Please note this was a special issue and the words only version does not in anyway do justice to the full pictorial issue which Elvie produced.

See you on court

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Mark

I’ll never forget or regret anything we did together. Even though you were so far away I regarded you as one of my best mates for all time. I was proud to be your partner. Your made such an impact on my life and of other people.

Cheers mate

Mark

Every time he stepped on court he controlled his team, not only with his great ability but with the great respect he had gained from all his teammates and opponents alike. His grin on court after a good point won was worth a thousand words! A great loss to the ‘volleyball family’

Mark

Mark

You are my best friend
You are my admiration
You are like a brother to me and I loved you like a brother
You are a great example to everyone
Have fun at the pearly gates
I know one day we will meet again

Mark will be a great loss to everyone. The way in which he conducted his life not just in Volleyball was of the highest standard and will be a lasting memory and one which will stay in my mind forever. The love that he had for the game is something that cannot be coached, the passion came from his heart and he produced it every time he stepped onto a court. Rest in peace

Mark

You were an amazing friendand I’ll always love you Huni. One day, I’ll do you proud and

I’ll learn to pass Huni. And when I do I hope you’ll be looking down from heaven and that you’ll be so shocked and pleased for me once I’ve finally stopped shanking balls!!

All my love, now and forever

Many players from Sussex were at the Poole tournament. Some knew Mark, some have seen him play, some didn’t but all of us were so very shocked and sad after this tragic accident. In name of all Sussex volleyballers, the SVA wishes Marks family and friends

A sad loss to everyone who has met you. Your dreams will come true in your new life as we firmly believe a spirit as special as yours has many more hearts to touch. Forever in our minds

There are very few young people in the world who understand and demonstrate naturally like you did that just being yourself is enough. You were always a wonderful example of a young man who had an instant and positive effect on all those around you and that is a picture that will stay with us all

Rest in peace buddy

Very sad to hear the news. Hope you are well in volleyball heaven

A cheery wave
A beaming smile
Always to be remembered
You were a one-off
Rest in peace Mark

Where do we start with this lad? He was just such an amazing talent and just such an inspiration for all of us younger players who knew him. Thank you for helping me and bringing a smile to everyone faces, because that is the sort of person you were.

SUZY MANNING

Suzy and I knew each other pretty much from the start of primary school as we (much the same as most of our friends) played on most of the school sports teams. However, a little known fact is that Suzy and I also "starred" in the Merchant of Venice in Raphael's Park, Romford in the summer of 1993, at the grand old age of 13.

I was involved in an amateur dramatics group, and they needed a tall, blonde girl to be the

"silver" to my "gold"! Great times were had at the rehearsals, Suzy and I used to have those important conversations you have when you're13 - you know, who we fancied, who we couldn't stand, who we'd snogged, who we wanted to snog, that kind of stuff. We got older and the subjects of the conversations changed (although not that dramatically, to be fair),

By now Suzy had got me a job at "Etam" in Romford, so we could fill our whole Saturdays with gossip while pretending to be desperately interested in folding knickers. Suzy and I lost touch a bit when I went away to Uni, but bumpedinto each other again at Esporta in Romford. After a while it seemed silly that I was driving down there most mornings on my own, so I took to also picking Suzy up at the ungodly hour of 6 o'clock, moaning about the cold and the dark and the fact that we were mad to get up this early, only to stumble after her as she strode onto the cross trainer or into the pool, with far more enthusiasm than I could ever muster up. We must have made quite a sight, with our spurts of energy which would enable us to swim 20 lengths or so, before remembering a desperately important piece of gossip and sitting at the end of the pool putting the world to rights, before the next burst of enthusiasm overtook us!

The last time I saw Suzy before she died epitomises who she was and how she was. We had all gone out to celebrate Mel's sparkling new smile, after she got her brace taken off and Suzy was having a bit of trouble. Drunk as skunks we both toddled off to the Ladies and proceeded to sit either side of the sink, putting the world to rights once again. Suzy would reassure anyone who wanted to use the sink that "It's fine, babe, we're just chatting" as if it was the most normal thing in the world. That was the thing about Suzy – drunk or sober, she found it very easy to put people at their ease and to make the most ridiculous situations seem perfectly normal. She was a great girl, a great laugh and she is sorely missed.

Saturday morning, and Suzy’s job as picture editor of cd:uk magazine meant she had to get up very early indeed. She’d throw her hands in the air and complain how bad she looked (as if!) And then settle down with a bacon sarnie in the canteen café before work really began. Suzy’s job was to ensure pop stars aplenty paused for long enough with the magazine crew to grab some stunning pictures of the music industry elite.

