At the Hamilton Sports Council Awards Dinner, our very own Jim Browning was surprised, but delighted to be presented with the SALSC (Scottish Association of Local Sports Councils) Lifetime Volunteer Award for ‘Services to Rugby.’

The testimonial told how

’in a rugby career of more than fifty years, Jim learned his rugby at Dalziel High School and played for both school and senior firsts, before he moved both home and rugby allegiance to Hamilton when he took up a teaching post at Hamilton Grammar school.

He coached Hamilton Grammar school teams and played with Hamilton Senior sides, whilst in a move decades ahead of its time, he formed a girls’ rugby team at Hamilton Grammar.

As the legs gave out on a long playing career, he dug out his whistle and regularly refereed Hamilton Social teams for many seasons and when he called time on the refereeing, he moved to ‘behind-the-scenes’ work with the Club. Committee work, fund-raising, Gold Bulls organiser, Tartan Touch organiser, event management and a myriad of other unseen tasks.

In recent seasons at Laigh Bent Jim has taken on the role as Public Address announcer on match days, and the words of match reports on the Club website and in the Hammy Ad are his.’

Remarkably, Jim becomes the third Hamilton Rugby Club recipient of the Award. Sandy Kilpatrick (in 2005) and Ali Jones (in 2012) were also honoured for their lifelong contributions to rugby in general, and Hamilton Rugby Club in particular.

Well Done Jim!

#BullsFamily

*Article written by Stuart Sutherland