Every grass roots rugby club has always had stalwarts who are key to keeping the club going and improving. Askeans is no exception. We have over the years had many guys who were instrumental in the club’s success….and then we had George.
We said goodbye to George at the crematorium on November 1st in a packed room with his family, golf friends and of course many Askeans.
It was a moving ceremony with emotional tributes from his son Kim and grandson David, both celebrating the 92 years that George had graced the playing fields at Kidbrooke.
George played in every team for Askeans and in his later years, was captain of the most successful side – the B’s which went unbeaten for two seasons.
There is a saying that “They broke the mould when they made him”.
It’s a phrase that applies in spades to George Martin, a man who was Team Secretary for a staggering total of 36 years, a fact that drew a collective intake of breath at the service.
Even those of us who had been members of the club for over 5 decades didn’t realise just how long George had been working his magic in getting teams out every week of the season.
Long before mobile phones and email, George handled getting Askean teams onto the various pitches, not just in Kent and London, but all over the country. A tough enough job until you remember that Askeans ran 7 teams each week of the season. For the mathematically challenged that’s over 100 players! If someone dropped out from the Princes, George had to make at least 14 calls to organise a reshuffling and to let the captains know of the changes. Hoping that he could reach all the players concerned at home….not easy on a Friday night before the pubs shut!
And he did this for 36 years…no wonder he lost his hair…..I suspect he might have pulled it out himself!
Not only was he a cornerstone of the Club for such a long time, but the finest tribute, which was much repeated yesterday was ‘He was such a lovely man’
By George..they got that right!
A Tribute to George was written by Shutey aka Dave Shute
Askeans in attendance:
Steve Homewood, Alan Hunt, Graham Smith, Tony Mimms, Mick Pearse, Alan Eastick, Les and Maggie Blyth, Jeff Woollen, Steve and Jackie Lee, Mark Morahan, Dave Shute, Ian Alexander, Robert Noble. S J T (John) Marshall, Clive Meadows, Paul Walsh.
Many Thanks to Kim for allowing us to feature the beautiful Order of Service
Any donations made in George’s memory will go to support the work of NSPCC www.justgiving.com/jill-wright11 or
RFU Injured Players Foundation www.justgiving.com/jill-wright12
You can donate directly or alternatively cheques made payable to the charity can be forwarded to the Funeral Directors:
The Family Funeral Service
4 Cavendish Way, Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 8PW. Tel: 01622 920305
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