Hockey tournament held in memory of Nottingham Uni’s Grace O’Malley-Kumar

On Saturday 19th July, the Grace O’Malley-Kumar Cup, a hockey tournament, was held in memory of Grace, one of the three victims of the Nottingham attacks in 2023.

Held at the Beeston Hockey Centre, the event saw the family, friends and teammates of Grace come together which her mother, Dr Sinead O’Malley, says in a report from ITV, that she hopes will become an annual occasion.

She also took the time to thank the people of Nottingham for their support and said: “We’ve had a wonderful event last year and we are going to try and make this an annual event, every year going forward, to remember Grace.

“Coming up to Nottingham is always bittersweet, but what we do remember is how Grace had the happiest year of her life here.

“We have to take away the positives from her experiences in Nottingham, and the people of Nottingham have been incredibly supportive and kind to us, so we are very proud to come back up here to enjoy this cup.”

View this post on Instagram

Most Read

Dog the Bounty Hunter’s grandson killed by his own dad in ‘incomprehensible’ tragedy

Amy Bradley was ‘found’ 20 years ago but the FBI dropped the case for a sad reason

‘You belong to us’: OnlyFans model dumped in Dubai with broken spine speaks out for first time

A post shared by The Grace O’Malley Kumar Cup (@graceomalleykumarcup)

Grace’s father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, also described the memorial as “a fantastic commemoration of her life” and applauds his daughters bravery and courage. He also expressed his thanks to her teammates.

“She loved hockey and this was her favourite sport, she played for England, and it is lovely to see her contemporaries have gone on to play for the GB team, who have made the time to be here, Dr Kumar noted.

19 year olds Grace and Barnaby Webber, along with 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates, were the victims of Valdo Calocane, who later used Mr Coates’ van to seriously injure a further three people on Tuesday 13th June 2023. Calocane has since been sentenced to a hospital order in January 2024 after pleading guilty to manslaughter and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Foundations commemorating the students have been made in their names with ongoing memorial events which can be followed at the Grace O’Malley- Kumar Foundation and the Barnaby Webber Foundation. 

Featured image via the University of Nottingham Ladies Hockey on Instagram