This week saw the passing of one of our long-standing stalwarts. Owen, a.k.a. “Maxi”, first joined the club around 1960 as a player, alongside the likes of Johnny King, Peter Birkett, Peter Goff, and the Watson twins, Mike and Robin, and he has been here ever since.

First, as a very mobile back-row player, what he lacked in stature he made up for with spirit and fire. Most of the time he played with the 2s, but he stepped up to the 1s whenever required.

After playing, Owen became even more involved as a very successful Colts coach alongside Ian Hutton, winning County Colts competitions and developing many future First Team players. He then joined the Selection Committee, travelling with the teams every Saturday to help with the difficult task of selecting for the four Kendal teams at that time.

His next step on the rugby journey was into refereeing, when he was asked to join the Cumbria Referees Society. For many years he refereed games throughout Cumbria and Lancashire.

Finally, when he decided to take off his boots, he became the dedicated supporter we all got used to seeing — usually at the bottom end of the pitch — every Saturday.

A Kendal rugby man throughout.

Our thoughts are with his wife Chris and daughters Jane and Amy at this time.

R.I.P. Owen

Chris Hayton