Author: Denys Andrianjafy

Our much-loved David Haigh has today reached the magnificent age of ninety.

Born in Liverpool in 1934, David’s love for sport started at Newton-Le-Willows Grammar School playing both 1st XV rugby and cricket and representing Liverpool public schools at rugby. Leaving school with ‘A’ levels in English & History he always wanted to be a journalist with his first experience gained at the Wigan Examiner, whilst playing rugby at Waterloo

With his career going from strength to strength as a journalist, it was whilst working for the Sunday Express in the North East that he met his long-suffering wife Wendy, a secretary for the editor of the Daily Express in Glasgow, at a inter-department cricket match. They went on to get married in July 1961 in Newton Willows.

At 32 David made the permanent move to Broadcasting with the BBC and set up Look North in Leeds, rugby had taken a back seat as working all hours freelancing with BBC Radio outside broadcasts including Test Cricket with Jorn Arlott, Brian Johnstone, and Trevor Bailey.

Work brought David south as a producer at Southern TV on day by day where his love for rugby and cricket was re-kindled at Trojans RFC before moving locally to become a reporter in the Dover area, which is when he joined Canterbury RFC in 1976. By this time David had hung up his playing boots and taken up ‘the whistle’ refereeing with Kent Society for ten years.

David soon became a committee man and after retiring from refereeing first team manager and subsequently was player registrar, always getting the job done, and is now Press Officer, match day reporter, and announcer. He got involved with Kent RFU in the early 1990s as a selector, pushing the case for the inclusion of talented East Kent players in the county teams, and became East Kent rep on the county committee. Until recently he was team secretary for the County Championship squad and is now a county vice-president. Speaking to David he says “One of my highlights of being involved at Canterbury was being given a national valued volunteer award by the RFU in 2017, but the real achievement and pleasure has been playing a small part, together with so many good people, in the club’s progress over the years. I have been in love with rugby ever since the ball was put in my hands as an eleven-year-old.”

Happy Birthday David x

Nine club members have been recognised in this year’s Kent RFU Honda Awards. They are made for outstanding volunteer services to rugby union in England. The recipients were named at an awards evening at Aylesford Rugby Club and were presented by Kent Executive Committee chairman and RFU Council member Roger Clarke. Canterbury winners were Denys Andrianjafy for his Communications work for the club; Jake Beesley, Young Persons Award; Richard Collins, Match Official Award; Press Officer David Haigh, Unsung Hero; Alice Hayward, Social Inclusion; Womens team member Ella Jenkins, Game For All, for her commitment to student rugby at Christchurch University; Youth chair Matt Pinnick was the Game Changer category winner and a second Game For All honour went to Becky McCracken who has founded the successful girls section at the club. Lola Sanderson’s great work and enthusiasm in coaching minis players earned her an accolade in the Young Persons category. Ella Jenkins has also been chosen as a national finalist.

We are once again the starting point to the annual Canterbury Bike Ride and there will be a choice of routes provisionally 21, 55 and 76 miles long. The routes leave the rugby club and head south through the Kent Downs AONB, east to Dover Castle and along the top of the White Cliffs (with a potential view of France if the weather is kind), before heading back via Betteshanger Park, Eastry, Adisham and Bridge. The weekend will feature a new walking event called Walk Canterbury with various routes taking in historic Canterbury and the surrounding Kent countryside.

As an entrant to the Canterbury Bike Ride you benefit from:

• A choice of 3 fully marked routes with a backup route map and GPS files
• Feed stations on the long and medium routes
• On-course first aid and mechanical support
• A medal and a hot meal at the end of your ride
• Free event parking

New for 2024 the Canterbury Bike Ride weekend will include the Walk Canterbury event. Three routes, approximately 5, 12 & 16 miles long, will take in historic Canterbury and the Kent countryside.

All of the Walk Canterbury routes leave the rugby club and head for the City centre where walkers will be able to visit Canterbury Cathedral – the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and resting place of royalty and saints. The short route heads back to the rugby club via St Augustine’s Abbey. The medium route passes St Austine’s and turns North East at St Martin’s Church (completing the trio of Canterbury’s UNESCO World Heritage sites), following the Stour Valley Way and Augustine Camino Way to Fordwich. From here the route heads south before picking up the Elham Valley Way and returning to the Rugby Club. The long route follows the same path but continues east at Fordwich along the Stour Valley Way as far as Stodmarsh, before heading south on Augustine Camino via Wickhambreaux, Littlebourne and Patrixbourne before picking up the Elham Valley Way and returning to the Rugby Club.

All of the Walk Canterbury participants will be provided with a route map containing information on local history and all walkers will receive a medal and food at the end of the walk.

Join us Sunday 21st July!

For more details or to register for the Canterbury Nike Ride HERE

For more details or to register for Walk Canterbury HERE