TWO young rugby fans were given a star surprise after raising money for a charity which helped their cousin beat cancer.
Noah and Louis Smithson, aged 13 and 11, took on a ‘drop kick challenge’ to raise money for Candlelighters, which helped their ten-year-old cousin Ella Rigg as she battled the illness.
The boys raised more than £500 for the charity after scoring 100 kicks in half an hour at Kenilworth Rugby Club.
The kicking effort was spotted by Wasps, who decided to reward the brothers for their kind-hearted endeavours.
Wasps star Guy Thompson was dispatched to deliver four match tickets for the upcoming game with Gloucester Rugby at the Ricoh Arena and was waiting for the lads when they returned from school. Noah attends King Edward VI School in Stratford and Louis is a pupil at Kenilworth School.
Mum Jacqui said: “They’re both Wasps mad, so the boys were thrilled to get a visit from Guy.
“It was quite difficult keeping the visit a secret and making sure they were both back from school in time, but it was well worth it in the end.
“I’m so proud of what the boys have done in raising the money for Candlelighters, supporting the great work they do.
“Having the chance to meet Guy was an added bonus for them and I know they would like to thank everyone for their generous donations.”
The boys, who both play for Kenilworth Rugby Club, have pushed Ella’s overall fundraising total to £6,000 and will be going to the game with Jacqui and dad Dave.
As well as being guests at the Ricoh, they also had the opportunity to have a chat with Guy about their positions and the charity drop goal challenge.
Guy said: “What these boys have done for charity is amazing, so it was a pleasure for me to pay them a visit.
“I made a point of saying thank you for what they’ve done as they’re a shining example for other children to look up to, and hopefully it’ll inspire others to do something similar.”
Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chris-rigg4 to donate.
Tickets for Wasps v Gloucester on Sunday (February 26) can be purchased from www.eticketing.co.uk/wasps and start from £15 for adults while under-10s go free.