One morning not so long ago, Liberty X popped by for a short photo session. The friendly five piece chatted with us for a while and Suzy seemed to be getting a bit hot under the collar. Once they’d left she let out a huge sigh. ‘That Tony is soooo gorgeous!’ she said (and other words to that effect). That was just before noticing that Kelly, who’s also in the band, was still in the room. of course, Kelly had heard every word...and looked like she was just about to pass some very juicy info on....

The thing about having really good mates is that you tell them - well – near enough everything. Suzy certainly knew all the goss about me! As well as having a great ear to listen she gave out brilliant advice - and when she wasn’t around to talk on the phone it wasn’t unusual for me to send a silent email across the ether, in the hope she’d know the best thing for me to do!

A while back, I sent out particularly heartfelt plea. I was in a situation and didn’t know... What do to? What to say? How to play things? I begged an answer. There was silence.... and then she sent my email back - with the heading ‘read this, you’ll laugh’. Worst of all there were several other names in the recipient list! Yep, she’d mistaken my pleas for the circular joke in her inbox below and sent it off to her mates. Of course, once it dawned on

Suzy what she’d done she was mortified. To fix things, she called everyone involved to ask them to forget it had ever happened. She requested utmost secrecy - and then asked them for advice on what they thought I should do!

Helen Lamont – tvhits

My memories of Suzy are sparse and perhaps all the more precious to me because of that. I first met her only at the beginning of June this year. A painfully short time to know someone quite so special. She'd turned up at the Y to play volleyball with the promise of bringing two of her friends later. One player through each position and they were all looking for a team. I tried to hide my delight by merely sounding pleased that they wanted to join us when, really, a small Mardi Gras was going off inside of me! The Y desperately needed bodies on court and this was all I could've asked for.

Melissa and Sorrell joined a week or two later. All three could play to a good standard and I enjoyed teaching them immensely. They tried so hard, they really did and fitted in immediately. Whenever I explained something to Suzy she'd look at me intently, almost into me, getting a handle of what I was trying to convey and then just go ahead and do it like she knew all along. I didn't so much coach Suzy as just remind her of what was required and she'd just do it. A couple of timing issues aside (new setters), her game was pretty much already there and I’d told her so while at Poole. She picked up the low balls, had quick feet, the best swing I've seen for a long time (although still hitting the ball on the way down) and wasn't afraid to throw herself around. Demanded everything, blocked higher than some of the guys and her 'C'mon teeeeaaaammm' could be heard frequently. And people responded. With 9 girls we could play to people's strengths, give them a break on a bad day with a sub or two or start with the strongest six and lead from the front. It was all starting to look very, very good.

They’d all missed the Bath tourney which was a real shame as they would've loved it and seen some top class volleyball via the indoor tournament but Suz & Sozza could play Poole. That Friday evening as everyone arrived will stay with me forever. Suzy and Sorrell, excited faces and huge grins hanging out of the back of Fish's car as he pulled up to the campsite, everyone celebrating being there at the bar and disco. We all had the most fabulous time. For a short while Suzy acquired the tongue-in-cheek nickname of 'Chunk' (she was anything but) and dealt with the teasing effortlessly through her amazing smile.

A couple of us kept her company as we sat in the sunshine and enjoyed the weekend. We found out more about her in that afternoon than in any amount of training sessions and I'm eternally grateful for that time together. The only quality time that I ever really spent with her. We heard how she loved her work and the people in it, the pop stars: who were good to work with, who were bad. We heard all about her family, her skydive, the chocolate raisin fixation that she’d developed, how going to the gym first thing in the morning would set her up for the day, even though she hated getting up early, exactly just how long she and Sorrell had known each other. We’d agreed that I'd teach her to play guitar if she’d teach me how to dance! All sorts. By the mid-afternoon and our matches over, we'd decided to do our own thing and really give it a go that night as it was the last evening there. Meanwhile the world kept turning…

Since then I've grieved like I never knew I could and taken hate round the block once or twice too. The why's, how's and what if's have simply been replaced by a wince and I screw my eyes up for a second now and then at the enormity of it all. Right here, right now you’ll find the Y rebuilding and trying to pick up where we left off.

Suzy was my favourite - there was no secret there and if I tried really hard to imagine my perfect girlfriend then I guess she'd be pretty much just like her…….. right down to the blonde ponytail. Funny.....always thought I'd fall for the brunette. I wouldn't go as far as to call it love at first sight - that would be soppy. No, I reckon it took about half an hour.

Suzy

At School you were cool, always good to talk with in the Sixth Form Suite. We left and all went our separate ways, luckily I was able to see you again twice before you were taken from us. You were still cool, and still good to talk with. It's amazing how I feel considering the amount of time that we saw each other since St. Edwards - I guess a testament to what kind of person you are, and the effect that you have on people.

