In a repeat of last year's Primula Cup five-a-side football final in aid of the industry's welfare charity Caravan, the team from Greencore Grocery found itself up against Buckingham Foods. Only this time it was Buckingham's second team that got through to the final, having knocked out Unilever Port Sunlight's first team in a penalty shoot-out.

But this was the only difference as the team from Greencore (above) emerged victorious once again, in a hard fought and fervent final that made many of the World Cup games look tame.

Greencore certainly looked like the team to beat from the off, with an impressive goal-scoring record taking it comfortably into the final. Taking the lead early, the team was wrong-footed by Buckingham in a moment of sheer brilliance but kept its cool and pulled through 3-2.

The event, sponsored by Coca-Cola, Primula, The Grocer, Unilever UK and United Biscuits, took place last weekend at the JJB Soccerdome in Manchester and saw a record number of teams battling for glory, 33 in total.

In a strange coincidence, Moy Park met Moy Park/Tesco in the Plate semi-finals, the former winning and taking on John West in the Plate final. Some deft strokes on the field and it was the lads - and lass - from Moy Park that came through to pick up the trophy, beating John West 4-2.

Paul Lewney, commercial director at Primula owner Kavli Foods, was content to stand on the sidelines but said he was delighted with support for this year's event.

"I think the event went very well and we were pleased that it attracted a record number of entries," he said.

"Ensuring that the Caravan message is delivered to all levels within the industry is crucial and we have been delighted to be able to lend support through the sponsorship of the Primula Cup over the past three years. The passion for winning shown throughout the day was outstanding and I hope the event will continue to grow."

Daniel Pleasance from IT software firm Galleria-RTS was the lucky raffle winner of two championship tickets to a game of his choice courtesy of Coca-Cola.The Teams

Greencore Grocery

Co-op Manchester

Brake Bros

Buckingham Foods 1

Buckingham Foods 2

Cadbury

Vimto Soft Drinks

Flamingo

Decisions Made Easy

Parfetts (Halifax)

Swedish Match

Nisa-Today's 1

Nisa-Today's 2

Schwans

Why Not

Moy Park/Tesco

John West Foods

Unilever Port Sunlight 1

Unilever Port Sunlight 2

Moy Park

Weetabix

Enterprise Foods

Galleria RTS

Sainsbury

The Whitehouse Wonders

RHM Culinary Brands

Northern Foods

Tesco Stretford 1

Tesco Stretford 2

Unilever

Tesco Bidston

Multibrands

Sainsbury

Midsomer Norton

Scott MoncrieffYou can play your part too

This month marks the start of an awareness campaign for Caravan. Today the industry's welfare charity is helping about 1,300 former grocery industry workers. But it needs your support to help fund its activities. So what does it do? Well, as well as providing its beneficiaries with financial assistance, there's practical support too, such as making sure their homes are equipped with essentials such as a cooker or a telephone. The charity is also able to provide one-off grants to those who may fall just outside its eligibility criteria, with more than £37,000 spent since 1999 providing things such as walk-in showers, double glazing or security equipment. As well as supporting former colleagues, the charity is trying to raise awareness among younger workers of today's pensions crisis, in the hope they don't fall into difficulties in the future. How can you support its work? For ideas, go to the web site caravan-charity.org.uk

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