IRFC Mourns The Passing Of Nigel Hems

Ilkley Rugby Club mourns the passing of one of its great personalities - Nigel Hems.

When I first joined the club in 1972, we were blessed to know and become friends with Laurie and Pat Hems, and I was a teammate of Laurie.

We enjoyed some of their generous hospitality at which we met their children Nigel, Christopher and Allison. All three grew up to be characters and personalities in their own right. 

Laurie and Pat moved into the licensed trade and took on several pubs in Lancashire and Cumbria. The family with the exception of Nigel moved with them. Nigel was the older boy and, fairly quickly, he established himself on his own in his hometown. 

Nigel was a big wily lad and quickly became an effective member of our 1st XV squad. When he decided to get to peak fitness he was a pain in the opposition’s ribs and a highly effective back row/utility player. However it was generally a problem to maintain his commitment to the game for long periods, and to prevent his preference to languish in the lower level sides.

He loved turning out for the famous ILKLEY Barbarians. But a good game or two in the thirds or Barbarians would would revive his enthusiasm for another period in the first XV, and repeat…..

In ILKLEY he established himself in the building trade and quickly became a fixture on the social scene. The bus trips to Kilnsey and Pateley shows were the stuff of legend.

In his colourful and non-stop life he became something of personality around town.

His zany loud smart pure wool suits and pocket watch were a trademark.

There was kind side to his personality too. He was a loyal friend to many and he never had a bad word for anyone.

In his quieter moments he and ex-partner had a daughter Jessica. Jessica has two children Heidi-Rose and Zachary to whom Nigel was a devoted Grandpa.

Nigel continued his patronage of the ILKLEY social scene and was a valued Life Member of the rugby club. He attended most of our home matches and pre-match lunches contributing generously to the fundraising element of those events and to the bar takings.

It wouldn’t be unkind here to refer to candles and both ends, sometimes to his personal detriment. 

Nonetheless Nigel lived his life to the full, albeit in his own somewhat bizarre style.  One thing is for sure, he will be sorely missed by many.

We extend our sincere condolences to Christopher and Allison, his partner Feona, and to Jessica and his grandchildren.

RIP