“It is with much regret that I write to inform you of the passing of David Bagnall on 26th June. David had been poorly for some time but still found it possible to continue to support the Oxford RFC team right up to the end of the recent season completed.

David was a life long player and supporter of the club having played in the club’s Colts team in 1959. It was on the Colts tour to Cardiff at the end of that season that David contracted a serious illness having suffered a nasty open wound on his knee following a tackle in the win over Roath Park. David was the first patient in Oxford to recover from Tetanus.

In 1961 David was a member of the Oxford team to play in the Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham losing 8-11 to Richmond having led at half time.

By the 1961-62 season David had established himself as the club’s First Team scrum half and made such progress as to be named as reserve for Oxfordshire against Gloucestershire in the quarter final defeat at Bristol before gaining the coveted position the following season.

Sevens rugby continued to be popular with David who captained the Oxford Thursday team to successive wins in the Oxfordshire Sevens in 1966 and 1967 at the Iffley Road ground.

In the 1967-68 season David played in the ranks of first class rugby when he joined Northampton but his career at this level was relatively short lived when he broke a thumb playing against Cardiff’s Gareth Edwards. By 1969 he was back at Oxford RFC and in 1970 was named as substitute for Southern Counties against the touring South Africa.

He missed the club’s much acclaimed first win of the new Oxfordshire Cup in April 1971 when he broke his arm two weeks earlier against St Helens but this did nothing to deter him as was elected Club Captain for the 1971-72 season when the team progressed to a First Round away defeat by London Welsh in the new National Knockout Cup.

Unfortunately David was advised to stop playing rugby following a back injury in 1972.

Undeterred David continued to serve the club in several guises and, in 1976, was elected Chairman and was able to oversee the erection at the ground and opening of the first floodlit pitch in Oxfordshire, and the building of the Squash Courts.

He was Chairman on three separate occasions and elected President for 1983-85 and, again, in 2009 when he enjoyed the honour of being presented with the club’s Centenary 100 year plaque at half time of the England-Wales match that day.

Our thoughts are with Mary, Sarah and Simon at this sad time.

Further details will be circulated when they are known.”   

Richard Tyrrell,
[email protected]