It is with great sadness to report the loss of “Birdy“ on January 5th following a short illness. Popular and a larger than life, colourful character, he was renowned for his humour and witty reposts. Birdy served the club as club captain (a position he unfortunately had to forgo part way through the season due to injury, but not before dropping his brother Nigel for going on holiday during the season), committee member and prolific try scorer and a provider of so much fun and laughter.

After leaving Purley Grammar Dick joined Derek Berry’s hugely successful Purley Colts team that won the Surrey Colts Cup in the late 1970s before stepping up and cementing himself into the Purley first team where he was able to play on either wing, he was equally comfortable at stand off when needed. But it was on the wing that Birdy enjoyed the greatest success becoming a prolific try scorer for club and County who he represented both at senior and at Surrey Clubs levels. As one of his closest friends and fellow teammate, Greg Sylvester, stated “Birdy was like a salmon upstream …quick as a flash and impossible to catch … get the ball to him… game over “. In the twilight of his playing career Birdy was a member of the Purley ‘Evergreen’ Cup winning side in the early nineties.

A great loss and all our sympathy and thoughts go out his brothers Nigel and Roddy and to all his family particularly Monica, Charlie and his stepchildren, Olivier and James. He will be sadly missed.