We are very sad to report the death of former England international lock and no 8, Blackpool-born Bob Hesford. The powerful forward won 10 caps for England between 1981-1985. His representative honours also included caps for the Barbarians, Gloucestershire, the South West England regional squad and, early in his career, British Universities.
Bob was born in 1951 into the Hesford sporting dynasty on the Fylde Coast. His father, also named Bob, was a top professional footballer and goalkeeper, most notably with Huddersfield Town. One of his brothers, Iain, kept goal for Blackpool FC, Sunderland and a number of other professional clubs. Another brother, Steve, initially played soccer for Fleetwood Town but switched to rugby league and had a distinguished career for Warrington RL for a decade.
Bob was educated at Arnold School before progressing to Durham University. Around this time he played for Fleetwood RUFC and a had a handful of games for Fylde. After graduating he moved to a teaching job in London and joined Wasps. He then had three years in Zambia before returning to the UK and settling down in Bristol, eventually joining Bristol RFC in 1978. This was a period of great success for Bob and the Club. He formed a formidable back row with Peter Polledri and Mike Rafter. The three were at their zenith during the 1983 cup run which included victories against Bedford, Coventry and in the Final against Leicester. In all he played 181 first team games for Bristol, scoring 53 tries. His final appearance was against Llanelli in March 1985. He then had successful coaching spells at Bristol and Dings Crusaders.
His England debut was in 1981 in a side captained by another former Fylde Coast youngster, Bill Beaumont. Sir Bill said: “This is very sad news indeed. Bob was a splendid lad. Whilst he only played a couple of games for Fylde before moving on to Wasps and Bristol, he and his family had a great sporting legacy. He was a top bloke, a good player and he had a fantastic sense of fun and good humour. He will be much missed.”
Everyone at Fylde RFC sends their sincere commiserations to Bob’s family and friends.
