Farewell Chris - and thanks for the memories

The Chris Hamilton era at Roughyeds is now officially over.

The man who will for ever be known for keeping Oldham RLFC (1997) Ltd in business for more than 25 years, mainly at the helm on his own, has sold the club to Mike Ford and Co.

At the outset, it must be said that local man Chris, who celebrated his 60th birthday only a few weeks ago, has left a legacy in the annals of rugby league in Oldham. 

The former head of a town-centre firm of accountants will be remembered as the joint longest-serving club chief at the RFL, with Kevin Nicholas, chairman of Batley Bulldogs.

How appropriate then that he was given a round of applause at the media event which heralded the sale of the club to a consortium of five, who will hopefully achieve their plans to take the club forward at a time when serious money is a pre-requisite for major advancement.

A former president of the sport's governing body, he dug deep into the reservoir of his personal skills as an accountant, to say nothing of his civic pride, commitment to the Oldham cause, resolve, strength of character, bloody mindedness, time and money, to keep the Oldham RLFC flag flying following the liquidation of the original Oldham club in 1997.

In more than quarter of a century, the only time he wasn't available on the phone 24/7, or running around to answer the myriad of queries about the club, was the 12 months he was on sick leave after massive heart surgery in a Manchester hospital.  

In his absence, club volunteer Anne Kearns stepped into the breach and did a magnificent job.

Chris still has health concerns of a different nature, but he has always battled on bravely, putting the club for ever at the top of the page he called 'Priorities.'

Others have dabbled alongside him at various times in a never-to-be-forgotten period in the club's history - men like Sean Whitehead, Melvyn Lord, Stewart Hardacre and Bill Quinn, who was chairman for a brief spell - but only Chris has had an unbroken spell of official service to Oldham RLFC (1997) Ltd and only he has run the club on a full-time day-to-day basis since selling his accountancy business many years ago.

Since Bill Quinn left about 13 years ago, Chris has run the club on his own as sole owner, chairman and chief executive.

He has had to battle with budgets, rob Peter to pay Paul, cope with a nomadic existence and no stadium to call home, play games outside of the borough and generally keep the flag flying despite facing more obstacles, setbacks and hardships than have been experienced by any other club in the game, mainly because Roughyeds had no ground of their own and often had to play outside the borough.

One of the most critical periods of his time in charge was many years ago when the club was faced with an Inland Revenue winding-up order with debts of £164,000 at a time when he was due to fly off on holiday to Cyprus with his partner.

He went as planned and sorted out the problem by phone from afar as only he, the great survivor, could.

Oldham and its peoples owe a great debt of gratitude to the man who has devoted his life to the club for quarter of a century at great personal loss to himself.

'Only mountains and rivers last for ever' goes the old saying.

He now hands over the baton to new blood and will always be remembered, by those in the know, as the man who saved the day and kept the club from going under for what would almost certainly have been the final time.

As he said himself this week, he and I have sailed many a sea together since I rang him for the first time during my old Oldham Evening Chronicle days and was given a curt 'No comment' to my observation that he was believed to be the man heading a four-man consortium to launch a new club, Oldham RLFC (1997) Ltd.following the liquidation of Oldham Bears.

More than 25 years and a few bumpy rides later, the wheel has turned full circle and the new guys will take up the challenge.

We wish them well in the months and years ahead. 

Certainly, and over the next few days at least, we reflect on all that has flowed under the Roughyeds bridge in the last quarter of a century, as Fordy and Haydn Walker will surely do as they think back to 2001 and that day at Spotland when we were so near to Super League, yet so far.

Great stuff Chris - and thanks for the many memories over so many years.

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