Florida murders
Football ground relay in memory of James Cooper

THE FIRST leg of a relay around all 92 league football grounds in memory of Hampton Lucy tennis coach James Cooper, who was shot dead in America last year will be completed at Coventry's match with Ipswich on February 4.

Always a Chance, the charity run by 25-year-old James' friends Joe Hallett and Paul Davies, has organised the relay as its first major fund-raiser for its work to steer young people away from a life of violent crime.

Around 100 people so far have signed up to complete various legs of the 12-week event which is due to start two days earlier at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium.

James Cooper, who grew up in Kenilworth and later coached tennis for Warwick University-based Inspire2coach, and his university friend James Kouzaris, from Northampton, were shot dead in the tourist no-go area of Sarasota in Florida last April.

After their deaths friends of the pair set up the anti-violence charity.

The relay, backed by the Premier League and the Football League, will go through many of the cities affected by the summer riots with proceeds going towards funding projects working with young people not in full time education or employment or have recently left custodial care.

Match day appearances have been set up at some of the grounds being visited between February 7 and April 24.

Mr Hallett told us: "This relay kind of sums up their personalities, they were both fun loving guys who loved football and sport in general.

"It's never been done before and we have set no targets for the amount we want to raise, but the aim is to make it an annual event and build it up year by year."

To sign up to the relay log onto www.92clubrelay.org.uk.

THE teenager accused of murdering the pair is set to appear in court in March 6 ahead of a trial later the same month.

Shawn Tyson, 16, also faces seven separate charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, in relation to two separate matters.