It is with great sadness that we have to report the recent passing of Dickie Leeson after a short illness. He played for the Club from the 1960s through to the 1980s, plying his trade at both full-back and prop. His funeral was held last Tuesday (25th November); Laurie Walker, Dave Ford and Hugh Roberts represented the Club.

Obituary written by Steve Ralph
For most who remember him, Dickie appeared to be the archetypal prop; balding with a vestigial neck and a desire to rest half way through the game. Those with memories that can stretch beyond the last lost Saturday night might recollect that he was a devastating, hard-hitting full-back. Many were the visiting centres who bitterly regretted the decision to sell a dummy to that flat-footed and myopic of all full-backs. The finer points of that manoeuvre failed to impress, while the unprotected midriff provided the juiciest of targets for Dickie’s shoulder. The impact usually resulted in the forcible removal of all air from his opponent’s body! His secret was having a good technique, which helped him to stay clear of injuries. Defence was his forte for he rarely troubled the scorers at the other end.

Dickie joined the Club in the mid-Sixties and debuted for the 1st XV during the 1966-67 season, initially forming a centre-partnership with Martyn Baker. It took time for Dickie to establish himself in the team, finally securing the full-back berth from long-time resident John Murphy. He played in the glorious side of 1968-69 under Graham Byars and continued to serve the team with distinction through the early Seventies. In 1972, he shocked the rugby world by re-inventing himself as a new-age prop, one that had a bit of intelligence and who could actually pass a rugby ball.

The following years produced a widening of the girth, a disillusionment with his day job within Market Research and the quest for knowledge. He spent four years at Sheffield Polytechnic, where he studied the science of Food Technology. No doubt this allowed him the opportunity to widen the girth even more. In his spare time, he turned out for Chesterfield 1st XV, gaining a county cap for Derbyshire in the process. He even had the time to marry his beloved, Christine.

In the late Seventies, Dickie returned south, a much changed man in more ways than one. Now an experienced prop, he played across the Club for the next decade, managing a handful of games each season for the 1st XV. In the jubilee year of 1983-84, he played three times, emulating his old centre partner, Martyn Baker, in playing for the Club’s two greatest sides of the “Old Becc” era. After retiring from playing, he took up the referee’s whistle.

Behind the scenes, Dickie served as the Club’s Entertainment Secretary during the 1972-73 season. He was instrumental in ensuring that the celebrations to mark the opening of the new clubhouse at Sparrows Den lasted all year! He played around 150 games for the 1st XV and, for services to the Club, he was elected a Vice-President in 1988.

If you had played in the early eighties and were at the Club on a Saturday night, you knew Dickie was around. All you had to do was just follow the sound of laughter to its source and there he was, reciting a seemingly inexhaustible collection of dubious jokes. Holding court with his beer, he was forever teaching John “Rupert” Graves what constituted a good Yorkshire pint.

Dickie loved the spirit and camaraderie of rugby. A dependable clubman, character and chameleon.

He spent most of his working life in the chilled and frozen food industry for British Oxygen. His leaves his wife, Christine, and two daughters.