We are very sad to report the death of one of Fylde’s players from the early 1960s, Roger Dickinson (86). We send our sincere commiserations to Roger’s family and friends.
Roger grew up in East Lancashire but attended Arnold School along with his friend and subsequent Fylde teammate Malcolm Phillips. He joined Fylde in the 1959-60 season and progressed to play in both the 1st XV and 2nd XV squads. He was a versatile player who featured at fly-half, centre or wing.
He joined Blackburn RUFC in 1964 and became a major figure in the development of the Club including a long spell as 1st XV Coach.
Thanks to Mick Downer’s amazing Fylde Coast Rugby Union Archive ( https://bit.ly/3PJBS3P ), we’ve been able to locate some Fylde team photos featuring Roger. Interestingly, in that period, Fylde organised a pre-season trial, fielding four teams who played each other ahead of subsequent 1st XV selection. No problems with participation numbers in those days!
His funeral is on Thursday 30th January at 10.30am at Pleasington Crematorium.
Thanks to Roger’s son Symon who provided much of the information.
Background: Roger loved sport and played many to a high level, including hockey for Lancashire, cricket, judo, rugby and he also had trials for Blackburn Rovers. He was originally from Preston and was married to Jean for 60 years. He had three sons – Nick, Paul and Symon.
He was a business owner for many years running a successful book supply company and later became a company director at national book retailer and library supplier Blackwells.