Suzy

You were beautiful, kind and lovely person - I'm so sorry to have lost you. You will be sadly missed by myself and many others.

Suzy was striking, kind and beautiful. I am thankful to have known her.

I’ll miss you, darling

Suzy

Thankyou. Thankyou for being you and thankyou for letting me share life with you. You only recently came back into my life and in a relatively short space of time you have taught me the meaning of love. I know that my life is better having you in it and I'll be forever happy knowing that you felt the same.

Suzy

You were talented, beautiful and vibrant and on behalf of everyone who ever worked with you we’d like to say a huge thankyou to you for letting us be a part of your incredible, glamourous, exciting life

Suzy

You were a fun loving girl who enjoyed life to the full. Always happy and smiling. That’s how we’ll remember you. You’ll be sadly missed

One night it landed him in Islington where cousin Martin lived. Martin's wife Miné came home with a friend who screamed in shock when she thought Miné had a tramp sleeping on her doorway. It wasn't a tramp, it was a very drunk Jim. Miné put him to bed only for Jim to be woken up by his cousin on his return to drink vodka shots over a game of paper, scissors, stone. Jim said he never suffered from hangovers but I'm sure he can't have looked too attractive the next day!

Loving cheesy music, Jim and his best mate Neil knocked up the legendary dance routine to Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ on a drunken night in the Student Union bar.

Whilst traveling in Oz, the song came on and the buoys performed the little dance routine to perfection. They cleared the dance floor and onlookers watched in awe! The buoys received a standing ovation, and an invite back the following evening to be the entertainment act for a girls night. They were introduced as the ‘Pissed Pompey’s’ and received $400 which all went behind the bar. On Jimmy’s instruction, they all weren’t allowed to leave until they had drunk $400 worth of beer.

Jimmy was also a real ’ladies’ man. Whilst traveling he came up with the ingenious plan to pull for him and all his friends to wear swimming goggles on their heads.
Why? So girls would come and talk to them to ask why they were wearing swimming goggles on their heads. He was the only one who ventured to try this new pulling method and spent the entire evening with his mates talking to me becase he looked like an idiot and not a single girl spoke to him!

He also held the world record for the longest femurs (measured on many occasion by his flat mates)

I’m sure that is why he could eat so much, it was stored in those femurs! He was asked not to come to Pizza Hut for the all you can eat buffet as those femurs could hold more pizzas than they could cook!

He was also personally known at the Sea Pearl, Ilford where he would insist on having 3 starters before even heading for the main course (once you moved on to mains, you couldn't go back to the duck on the starter).

Those femurs were displayed to their full glory in his dressing gown which was just obscenely short for him as he had owned it since the age of to 12!

Never forgotten for his bad taste in shirts, the ‘parrot’ shirt goes down in history as the worst

On their way to see their son Frazer (Jimmy’s best friend and flat mate), his parents passed a horrendous Hawaiian shirt with brightly coloured parrots hanging in a charity shop window. They could only comment on how hideous it was, and who would ever wear such a fashion faux pas.

Several hours later, Jim came home with a beamy smile on his face and a bag – ‘look what a bargain I found’. To Frazer’s parents amazement he pulled out the rather attractive parrot shirt they had seen earlier in the window. It was yet another corker to add to the classic collection (bendy collars, the pocket shirt and the one with the camel on it!)

There is the one where we went to play volleyball on the green at Springfield. We set up the nest to have a mini tournament and the local residents were not impressed by 20 or so ‘youths’ playing volleyball on their beautiful green and were up in arms about it. One woman threatened to complain to the council and came out to take photos as evidence. Jimmy decided that this was the perfect opportunity to launch his modelling career and was standing there doing the most ridiculous poses for her, blue steel included, and when she went inside was telling her to come back out – she hadn’t seen his best side yet! I think he scared her off!

6 and 1 1 finger on face
6 and 2 2 fingers on face
6 and 3 Fist on face

6 and 4 No one speaks until 6 and 4 rolled again and then you stand up and shout
bullocks (Unless someone speaks beforehand which means they get forfeit)

6 and 5 'man ahead' (person after you drinks)

5 and 4 'man before' (person before you drinks)

1 and 1 'snake eyes' neck whole drink

3 and 3 'social drink' all drink

Doubles nominate those amount of fingers for someone to drink

2 and 1 Three man! Anytime someone rolls 3, you have to drink

3 and 4 Challenge someone to paper, scissors, stone loser drinks

3 and 1 Jimmy Rum drink shot of rum (new rule added in honour of Jimmy)

1. You must not take the dice out of people's hands, must pick up off the table
and say 'take the dice’

2. If you roll the dice off the table, neck whole drink

3. You must ask the chairman if you want to leave the table

4. No pointing! Drink if you do

5. Thumb master should be appointed during the game.

However he tripped over one of the speaker wires and poured his pint all over the DJ’s decks. All the music instantly stopped, the bride to be was crying her eyes out, the brothers in the family were fighting each other………………….and Jimmy was standing there gormless as ever!!!!! The highlight was when Jimmy somehow got hold of a hairdryer and was trying to dry out the decks………well funny!!!! For several weeks after that, Jimmy was known in the group as "DECK WRECKER!!"

