Coventry RFC mourn death of legend Ray Batstone...

... who played more than 400 times for the club

Coventry RFC are mourning the loss of club legend Ray Batstone who has died, aged 87, following a long illness.

Making his debut after the end of the Second World War, Batstone went on to register 423 first-team appearances as a ruddy-faced, all-action open side wing forward noted for his speed around the park before hanging up his boots in 1960.

He had been spotted by Alf Wyman, Cov’s match secretary, when he turned out to make up the numbers for the Air Training Corps and was initially recruited to play for the Extras, but quickly became a regular in the first team.

One of the very few to play 400 games for Cov, Ray was an England triallist and considered unlucky by many not to have gone on to international honours.

He also had a long County Championship career for Warwickshire, culminating in the victory over Cornwall in the final at Coundon Road in 1958.

In an article in the Coventry Telegraph Pink on the final Saturday of the 1957-58 season, the paper’s Coventry reporter, Nimrod, wrote: “A reluctant and somewhat embarrassed Ray Batstone was cajoled into leading the Coventry side from the field after this week’s memorable win over Leicester.

"This honour by his team-mates was to mark the last home appearance of his career.

“His confusion could have been the result of natural modesty, but like many other Coundon Road supporters, I hope it was a sign that we may still see him in action again next season.

“Ray Batstone has often been called the best uncapped forward in English rugby since the war, and there is no doubt he has been singularly unfortunate as far as representative honours are concerned.

“He said at the start of the past campaign that this would be his last season for Cov and I had hoped not simply for sentimental reasons that the Barbarians might have chosen him for one of their games.

"I can think of no-one more deserving the honour and no-one who would have given better service to that great club.

“No club could have had a more loyal player. It is true to say he virtually sacrificed a career, and certainly a considerable amount of money, to play for the Coundon Road side.

“Probably the most conscientious man in the club as regards fitness, he has played as well as ever this season and in my mind has at least another year of top-class football ahead of him.”

He did indeed decide to continue, and chalked up 47 more games over the following two seasons.

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