A legend of Upper Eden Rugby Club, who wrote match reports for the Herald for more than 40 years, died just two days before his 82nd birthday.
Roger Thompson (fondly known as Rocker) — a former geography teacher at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School — became involved with the club after moving to Kirkby Stephen in the 1970s. He was recently made a life member and news of his death prompted many tributes on the club’s Facebook page.
Born in Broughton, near Preston, he was the only son of Tommy and Annie Thompson.
In primary school he was a child full of life and mischief. He then attended Kirkham Grammar School, where his interest in rugby union began, and he played full back for the school. He continued to play some rugby and did a bit of boxing while at Durham University, from where he graduated with an honours degree in geography.
He then gained his teaching qualification at Durham and took up his first post in 1963 at Sir William Turners Grammar School in Redcar, where he also taught some French and played and umpired cricket.
He was someone who was comfortable in his own company, and in his younger days enjoyed bird nesting, egg collecting and fishing, continuing with the latter when he moved to Kirkby Stephen.
Roger also took up sea fishing with a close friend, Rob George, who died suddenly a couple of years ago. He also knew Chris and Alan Old, former England cricket and rugby players, and his doctor in Redcar, Dr Phillips, was the physio to the England World Cup-winning football team of 1966.
Roger married first wife Beryl in 1965 and they had two children, Garry, who lives at Gateshead now; and Susan, who lives in Kendal.
In 1972, the family moved to Newbiggin-on-Lune, where they remained for six months before making the short move to Hartley, near Kirkby Stephen, when Roger took a job at the grammar school.
He and Beryl later divorced and he married Elaine Armstrong in 1990. They parted some 14 years later, but both were happy marriages.
Roger retired from teaching at the age of 52 after dedicating himself to getting his last O and A-level students through their geography exams. “He only had three failures in his career,” said his children. “He managed to get people through who didn’t think they would pass — often with good grades.”
He then did some private tuition and landlord work at Kirkby Stephen’s King’s Arms and Croglin Castle pubs. Latterly, he spent many happy hours in the La’al Nook bar in the town, run by David and Wendy Thomas, which his son and daughter des-cribed as his “second home”.
Roger became involved with the town rugby club when it formed in 1975, and wrote match reports for the Herald almost from day one. Son Garry recalls that he also refereed a few games, “but his eyesight wasn’t the best!”
He wrote his match reports in a tiny notebook and would then ask the players for their perspective on the game. It was a source of great annoyance to him when he came to phone his reports in to the Herald if he couldn’t read his own writing!
Fittingly, the final game he saw was Upper Eden’s history-making Cumbria Cup semi-final victory over Kendal. He dragged himself to the game despite feeling very unwell and later told his children it was the best match he had ever seen.
Although Roger was a Preston North End fan, he had little interest in football. However, during the Queen’s silver jubilee celebrations, he had the misfortune to have his ribs broken during a football game while dressed as a woman!
“He had to be taken to the doctor’s surgery and the main thing he was concerned about was how to get his bra off before he was seen!” recalled Susan.
In 2021, Roger suffered a fall while crossing a road in Newcastle, which resulted in him requiring a hip replacement — something he recovered remarkably well from. “Within 15 weeks he was back digging potatoes and onions. His resilience was staggering,” said Garry.
Susan added: “Dad was the worst patient in the world because he was so fiercely independent.”
“He was a humble, unassuming man, who was happy in his own company but had a lot of friends locally,” said Garry. “The impact of the rugby club on the community was very important to him.”
Roger left a sum of money to the club, to be used as it sees fit.
Susan remembered him as a “fantastic dad”. “As a child, I didn’t like dolls so he would buy me furry animal toys and hide them round my bedroom as a
surprise. He was always the one I wanted to read me a bedtime story and he taught me the whole of the Jabberwocky poem by heart, which I remember to this day.
“I remember going for walks in the country hand-in-hand, and in winter walking along Hartley Road in snowdrifts up to my hips as we were never allowed to miss school — he didn’t believe in it.
“When he finally allowed Garry to have an air rifle, he taught him how to shoot, but insisted he never shot anything other than a tin can. He was really knowledgeable about the natural world — I learned so much from him.”
Roger also had a huge encyclopaedic knowledge of climatology and meteorology, which were part of the geography syllabus, but he then developed a personal interest. “He had forgotten more than most people will ever know,” said Susan.
Upper Eden Rugby Club chairman Neil Marston said: “Roger was a lifelong member and supporter of the club. His first involvement was when he stepped in to referee a game against St Benedict’s in the 70s. In the mid-80s he took up the role of match reporter, which he took very seriously, and continued doing so up to his recent passing.
“He travelled far and wide across the north of England in all weathers to capture the particulars for the reports. He also toured with the club to Estonia, Prague, Krakow and France, completing match reports on each occasion.
“Roger was well respected by the players and members at the club and was made a life member in 2018. He will be greatly missed by all.”
Funeral details have yet to be finalised, but the service will take place at Kirkby Stephen Parish Church, followed by burial in the cemetery there. A celebration of Roger’s life will then take place at Upper Eden Rugby Club. People will be asked to wear denim — which Roger was famous for — trainers and tour T-shirts.
