A MEMORIAL tournament in honour of “a pillar of Scottish water polo” will take place in Dunfermline this weekend.

The BMC Cup has been organised in memory of Brian Campbell, a life member and stalwart of Dunfermline Water Polo Club, who died in December 2019 at the age of 61.

In addition to his achievements with Dunfermline, who he led to a British Cup success at under-16 level, Brian went on to coach with Scotland and Caledonia boys, the latter a composite team featuring players from Dunfermline and other Scottish clubs to compete in British Water Polo League competitions.

A huge number of tributes were paid following his death, including from Scottish Water Polo, who praised the “enormous time” he had invested in “coaching the younger generation”.

On Sunday, thanks to the efforts of Brian’s three sons, Alasdair, Darren and Chris, the inaugural competition – the first to be held in Scotland since COVID-19 and supported by the Press – will welcome six under-18 boys’ teams to Carnegie Leisure Centre on Sunday.

Dunfermline will be joined by Warrender, Portobello, Stirling, Menzieshill and REN in two groups of three, with the winners of each going on to contest the final.

The tournament had been due to be first held last year, only for COVID-19 restrictions to intervene, and will be held two days prior to the second anniversary of Brian’s death.

“This is his legacy. He was all about giving people opportunities in and out of the water, and that’s the motto of the tournament,” Alasdair commented.

“I heard one person describe him as a pillar of Scottish water polo, and I think that’s a fitting description of him. Most people there on the day will have been influenced by him in some way.

“We were always aware of the effort he put in, and thought that he was doing a good job. But, since his passing, the amount of people who have told stories about him, not just in water polo but outside the water, it hits home.

“We miss him every day but this is a good time to reflect.”

Alasdair revealed that, long-term, the hope is that the BMC Cup will become an annual event and expand to include teams from England or even abroad.

The first match, between Dunfermline and Warrender, starts at 9am, with the final taking place at 3.45pm, and anyone who is interested in watching water polo can go along for free.