Terry Ramshaw and Jason Ramshaw

Terry Ramshaw was a raw-boned second-row forward who signed for Featherstone Rovers in 1960, and despite formidable competition soon broke into the first team. There, as a seventeen year old, his forceful running and aggressive defence triumphed alongside such stalwarts as Cliff Lambert and Colin Clifft in the Rovers’ back-row. He appeared in 15 games in his first season, which was unfortunately cut short by injuries. He built on this solid start and was soon a fixture in the team. An early career highlight was his performance against the touring Australians in October 1963, as Rovers stormed to another famous Rovers victory, Terry Ramshaw marking the occasion with a try. Over the next five seasons he went on to play exactly 100 games for Rovers, scoring a very useful 27 tries. His best return came in the 1964/5 season when he packed down in what must have been a real handful of a second-row for opposition defences alongside Arnie Morgan. That season Terry was awarded a Great Britain U-24 cap. Disappointingly, the following year he had a dispute with the club and left for Halifax for £5,000 in October 1965. This was a record fee at the time, showing just how highly Terry Ramshaw was regarded. After his spell at Halifax, he also played for Bradford and Salford.

Terry’s son Jason played his junior rugby in Featherstone, but a bidding war for his services on his seventeenth birthday put Rovers out of the picture for his signature. He eventually signed for Halifax, and immediately broke into their first team. He was at Thrum Hall for five years, appearing mostly at hooker. Having played 77 games, and with Halifax having spent a couple of seasons outside the top flight, Jason transferred to the up-and-coming Keighley Cougars in 1992. He was to serve Keighley marvellously over the next decade, as club captain and first team regular until 2003 before a shoulder injury forced his retirement. He played nearly 290 matches, scored over 100 tries, enjoyed a benefit season and helped the club through more than one turbulent passage, as well as some sweet triumphs. The club managed the most fitting of send-offs to Jason in October 2003 by winning the National league Two Grand Final 13-11 against Sheffield, Ramshaw’s last ever professional match. His impact on the club stretched much further than just the playing field, as he was also the club’s development officer for many years.