Keith’s funeral will take place on Friday 6th September at 4pm at St Hilda’s Church, the headland, Hartlepool.

It is with deep regret we announce the death of Keith Winn on Tuesday 27th August.

Prior to joining Rovers he had already begun to make his mark in rugby circles when he was chosen to captain the North of England team at U15 level.

He made his first team debut for Rovers in September 1960, having joined the club after spending a season at Billingham where he spent a year after leaving Old Boys.

He appeared in 12 senior cup finals between 1961 and 1977, being on the winning team on 9 occasions, captain from1967/8 to ‘70/’71 and again in ‘73/’74. Keith always led by example, showing his determination once by playing more than half the game against Sydney University with what turned out to be a fractured jaw.

During his career Keith made over 500 appearances for the first team, scoring over 100 tries and played in 41 Durham County matches.

Keith’s playing days came to a premature end during preseason training in 1977 when he sustained a severe fracture to his leg, putting an end to his hopes of appearing in Rover’s centenary season.

He went on to serve the club as a volunteer in various guises, manning the gate for many seasons, leading working parties doing repairs around the ground and latterly was appointed as one of the club’s Trustees.

Our condolences go out to his wife Ann, son Andrew, daughter Jane and the wider family.

Funeral arrangements to follow.