FORMER Northallerton rugby player Jim Moffat has been honoured by the Yorkshire RFU and the English RFU for his voluntary services to Northallerton RUFC.

He is coming up to 50 years of involvement at Northallerton Rugby Club, during which time he played for North for more than 20 years. During those years he also starred in the Yorkshire Silver Trophy win in 1977 and the Staff Call Cup in 1980.

Jim was forced to retire from rugby in 1993 due to a hip replacement, and then started to run touch for the club from 1999 for both home and away games. The only games he has ever missed are due to holidays or visiting family in Australia.

He received a letter of appreciation from the president of Yorkshire RFU in June 2020 thanking him for his voluntary services to not only Northallerton Rugby Club, but Yorkshire rugby in general, and in November he was awarded a bottle of Bollinger champagne and two flutes as part of the Mitsubishi Motors valued volunteers award.

Last week, Jim received a hamper for two from Mitsubishi and the English RFU which included a three course set meal for two, a bottle of wine and a bottle of Prosecco, all of which were to be consumed during the Mitsubishi Motors volunteer of the year awards on Friday.

Jim and his wife Christine attended the online virtual event, where they joined other regional winners to celebrate their achievements.

Despite recent ill health and being well into his 70s, Jim plans to carry on running touch once the rugby season is resumed, hopefully sooner rather than later.