James

You were an outstanding player front court and were even beginning to come into your own backcourt, although I fancy you always thought you might become a setter one day: "Talk to the hands baby, soft hands, soft hands".

Jim

You left the party way too early. Nothing can bring you back but our memories keep you here with us, in our heads, in our hearts.

You are the Music Man and always will be. See you on the other side one day.

Dearest James

Words cannot express how I feel right now I shall never, ever forget Sunday night and the words which changed my life!. Words cannot describe the pain we all feel. We can only take comfort in the fact that you lived your life to the full - and enjoyed every minute of it.

Thankyou so much for being such a great cousin, and sharing my childhood with me. You have left me with soooo many great memories - I cannot but fail to laugh when I remember all we got up to together

Until I see you again - I love you

Jim

Well, what do I say? Where do I start? I have so many great memories Jim that you have put in my head that I shall never, ever forget. Rest in peace, mate and never forget that you will always live in my memories and for the children that I shall have in the future shall know all about you, for you really are someone that has gone so suddenly yet lives in peoples hearts forever. All my love

Turn back the clock. Stop the time

Go back to the past when things were fine

We want to see you and talk to you again

We want everything to be as it was back then

The future has changed and things won’t be the same

But we promise you James to remember your name

We need to think what you would expect us to do

All of your mates in the Volleyball crew

You’d expect us to drink and have a good time

You’d expect us to carry on and hit down the line

What can we say - we’ll give it a go

But the times ahead won’t be easy, I know

We promise to smile when we say your name

And swear not to say you couldn’t block in a game

Good times are not over you wouldn’t want it that way

You’ll always be with us we start to play

You’ll be there in the circle we stop to call

Jim

We will miss you dearly but will always endeavour to uphold the spirit of fun you brought to the sport and to our lives

There are so many memories that it just hurts. But the thing that hurts the most is that you’re not here anymore. Your friendship meant so much to me and we stayed friends forever. I know that where you are now you’ll be hanging ten on a perfect barrel with a pint in one hand and a volleyball in the other just laughing.

Catch one for me. I’ll be keeping score.

I miss you.

Suzy

It was with deep regret we heard about the accident, but with Jim with you, no doubt he is making you smile right now. Our thoughts are with your family and friends right now. Take care and rest in peace.

Dear all

In horror we did read the message on the BBC site about the traffic incident of James and his passengers. What a tragic loss. We can’t imagine what an impact it must have on the team. We hope you will all find strength with each other to cope with this tragedy. From this site we give our deep condolences to you all and of course to the families who are involved

ALL OF THE TRIBUTES CAN BE READ IN FULL AT www.volleyball.co.uk

For my part, sadly, I knew Mark not at all. From what I gather that is my own loss. We went to the waterpark on the Saturday with him. It was the only time we met. Good fun, hilarious fun but I didn’t know him to talk to. Having read his tribute page www.wessexvolleyball.co.uk you realise that he will be missed every bit as much as

Jim and Suzy.

Jim I largely knew of - you just couldn’t not know him! I’m no drinker, I still don’t know the rules to ‘3 man’ and didn’t really get to know him til earlier this year. We warmed up together at Whipps Cross for a London League match and again later in the season at Wapping. I remember the handle he had on his mental game and his through the net psyches. Opposition missing shots that they never knew they couldn’t do til someone, Jim, pointed them out to them. To those who think it’s not part of the game then I say Phooey! - it’s half the game, maybe more. If you can undermine the mind, you’ll destroy the player. He did it better than most. Opening line through the net in his most regal accent: ‘Good evening - I am the middle player and I’ll be blocking you out for the rest of this evening’ Brilliant. He also had the best on-court attitude I’d seen. It’s something you really appreciate in a good team-mate. Someone who urges you on, helps to push your own game forward. Always pro-active and never dwelling on the negative. It was a pleasure to play volleyball with him. We won the triangular and in glorious fashion - it’s one of my favourite moments on court ever.

Now I simply remember him as ‘The Music Man’. He comes from down your way.....

For all the family and friends