Bob Irving

Your Say

• Dr David Hill
  16/08/2023

  All good second rowers had speed and great strength and I remember Bob well. He was fast sprinter in the inter-schools athletic meets and although I beat him every-time, he was always close...he being at St. Gregory's Grammar School and me at St. Augustine's Secondary Modern School. But in the same year I was the Huddersfield inter-schools champion sprinter in the 100 (winning by a whisker) and 200 (winning by 15-metres) and showed how fast Bob really was being on my shoulder every time in the school meets. He even beat me in the shot-put that year as well even though I finished 3rd in the Huddersfield inter-schools championship athletics and where the guy that beat me was 2nd in the all-Yorkshire Athletics championship meet later in the same year again. So Bob was very fast at 15 like myself and with his natural strength it did not surprise me that he burst through and ripped apart the defence. Indeed, if luck had been with him and been at the right teams at the right time, he could have well been, a rugby league legend...but life unfortunately does not work like that. Into the bargain Bob was a great guy and would help anyone. Sadly missed.
  Dr David Hill
  Old Inter-school friend of old (1963)

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