Friends hold charity match to honour cancer victim

The best friends of a 22-year-old man who died from testicular cancer have held a charity rugby match in his memory.

Zac Summers-Cameron, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, died in 2025. Fifteen months before, doctors had misdiagnosed his pain as an infection and treated him with antibiotics.

About 500 people attended the memorial at his former club, Old Patesians RFC, on Saturday, and raised thousands of pounds.

Ben Jones, one of the organisers, said: "It was for Zach. It was for his family to just show how big he was to everyone, how much he meant to everyone, and to create a day for his legacy."

Zac's Boys, a group of 16 of his friends, set up the event, which also included live music and a raffle.

His friends described Zac as "funny, cheeky, outgoing" and someone who "you instantly wanted to be friends with".

Zac had just finished his first year at university when he had issues with one of his testicles and pain in his abdomen.

His mum, Clare Summers-Taylor, previously told the BBC he was seen five times by GPs and medical professionals over four months in 2024 but was not scanned, which could have "changed everything".

A 16-man group of his friends, called Zac's Boys, set up the event, which also included live music and a raffle.

The event, along with other fundraisers, has so far generated up to £10,000 for Maggie's cancer charity.

Jones said they hope to repeat the event next year.

Fellow organiser, James Scott, said: "[Zac] loved throwing things like that, bringing people together.

"So we wanted to replicate that for a good cause to celebrate his life. We didn't want it to be sad. We wanted it to be a celebration."

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in younger men in the UK, with about 2,400 cases each year and 70 deaths.

Tim Snary, a volunteer with the Bristol testicular cancer charity It's in the Bag, said there is a survival rate of about 96% if the cancer is caught early.

Signs and symptoms to look out for include a lump, swelling, ache or pain in your testicle.

Jones said: "Until a few weeks ago, I didn't realise how common it is in males and in youth...

"If something's not feeling right, just go get it looked at. There's no point waiting."

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