Sidmouth Rugby Club is mourning the loss of Life Member Peter West, who has sadly passed away. Peter had been a member of the Club for almost 70 years, having joined in the early 1950s.
After completing National Service, he returned to become a regular member of the 1st XV playing in the second row. He was 1st XV captain in the 1967-68 season before a knee injury ended his playing career in 1970.
On retirement, he joined the committee on which he served until 2011. He also took on the management of the Colts for the next ten years and achieved immediate success when they won the prestigious Tiverton Colts 7-a-side tournament in 1971. He would later guide the team to the final of the Devon Colts Cup in 1978, losing narrowly to Plymouth Albion.
In 1979, he accepted an invitation to join the administration of the Devon Colts team, which would win the final of the Colts County Championship a few years later.
In 1985, he was awarded Life Membership of Sidmouth RFC in recognition of his outstanding contribution as a volunteer. He was a painter and decorator by trade, running his own business in partnership with Reg Bargery.
Among his many contributions to the Club, most notable was using his professional skills to keep the club buildings decorated to a high standard. He will be greatly missed.