A PROMISING young sportsman who died in a road crash has been remembered at Saints' match against Chelsea, while rugby players in Hampshire will stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity to pay tribute.

Teams from across the county observed a minutes’ silence before yesterday's Hampshire Rugby Football Union (RFU) matches in memory of Macaulay Campbell.

During half-time at Saints' Premier League match against Chelsea, the club put up an image of Macaulay.

And Radio One DJ Nick Grimshaw has become the latest celebrity to back the bid for a festival, called Macfest, in memory of the 20-year-old.

It comes as players from his beloved Romsey Rugby Club will this afternoon gather to pay tribute to Macaulay – known as Mac - a week after he was named man-of-the-match in a top of the table clash.

And thousands of people are backing plans for a flagship music event to remember him after an appeal from his loved ones went viral on the internet and captured the imagination of international music and sports stars – including pop singer Craig David.

As previously reported Mac, from Rownhams, died when his black VW Lupo was involved in a collision with another car on the A3057 near Romsey Golf Club at about 10.30pm last Saturday.

It was just hours after he was named man-of-the-match during a crucial match.

Romsey Rugby Club has cancelled today’s match against Southsea Nomads RFC as a mark of respect.

But teams across the county will be wearing black armbands and observing a minute’s silence before their games today.

It follows a memorandum sent out by Hampshire Rugby Football Union (RFU) this morning.

Meanwhile up to 150 people – including fellow Romsey players - will gather in Romsey Sports Centre to remember him at an event where televison coverage of the Six Nations clash between England and Ireland will also be shown.

Fellow Romsey player Tristan Pattison, the former club secretary, said: “We have seen in the past when members of the rugby community have passed away and tributes have been paid across the whole rugby fraternity.

“I am very impressed by the solidarity today.

“We have cancelled our games as a mark of respect and there will be a big get together for him. There are a lot of people who are really missing him and he is a big loss."

Southampton singer Craig David is leading a host of international musicians and sportspeople rallying behind the MacFest campaign for a festival in his memory.

Musicians such as Stormzy, Radio One DJs Charlie Sloth and Scott Mills, Bestival and Common People organiser Rob Da Bank, plus footballers Shane Long, Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers, James Ward-Prowse, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Francis Benali are backing it and sharing it on social media.

Every night hundreds of grief-stricken people have held candlelit vigils, laid flower bouquets, mementos, rugby balls and heartfelt messages for the former Mountbatten School pupil.

The couple in the other car, a silver BMW 520 – a male driver and a female passenger – were taken to Southampton General Hospital following the crash and have been discharged from hospital.

Hampshire police said that investigations into what happened are continuing.

Anyone with any information about the crash should contact Hampshire police on 101 quoting Operation Castington or incident number 44160074729.

See https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/Mac-Campbell-Fund for the fundraising page or follow @MacFest2016 or use the #MacFest and #MacFest2016 hastags on Twitter.

A night will be held in memory of Mac at a Southampton nightclub from 9pm on Saturday, April 2, two days after what would have been his 21st birthday.
The event will be held at Switch nightclub as a charity fundraiser and to generate more funds for the MacFest festival friends and family are trying to organise later in the year.

Ryan Keary, who runs the venue, said a line-up has yet to be announced but added: “It will be a fundraiser celebrating his 21st birthday and get everybody together.

“We are going to do as much as we can as a venue and we have a few people in mind.”

Ryan, who plays for Fareham Heathens rugby club and has faced Mac in previous games, said : “He was a very talented rugby player and it’s a very sad situation.

Tickets are due to be released next week and will be available at macfest2016.co.uk