Leigh Leopards are greatly saddened to learn of the passing of Club Life President and former long serving Chairman and Director Brian Bowman in a Leigh care home, aged 88.

Club chairman Mike Latham reflects on Brian’s life.

Brian Bowman was a hugely respected figure throughout the Rugby League community and especially in his adopted town of Leigh, devoting a lifetime of service to the club and forging many long standing and loyal friendships.

He was Chairman during the momentous 1981-82 season when Leigh won both the old first division championship and the Lancashire Cup and he personally signed on some of the greatest players in the club’s history including John Woods, the late Des Drummond, Derek Pyke, Steve Donlan, Tommy Martyn (for a second spell) and John Henderson, all of whom formed the backbone of that great team.

A native of Southend-on-Sea, the son of an electrical engineer, Brian was evacuated to Leigh with his family during the war and soon fell in love with his adopted town. Like many strangers, including players from overseas, he was immediately struck by the warmth and friendliness of the people, and he soon developed a love of Rugby League.

As a young boy he followed Leigh from their revival in 1946, playing one season on the Athletic Ground at Charles Street before building a new home at Kirkhall Lane, where he graduated from the boys’ pen to the terraces and eventually the boardroom.

Just like the late, great Tommy Sale MBE, Leigh’s first post war captain who supervised the building of the new ground, Brian’s service over a long period ranks him as one of the most important people in the club’s history. It was fitting that Brian should take over Tommy’s position as Life President upon Tommy’s death in 2016.

Brian recognised the brilliant work by James Hilton, the club’s post war chairman who did so much to revitalise the club, bringing in star players like Trevor Allan, Jimmy Ledgard and Rex Mossop and making Leigh RL club known throughout the Rugby League playing world.

Allan, a £5,000 signing from Australian rugby union, was a sensational signing and became Brian’s first hero. “I saw a lot of him, too,” Brian told me. “When Trevor first arrived in England he stayed with my parents and so I got to see him every day.”

Brian forged lifelong friendships with so many players, George Beatty a former New Zealand All Black, another favourite while he always said he had yet to see a better second row forward than Leigh born Mick Martyn, who went on to become the club’s record try-scorer.

When James Hilton passed away in 1959 the ground was renamed ‘Hilton Park’ in his honour and by now Brian was actively involved on the Supporters Committee, which met every Monday evening and raised many thousands of pounds for the club.

Brian met a local girl, Marian, at a dance at St Joseph’s and they married in 1956. Marian was Brian’s rock and a wonderful person who supported him in everything he did. Her death in September 2022 left him bereft as they were virtually inseparable. Marian supported Brian as he built a highly respected joinery business and then in 1973 when he was invited to join the Leigh board of directors, becoming chairman six years later.

“Though chairman I still thought of myself as a man of the terraces,” he said, “and I always tried to do my best for Leigh RL Club, just as James Hilton had done.”

Such was the respect with which he was held Brian was invited to join other committees concerning the game and he willingly devoted so much time to the game he loved.

At various times he was a RL Council Member, vice chairman of the RL Disciplinary Committee, a member of the Great Britain Selection committee and a selector for the Lancashire County side, later county president. It wasn’t all wine and roses. “You don’t develop too many friendships when you’ve just handed someone an eight-match man,” Brian smiled.

Brian was a gentleman and one who believed in courtesy, protocol, and respect. He had many friends in opposing boardrooms and never turned down a request for advice or help.

One day a rival club poached the Leigh coach and, remaining calm and civil, Brian met with one of their directors and handed him a bottle of Valium. “Thanks Brian but I don’t take Valium,” he said. “Don’t worry,” Said Brian, “you soon will.” Two weeks later the gentleman concerned rang him up. “You’re right, Brian,” he said. “I now take two a day.” It was one of Brian’s favourite stories.

But Leigh remained his true love, other than Marian, and he followed the club home and away and supported the A team and Colts team. He always had a word for everyone and that’s why so many supporters hold him in the highest regard. Everyone knew that when Brian said he did everything for the benefit of Leigh RL Club he was as true as his word. One day, with the club cash strapped, he put up his house as collateral on the overdraft with the bank.

It was his deep knowledge of the game at many levels that developed his eye for talent, not least when he signed John Woods and Des Drummond. “John was the best standoff I ever saw play and it was plain as day he was going to be a star when he played in our Colts team,” Brian told me. “But the Board couldn’t make their minds up, so I went round to his house, met with him and his parents and signed him myself. A few years later I got a telephone call at home from a club who offered £130,000 for John. I turned it down flat and didn’t even discuss it with the rest of the board.

“Des turned up one Saturday to come to an A team game at Barrow. He just fancied a ride out. He’d played a few games in the Colts but was more interested in Judo at the time. Alva, his elder brother, had played for the Colts and gone on to play for the first team but despite his great pace hadn’t quite made it.

“When we got to Barrow the coach decided to give Des a game. He was sensational and scored three fantastic tries. I could tell he was going to be a future star of the game. On the way home on the coach I sat with him and asked if he would be interested in signing for Leigh and Des said we would. I invited him to come along the following Tuesday when we had a board meeting.

“I spoke to the other directors and the chairman, Jack Harding, said they were going to release Alva and he didn’t want to spend money on another Drummond. Would he sign for nothing? Des said he would.

“I didn’t think that was right, so I went to see Des afterwards and gave him £50 out of my own pocket for signing. I thought if the other seven directors also put their hand in their pockets, he would at least get £400 for signing. But to my disgust none of them did.  But it was the best £50 I ever spent, and Des went on to repay me many times over.”

Brian proudly presented John and Des with their first international caps on separate occasions at Hilton Park and the pair were regular visitors to Brian’s long after their playing days were over. Des regularly cycled from his home in Bolton two or three times a week. Des’s death in 2022 devastated Brian. “I will never forget him as long as I live,” he said.

So many former players, staff members and supporters would regularly call to see Brian, including the late Andrew Parkinson, who worked for many years in the club offices. John Stringer, the club’s long serving secretary, was a close friend of Brian’s for 60 years and Joe Wood, one of many former players to hold him in the highest regard, was among other regular visitors.

Brian was at Wembley in 1971 and, like many of us, thought that Leigh would never repeat that amazing Wembley triumph. Last year he was sadly too ill to make the trip to Wembley but his room at the care home was festooned with Leigh favours and his face broke into a huge smile when we took the Challenge Cup to show him.

His greatest day in Rugby League though, he told me, was that memorable April Wednesday night in Whitehaven when Leigh’s 13-4 earned the club only their second championship- and the first for 76 years. Five thousand Leigh supporters made the trip to the Cumbrian coast and, as club chairman, and with so many players he’d signed on the field, Brian described it as “the proudest day of my life.”

When appointed Club President Brian was only too aware of the honour and looked back on his days in the boys’ pen, realising he’d watched Leigh for the best part of 80 years. “The best times of my life have been watching Leigh Rugby League club,” he said. “Thank you to everyone who gave me great support in my time as director and chairman.”