Players from Manchester Maccabi and Leeds Maccabi joined their London counterparts at the Maccabi GB National Primary League Outdoor five-a-side tournament in Mill Hill.

The nine age groups featured 600 players and 75 teams in a World Cup- themed competition.

League chairman Laurence Thorne said: "If only we could bottle up the annual success of this tournament and move it on to building the future of junior Jewish football, but alas well over 60 per cent of today's entrants do not play in the Maccabi Sunday League, but if they did, the league would move on leaps and bounds.

"Maybe there is hope for the future. All we can do is to offer Jewish football to those who wish to participate and this 'open' competition is there exactly for that reason."