17-year-old croaks in London after downing two pints of neat vodka in drinking game

[Meatpie]

A teenage footballer who died after a night out had downed two pints of neat vodka during a drinking game, his friends have said.

Louis Buxton died on Saturday morning after being rushed to hospital after a drinking session with friends in Croydon, south London, on Friday night.

The 17-year-old, who played in midfield for the junior team at Beckenham Town Football Club, is believed to have drunk the huge quantity of spirits as part of a drinking game.

Carl Norman, the coach of Beckenham Town FC, said he had spoken to some other players who told him that the teenager had died after downing two pints of vodka.

He said: ‘I got a message from one of the other lads over the weekend saying he had downed two pints of neat vodka and was rushed to hospital.

'Louis was a really nice guy with a great sense of humour. He was the team joker but always had time for encouraging the younger lads.

‘He was a great lad and will be really missed.’

He was rushed to Croydon University Hospital in the early hours of Saturday morning after pals raised the alarm and called for an ambulance when they noticed their friend was 'in trouble'.

The Croydon teen, however, was declared dead on arrival at hospital.

Police are treating the death as unexplained and are still investigating how the popular pupil at Langley Park School for Boys in Beckenham lost his life.

Friends of the teen held a memorial to him on Sunday night, carrying white roses and laying them outside the school.

One friend, who did not want to be named, said: 'Louis was a great lad.
'He was always larking about and joking with everyone - he really will be terribly missed and he was a great footballer.

'This has come as a massive shock to everyone.'

Headteacher Rob Northcott said: 'Louis was a nice boy. There are a lot of us who are missing him.
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‘I have been with his family over the past couple of days and we are desperate to find out what happened.’

A police spokesman said: ‘At this stage, we are treating the death as unexplained and await the results from the post-mortem examination.’

A spokesman from Drink Aware told local paper the News Shopper: ‘Binge drinking can be extremely dangerous so it is imperative we work together to educate people on the harmful effects of drinking too much and offer tips on how to stay safe.

‘In the most serious cases, alcohol poisoning can cause slowed breathing and result in a coma or even death.’

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