Whitehaven Rugby League Club is mourning the death of Ron Batty, a former director and vice president who had followed the club since its formation.
Ron, who was 83, had been one of the area’s best-known motor dealers, and a keen sportsman all his life.
The club announced his death saying: “We have lost another club legend. After a short spell of illness Ron sadly passed away.
“Ron has been involved with the club for decades sponsoring the club through his car dealership, being a director of the club and more recently part of the vice presidents helping and supporting the club in a multitude of things.
“If there is any rugby teams in heaven you can bet your life savings that Ron and Des Byrne will be in among it running the show.”
Another long-servant of the club, as a former chairman, key member of the Vice Presidents Association and a team manager, Des died earlier this year.
As a youngster, when he was a pupil at Whitehaven Grammar School, Ron had always gone down to The Recreation Ground to watch Whitehaven.
He was at the very first game when Hull were visitors in 1948 and was among the 18,000 who were there to see Wakefield Trinity in the 1960 quarter final of the Challenge Cup.
Later he got more and more involved helping out at the club and in 1978 was asked to join the board of directors. This was alongside the likes of David Wigham George Nixon, Kenny Shepherd and Eppie Gibson.
He often recalled that him as a new boy it was a case of keeping his mouth shut and learning his apprenticeship.
Ron was appointed vice chairman and In 1988 he was president of the Lancashire County Committee, Ken Shepherd was president of Cumbria and David Wigham president of the Rugby Football League — a remarkable achievement for one club.
But away from rugby league, Ron’s main sporting passion was table tennis and he was an outstanding player playing competitively into his 50s.
He won titles at both local and county level, as well as becoming a national coach.
Along with his big pal Harry Bowman, Ron also won county doubles titles, later repeating the feat with another outstanding Whitehaven league player, Alan Dixon.
In his prime, he and the others relished the challenge of testing themselves against great English champions of the day such as Chester Barnes and Dennis Neale.
Table tennis became a major focus although while at school he had been in the first team for rugby union (scrum half) and cricket (opening bat). Later he was also a useful golfer.
Ron was 75 when he left B&H Motors, the dealership he first set up in the 1960s.
Originally it was based in High Street, Whitehaven, but eight years ago relocated to Lillyhall, near Workington.
To begin with it specialised in British Leyland motors – which later became Austin Rover – but in the early 1990s it changed to SEAT, going on to win SEAT Dealer of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2012.
He was always committed to good customer service and was proud of the fact that this has resulted in several generations of one family making use of the dealership.
