Boyne Rugby Football club honoured one of its most popular and revered members last Saturday at its pre-match lunch prior to their AIL match against Ards – Ken Spellman…

Ken Spellman commenced his club rugby career at Greystones RFC before coming to Drogheda in the late 1960’s.

He is still very fondly remembered in his original club to this day just as much as he is in Boyne RFC. Several members from Greystones RFC turned up for the Lunch to honour him.

Boyne President, Reggie McHugh, in addressing the lunching guests said; ‘Ken joined Drogheda RFC when he arrived in the town and his services became as readily available off the field as on the field with his new club. It was shortly after he came to Drogheda that the club elected him as their delegate to the North East Area of the Leinster Branch where he went on to serve on the Junior Committee and subsequently on the Senior Executive of the Leinster Branch IRFU for four years’.

He played a major role in Leinster Rugby when he worked with great diligence and very successfully with others, to have junior clubs, Greystones RFC and Skerries RFC, elected to play at senior level in the province in 1975/76.

Reggie McHugh went on to say; ‘His counsel is invaluable to his rugby cohorts and his modesty and unassuming demeanour in never seeking attention, or the public eye, mark him out as an outstanding rugby person who served with genuine integrity in many capacities for over 50 years.

‘Ken Spellman was among the first rugby people to have the foresight to realise the value of introducing youngsters from right across the social divide to a game that was, at one time, deemed to be the game for the privileged few. He was a genial coach and built a young team that had fantastic success when they won the Leinster Branch IRFU Under-17 Culleton Cup bringing the first youth trophy to Drogheda RFC.

‘To this day, every player in that squad has wonderful respect for their former coach who, in turn, showed them how to play rugby and most of all, treated them with understanding and maturity in their formative years’.

Subsequent to Ken Spellman’s introduction of youth rugby, Delvin, Drogheda and Boyne RFC’s have become synonymous down through the years with the development of young players to senior and representative level.

The large gathering rose to their feet when Ken Spellman received the framed scroll conferring him with Honorary Life membership of Boyne RFC from club President, Reggie McHugh.