James Kelly were on target for the Road Racers as they eventually won the game 4-3 against their Short Circuit opponents, who were managed by Crusaders’ boss Stephen Baxter.

The Road Racers received the William Dunlop Memorial Trophy after their spirited comeback.

A raft of big names took part, including British Superbike riders Glenn and Andrew Irwin, plus last year’s top Isle of Man TT newcomer Davey Todd. Eurosport’s motorcycling presenter, Matt Roberts, also made the trip to compete in the match.