DAVE HOWGATE R.I.P.

Dave left us at the end of February 2020 when he finally lost the battle with an illness he had been fighting for some time.

Dave was not a rugby player initially. He didn’t play at school but a chance encounter with an old friend who did play started his love of rugby. He began playing for Sheffield Tigers, as a hooker until he was 24 when torn ligaments ended his playing days. He created a Colts side for the Tigers and also joined the Yorkshire Society.

Work brought him to the Midlands in 1977 and that’s when he started his association with the North Midlands Society.

As a watcher he was known for insisting that the ball was put in straight at the scrum, well he was an ex hooker! As a referee you knew if Dave was watching you, ball in a straight often meant a better than average report. He was a member of Veseyans RFC and towards the end of his watching career he much preferred to cast his eye over referees there.

An open and honest gentleman.