Basketball match to take place in memory of Leicester Riders fan

Ross Bland (left) organised a charity basketball match to raise money for Brain Tumour Research

A basketball match is to take place in memory of a fan of the sport who died of a brain tumour.

Andi Peel, 30, from Groby, Leicestershire, died from a glioblastoma (GBM) in January 2023, three years after being diagnosed.

His best friend, Ross Bland, 35, has organised the Andi Peel Charity Basketball Match which will be held at the Morningside Arena on 9 April.

Proceeds from the game will go to the charity Brain Tumour Research.

The charity game will take place before Leicester Riders' British Basketball League (BBL) fixture against Newcastle Eagles.

Ms Peel said her son was so brave

Mr Bland said: "We held a charity match last year when Andi was still with us, so this one will have added poignancy.

"There will be a minute's applause for Andi at the start of the game. I just want to do as much as I can to raise awareness of brain tumours."

Mr Peel started getting strong headaches in August 2019.

He went to Leicester Royal Infirmary and had an MRI scan, which revealed a mass on his brain.

He had the tumour removed at the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

However despite his treatment, Mr Peel died at home on 11 January.

Mr Bland said he had met Mr Peel through a love of basketball and they had best friends for 16 years.

Andi Peel was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumour in January 2020

He said: "It was horrible to watch the way he declined and it's been hard adjusting to life without Andi."

Mr Peel's family and friends have raised over £18,000 through a number of fundraising challenges for Brain Tumour Research.

His mum Linda, 56, plans to do a fundraising fire walk on 4 April.

She said: "Andi was so brave and he never moaned about his situation,

"He was always more concerned about how the rest of us were doing.

"I wanted to do a real challenge that would take me out of my comfort zone. Andi is my inspiration for this and I know this is something he would have loved to do."

Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: "We're really grateful to Ross and Linda and the basketball community of Leicestershire."