A TEENAGE rugby star died when the car he was driving late at night left the road and hit a tree.
Jack Faulkner (17), from Spalding, was killed instantly when the Rover 420 crashed off Broad Gate, in Sutton St James, near Spalding, just after 11pm on Friday. A male passenger in the car escaped with minor injuries.
Jack was tipped for the top a
fter earning a spot at Nottingham Rugby Academy, and many thought that after his impressive performances at Spalding Rugby Club, an England Junior call-up could have been on the cards.
His grandfather, David Faulkner, from Sutterton, near Boston, said: "He was due to play his first match with Nottingham on Saturday. They thought a lot of him, and thought he would eventually make the England juniors squad.
"He was a wonderful grandson and would do anything for us. He was a strong family man and would text his cousins all the time."
When his parents, Andrew and Kirsty Faulkner, moved from Sutton St James to Kent three months ago, Jack opted to stay in Spalding, so he could continue to play the sport in the area.
He was living with a family with close ties to Spalding Rugby Club.
A former pupil at Long Sutton Peele Community College, he was a star player in the Spalding Colts side and this season was to make the step up to the first team, along with being given his chance in Nottingham.
Spalding Rugby Club's development team game against Skegness was cancelled this weekend following the news of his death, while a minute's silence was held before the first team's match against Loughborough.
The full article contains 282 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
