Coach and Commentator

Roger used to hitchhike to Lakeland, Dales and Scottish sporting events when he was younger and has in fact hitchhiked to sporting events all over Europe. "I once even got a lift with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Doctor Coggan," he recalls. One of his favourite British venues is Killington Sports, near Kirkby Lonsdale, where he ran the fell race on 40 occasions. One year he and Fred Reeves were joint back markers in the Mile event and Roger won it from Fred, and then came second to him in the fell race, ahead of a young Kenny Stuart.

Roger commentates there now, as well as at Arncliffe, Buckden, Gargrave, Hellifield, Kilnsey, Malham and at the Three Peaks Cyclo Cross. At the Great Yorkshire Show, held at Harrogate and attracting crowds of up to 150,000, he provides a knowledgeable discourse on the sheep shearing championships. One of his finest pieces of commentary came at the Grasmere Sports in 1985, when he introduced a gathering of former champions to the assembled spectators.

He has for many years contributed reports on fell racing and other sports, to the Craven Herald and Pioneer, as well as other local newspapers, purely as 'a labour of love' - in other words unpaid. Assisting in the organisation of local fell races and other sporting events is another of Roger's pastimes. He is chief organiser of Skipton's 'Shortbank Olympics', which include a series of both junior and senior fell races climbing up to Rombalds Moor. All proceeds go to the Candlelighter's Children's Leukaemia cancer charity. He has coached in all the sports in which he has competed and has produced several champions, including former guides racer Mick Hawkins, who later became a Commonwealth Games 3,000m steeplechaser.

In the late 1970's Roger twice won the Craven 'Sports Personality of the Year' award during the 4 years it was held. In 1985, he became one of only 6 people to receive a special award from the Lord Mayor of Leeds - 'For services to Yorkshire, its image and its people'. He was also the recipient in 2002, of a prestigious award from the North of England AA 'For outstanding services to athletics'. In 2005, he won ITV's 'Local Hero' award, which led to him being presented to the Queen at Buckingham Palace. However his greatest achievement came in the January 2007 New Years Honours List, when he was awarded the MBE 'For Services to Sport in North Yorkshire' - a richly deserved and long overdue honour.

Perhaps nothing better illustrates Roger's dedication to sport, than one weekend when he boxed at Liverpool on the Friday night, played Rugby Union at Ruthin in North Wales on Saturday and finished 2nd to Tommy Sedgwick in the Scout Scar fell race near Kendal on the Sunday. As someone pointed out after the last event:' Had it been held a bit further North, he could have claimed to have competed in 3 different sports in 3 different countries on the same weekend.(Of his boxing career, Roger says: ‘I won more than I lost.')

He is now Chairman of Keighley Amateur Boxing Club and no longer runs due to knee problems, but he certainly believes in putting something back into sport!

(Text by Bill Smith - Author of 'Studmarks on the Summit'; Photos courtesy of Roger Ingham & Grasmere Sports The First 150 Years)