Footballer Bobby Zamora met his namesake at a ceremony to hand over £5,500 to a cancer hospice.

The pair bonded at St Barnabas Hospice in Worthing, which received the winnings from a bet on Zamora's scoring skills.

The star striker was surprised to find a baby named after him - especially as it was a girl.

Parents Sarah Langridge and Paul Haywood, of Greatham Road, Findon Valley, near Worthing, said they decided on Katie Elizabeth Zamora Haywood because they were huge fans of the footballer.

When asked to hold the four-month-old baby, the 6ft 1in star said: "I'm really scared of babies."

But he soon relaxed into the role and Miss Langridge even joked he could be Katie's babysitter at £5 an hour.

Brighton and Hove Albion star Zamora beamed at the baby asleep in his arms.

He spoke softly to her: "You poor thing, you've been named after me and now you'll be scarred for life."

Zamora then admitted: "When I first heard a baby had been named after me I was a bit shocked. But I knew I may get to meet her oneday.

"She is the first baby I've had named after me so I'm really chuffed."

Albion season ticket-holder Mr Haywood, 29, joked: "We had the whole football team to choose from but it had to be Zamora.

"He is one of the best footballers I've seen in the past 20 years."

Zamora became top striker in Division Two after scoring 32 goals. It was this feat which scooped £5,500 for St Barnabas.

Every year Ian Hart, one of our sports columnists, and four local businessmen, are given a charity bet by Ladbrokes.

A stake of £500 was wagered at 10/1 on Zamora topping the Division Two scoring charts at the start of the season.

Now the hospice will get a new electric bed thanks to the footballer.

Zamora said: "I heard about Hart's bet at the start of the season and thought 'You idiot'.

"Then I forgot about it and near the end, Hart reminded me 'You could raise a lot of money for charity'.

"So I was pleased when I was named the top scorer and chuffed because I had helped raise money."

Mr Hart, a funeral director at HD Tribe in Worthing, said: "Some people doubted my judgement but I always had faith in Zamora."

The other West Sussex businessmen who contributed to the bet included Mickey Halford of Halford-Jarvis, Ashley Jacobs, of Jacobs Steel estate agents, Doug Clarke, of Grate Fireplaces, and Tony Cohen, of N'Sure.