by David Farbrother david.farbrotheressnmedia.co.uk A man whose fear of open spaces forced him to miss the funeral of his best friend has organised a
charity football match to remember his “mate in a million”. Richard Watson, of Stirling Drive, Caterham, was just 23 when he was killed fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan in December 2006. But Alex Peters, 24, who lives in Old Coulsdon, was unable to travel to the marine’s funeral in Tavistock, Devon, where most of his family is based. Alex said: “I just couldn’t face the motorway journey to pay my respects. “It is one of my deepest regrets in life.
“He was like my brother. We grew up together and I’ve never had a friendship like it.”