Unstinting dedication to the cause

SADDLE-UP: Chris Hamilton prepares for his 345-mile cycle ride.

IF the last 12 years at Oldham Roughyeds are anything to go by, club chairman Chris Hamilton must feel invincible.

He has survived the trials and tribulations of money worries, ground issues, break-ins and play-off heartache and still come out the other end.

This resilience led David Wright, of Business Support Solutions, to nominate Hamilton for the Pride in Oldham Awards in the professional category.

Wright said: “I nominated Chris for his unstinting dedication in the face of all obstacles and regular setbacks.

“These include a number of break-ins and robberies at the Whitebank.”

Hamilton arrived in 1998 when the club — known as Oldham Bears — had had the stuffing knocked out of them by relegation from the new Super League and bankruptcy.

Hamilton and a band of three directors formed Oldham Roughyeds to play at a lower level. Watersheddings was sold and the team played their home matches at Boundary Park.

Things soon looked up on the field. In the 2001 campaign, they missed out on promotion after losing to Widnes in the Northern Ford Premiership grand final.

Off the field in March, 2005, the club entered a creditors’ voluntary agreement (CVA) with debts of £325,000, and a year later John Pendlebury resigned after just three games in charge, with Steve Deakin taking his place in the hot-seat.

It wasn’t just Hamilton’s mental strength that was put to the test — his physical levels were pushed to the limit during a 345-mile, four-day endurance test which saw him cycle to each club in the National League first division.

He was greeted by family and friends at Roughyeds social club at the climax of the sponsored event, which raised around £7,000 for the club and Breakthrough, a breast cancer charity.

The club dropped down a division for the 2006 season without winning a league game, although the CVA was paid off.

The William Quinn Group took a 75-per-cent stake in the club in 2007 which saw Bill Quinn take over as chairman and Hamilton stay on as director, although Hamilton would regain the title two years later.

Grand final defeats hit the club hard in the next three seasons, at the hands of Featherstone Rovers, Doncaster and, under Tony Benson, Keighley.

But brighter news followed when the club secured a move to the Whitebank, with Oldham Council buying the ground and entering into a lease agreement with Roughyeds.

A rollercoaster season ended last month with play-off heartbreak against Rochdale, but Hamilton, buoyed by the reserve side’s Under-23s Championship grand final success, has already spoken about the future in optimistic terms.

Wright added: “Many lesser characters would have given up well before now.”