iomart group champions
Companies qualified from events throughout Scotland and assembled in Edinburgh travelling from Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow. 19 companies took part playing 56 matches and hitting the back of the net 278 times in a goal fest which included the 9,000th goal of Business Fives events.
200 companies joined forces over the summer to raise over £23,571 for charities across the nation with eventual finalists iomart Group plc and Sky scooping £3,000 for diabetes research charity, JDRF while Johnston Carmichael won £930 for the My Name is Doddie Foundation as a result of winning the Europa League section.
Ambassadors Alex Rae and Mark Wilson were on hand to entertain the players with a post match debrief and sharing stories from their trophy laden playing careers. They handed out the trophies to the successful teams and the race to be top fundraisers was hotting up with Baker Hughes GE raising £600 for MacMillan and the Montrose Community Trust, the Wheatley Group raising £750 for their own foundation and Johnston Carmichael combining to raise £1,105 for the My Name is Doddie Foundation.
On the pitch, fixtures came thick and fast for the companies with the opening group stages dictating whether the teams competed in the Champions League section or the Europa League section where a further round-robin group phase decided the positions for the quarter finals of both the respective competitions.
John Ritchie, iomart’s financial controller and team captain, said “We were very proud of the team that won and it was a great team building opportunity that allowed us to bring staff from different departments to compete in the event. We have been playing in support of JDRF for a few years now and we are delighted our efforts on the pitch have won them the donation.
We always enjoy being a part of the events and I’m aware of the organisation and hard work behind the scenes that went into making it a success.”
Carol Kennedy, regional fundraiser at JDRF in Scotland said: "JDRF is very lucky to have the support of iomart and Sky. We are all working towards a cure for type 1 diabetes and with the research that is happening here in Scotland and around the world, we feel that it is in our grasp. That's why the generous donation we have received will help us achieve our goals."
iomart faced rivals Grant Thornton in the in the Champions League quarter finals winning 2-1. Semi final opponents Freeagent knocked out Ashurst before losing 3-2 to iomart.
Sky came through to the quarter final tie against Dougall Baillie Associates on penalties before overcoming last summer’s beaten finalists, Scottish Water who overcame Wheatley Group in their quarter final tie. With both finalists playing for JDRF they have decided to jointly gift the winning donation of £3,000 to the charity.
The final saw Kris Todd of iomart winning man of the match, helping iomart secure a 2-0 victory.
In the Europa League section the quarter final line up was between Dunedin Canmore, Digby Brown, Head Resourcing, Farne Salmon & Trout, CALA Homes, Mabbett & Associates, AutoRek and Johnston Carmichael.
Head Resourcing secured a place in the final courtesy of wins over Digby Brown and Mabbett & Associates.
The final saw the accountants win 2-1 after conceding penalty early on which was saved by goal keeper, Ross Proudfoot who ambassador Mark Wilson singled out Johnston Carmichaels as the man of the match.
Laura Crumlish from Wheatley Group was named as the Player of the Tournament for the second time. The top goal scorer was James Robertson from CALA Homes who scored 13 goals as they reached the quarter-final stage.