CLUB NEWS

Tribute to Bleddyn Jones

Kick-off this evening will follow a minute’s silence in tribute to Bleddyn Jones, the former Tigers fly-half and radio commentator who died earlier this week, aged 72.

A familiar face and unmistakeable voice around Tigers for more than half a century, Bleddyn was born in Brynamman in West Glamorgan in August 1948 and moved to the East Midlands to take up a teaching post in 1969.

He had been a constant at the club ever since, as a player in more than 300 first-team games and then as the voice of Tigers match commentary on BBC Radio Leicester for over 30 years, covering more than a thousand games on the microphone.

Tigers chairman Peter Tom said: “Bleddyn was such a lovely man, one of the nicest you could ever wish to meet, and he was part of this club for such a long time.

“After arriving totally unannounced as a young man, he established himself at fly-half and barely missed a game for the next nine years. Then, of course, that wonderful Welsh voice became a central part of matchdays as a radio commentator.

“Bleddyn had a huge number of friends within the game and everyone at the club is deeply saddened to hear of his passing.”

Peter Wheeler, Dusty Hare, Richard Cockerill, Steve Johnson and Tom Youngs were among those who joined Peter Tom to pay tribute during an hour-long special show on BBC Radio Leicester this week, showing just how much Bleddyn meant to the #TigersFamily.

Martin Ballard, matchday announcer at Mattioli Woods Welford Road and a long-time colleague at the BBC, said: “There are lots of commentators who know their stuff but I don’t think anybody could colour a game like Bleddyn did.”

Jones turned up to his first training session on the Recreation Ground opposite the stadium on the same evening as Peter Wheeler in 1969 and quickly moved into the first-team, making 333 appearances as a flyhalf - winning 200 of them - up to September 1978.

He played for Midland Counties (East) against New Zealand in 1973 and in Tigers’ first John Player Cup Final, against Gloucester in 1978.

Initially a teacher at Humberstone Junior School, he was headmaster at Little Bowden until retirement in 2005.

Bleddyn was a regular at events organised by the Past Players Association and never missed the annual Droglites reunion. He also gave his time to voluntary work in city hospitals, with Warning Zone and Wooden Spoon among others, and enjoyed a

regular round of golf with his many friends.

His Welsh tones were synonymous with Tigers' matchday broadcasts, including five European Cup Finals and every Premiership Final at Twickenham, and he was generous in sharing a well-told story to go with almost every one of them.

He will be sadly missed and the club passes its condolences to all his family and friends.