FRIENDS and family of a rising ice hockey star who died last summer held a memorial ice hockey match in his honour.

Jack O’Donnell died after falling from his bike and suffered spinal injuries in July 2010. He was about to celebrate his 16th birthday.

The teenager captained the GB national ice hockey team at under-16 level and played for Oxford City Stars, white, and Swindon Wildcats, red.

Past and present players from the two teams faced off against each other at Oxford Ice Rink on Saturday.

The match raised money for The Jack O’Donnell Foundation, which aims to increase sport participation and fund lifesaving medical treatments.

Oxford City Stars first team manager Gary Dent said: “Jack was a personal friend of a lot of our guys and the younger players who are in the Stars team now. He was highly rated, and everyone was more or less waiting for him to be old enough to be able to start playing senior hockey.

“He was earmarked for higher things, and could have had an international future and even played in a future Olympic team.

“It came as a huge shock for this to happen to such a youngster, and from such a seemingly innocuous accident.”