STAR footballers including Luther Blissett and Ray Parlour played in a charity five-a-side tournament in St Albans yesterday.

The event at Old Albanians' ground off the Harpenden Road saw ten teams, mostly from mortgage lending businesses, competing, each led by a celebrity ex-professional.

Organised by the St Albans-based mortgage broker Lifetime, it raised about £15,000 through entry fees for the leukaemia charity the Anthony Nolan Trust.

Trust spokesman Guy Parks said: "It was a great day. The tournament was won by Legal and General, whose captain was the former England and Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee.

"Lifetime were runners-up, led by the St Albans City manager Steve Castle.

"The .money raised was a great result, and everybody had a fantastic time."

Other team captains included Dean Holdsworth, formerly of Wimbledon, and Steve Sedgley, who won the FA Cup with both Spurs and Coventry.

After the tournament there was a dinner in the club house, with a panel of ex-professionals answering questions.

For more about the charity, which maintains a register of bone marrow donors, see www.anthonynolan.org.uk