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MARTIN "SPEEDY" ROBERTS - A SHORT TRIBUTE FROM ALL AT CHOSEN HILL

MARTIN "SPEEDY" ROBERTS - A SHORT TRIBUTE FROM ALL AT CHOSEN HILL

Roger Locke14 Apr 2016 - 07:42
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https://www.chosenhillrfc.co.u

Speedy passed away suddenly in the evening of Saturday 9th April, just hours after the end of what turned out to be his last match in charge as coach.

On Saturday 9th April, Martin “Speedy” Roberts our coach and former player died suddenly at home.

Speedy’s untimely death came as huge shock to all of us at the Rugby Club and he will be greatly missed and long remembered by all who knew him either as a player, coach or friend.

It is perhaps fitting that for a man who loved his sport, even on the day he died, Speedy had coached our 1st Team in a home match against Burnham on Sea before returning home for the evening.

So what can we say about Speedy by way of a tribute?

Well, he has always had an association with Chosen Hill where he went to school and started a rugby career that saw him play for several clubs including Cheltenham, Moseley, Permtemps Bees and Cinderford with the undoubted highlight being his 9 years and 121 games at Gloucester.

In his playing days he was a hard tackling centre or full-back who also had a great boot on him and he regularly took conversions and penalties as well as running in numerous tries. At Gloucester he played in 47 league matches and scored 66 points.

Always a true rugby man, in his later playing days he was a great supporter of various charities with rugby themes and he turned out to play for and support the Rugby for Heroes and Wooden Spoon charities. He also played for the Gloucester Cherry Pickers and several veterans sides

In the days before the leagues started and with his elder brother Ade playing in the second or back row at Chosen Hill, Speedy would often guest for the Former Pupils – if Speedy was in the team then every other player would have a spring in their step, proof it was necessary, that he always seemed to bring the best out of those around him.

When he finally started his coaching career he adopted a straight no-nonsense approach stressing the need for commitment and continuity and he was always there to offer individual advice when it was needed.

He would organise after match activities and dress codes to help build a team spirit and his weekly raffles to raise money for tour, in which the main prize was often a pack of four cans of well out of date lager, became legendary.

Many of the current senior players at Chosen Hill have progressed from the club’s Junior Section and they all have been eased into senior rugby with help and guidance from Speedy who always made time to give them individual tuition and encouragement.

Those who regularly watched Chosen from behind the touch line will fondly remember his kind words of advice for the referees and perhaps an everlasting image will be of him wearing his Chosen Hill hoody and track suit bottoms patrolling the touchline issuing instructions such as “no one at home” or “go for goal”.

We could go on and on about Speedy’s rugby life but everyone who knew him will have their own special memories to treasure.

Great memories of a great bloke, a real man’s man and a rugby legend, who will be hugely missed by all at Chosen Hill - Funeral details to follow.

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