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Funeral for Keighley Cougars' Danny Jones

The funeral will be held today for Keighley Cougars' rugby league player Danny Jones, who died at the age of 29, after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest while playing for his club. He had recently become a father of twins.

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Wales to play Keighley in fundraiser for Danny Jones' family

Wales are to play Keighley in a fund-raising match for the family of Danny Jones.

Credit: Press Association

John Kear, the Wales head coach, says there has been a "tremendous response" to the concept and that his players have all offered to play without pay.

The match, which still needs ratification from the authorities, will take place at Cougar Park on Sunday, October 25, with funds raised going to the children of Keighley and Wales stand-off Jones, who died 10 days ago of a rare heart condition after collapsing during a League 1 match at London Skolars.

Lizzie Jones with her two twins, Phoebe and Bobby Credit: Keighley Cougars

A Just Giving fund set up by the Rugby Football League has so far raised in excess of £124,000, which at the request of Jones' widow Lizzie will go into a trust fund for their five-month-old twins.

Keighley chairman Gary Fawcett says fund-raising will continue to the end of the year in a bid to reach £1million and Kear has confirmed that his Welsh team are keen to play their part.

Jones won the last of his 12 Welsh caps in their final match of the 2013 World Cup, having declined to play in last year's European Cup because his wife was heavily pregnant with the twins.

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