While hundreds of players have worn the Black, Green and Gold jersey with distinction, until now only 17 Saints legends have been granted a place in the Club’s Hall of Fame.
But the Club is delighted to announce that on Thursday 8 March, four new names will join that illustrious company – with Nick Beal, Geoff Allen, Roger Horwood, and Budge Pountney all set to be inducted at a glittering celebration dinner.
Tickets are still available for one of the biggest events of the year at Franklin’s Gardens, and 2018’s special celebration dinner is kindly sponsored for the very first time by Michael Jones Jewellers.
The evening – hosted once again by the BBC’s Graham McKechnie, the voice of rugby in Northampton – will include a champagne reception and three-course dinner in the Rodber Suite.
The Saints Hall of Fame features many of the world’s greatest-ever players; with the likes of World War One hero Edgar Mobbs, Club stalwarts Vince Cannon and Gordon Sturtridge, plus British & Irish Lions legends Dickie Jeeps, Jeff Butterfield and Tim Rodber all already honoured.
Since the Hall of Fame was established in 2004, 17 Northampton legends have been welcomed into the exclusive club, and for more information on those iconic players please CLICK HERE.
And the Class of 2018 will officially join that illustrious company on an occasion not to be missed on March 8.
Tickets are still available for purchase and Season Ticket Holders can enjoy preferential rates, with packages also available for company and sponsor tables. For more information on rates, simply email [email protected] or call 01604 751 543.
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS HALL OF FAME – CLASS OF 2018
Nick Beal
An outstanding servant in the Saints’ No.15 jersey for 13 years, Nick Beal is the first inductee into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
As well as getting selected for the British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa in 1997, Beal was a part of the England Sevens squad that won the world title in 1993.
The lightning-fast back also notched up 15 Test appearances for England after making his debut at Franklin’s Gardens in the 1991/92 season.
A whopping 268 more appearances and 74 tries, 21 conversions, 21 penalties and three drop-goals (totalling 482 points) later, and Beal’s status as a Saints legend is undeniable.
He captained the Saints squad that won the Middlesex Sevens trophy and played in the Powergen Cup finals in 2003 and 2002, as well as the Tetley's Bitter Cup final of 2000, but unfortunately missed the victorious Heineken Cup in the same year through injury.
But working as a financial advisor since his retirement, Beal was an obvious candidate to be appointed to the Saints’ board as a non-executive director in 2007, and so has continued to have a massive influence on the Club ever since.
Geoff Allen
Modern-day visitors to Franklin’s Gardens will only know Geoff Allen as the matchday voice of the club, his dry wit illuminating the action on the field year in, year out.
And while he has performed this role for nearly 35 years, it is not the reason why he is set to join the select few to be selected for the Hall of Fame.
He made his Saints debut against Moseley in 1963; the first of 136 appearances in the first team until his career was curtailed by a knee injury.
But Allen is better known around Franklin’s Gardens for what he did after retiring, having fulfilled the roles of team secretary, club secretary, president, chairman and chief executive over a period of some 26 years – not including his ongoing role as matchday PA announcer.
Roger Horwood
Without the input of Roger Horwood, Saints supporters today may well not be able to appreciate Franklin’s Gardens and its superb facilities.
As well as making over 200 appearances in the front row as a player across 17 seasons – a period interrupted by two years’ national service with the RAF – Horwood made a significant impact in organising countless events in the old Sturtridge Pavilion which helped provide the funds for the Club to purchase Franklin’s Gardens.
And as a member of the Gang of Seven, Horwood helped transform the future of the club in the 1988 revolution.
He also smoothed the transition to professionalism as a member of the management committee, before becoming club secretary for a decade, president for two years, joining the board for five, and he has been an honorary life member since 2001.
Horwood was also a big believer in an inclusive approach to the Saints’ past, and in 1989 joined forces with Mick Roper and Mike Warrington to establish the Crooked Hooker.
Budge Pountney
One of the most committed and forthright players to have pulled on the Black, Green and Gold, Budge Pountney joined the Saints as an 18-year-old, making his first-team debut against Coventry in 1994/95 for what would be the first of 215 appearances.
Despite the Club’s relegation in the 1995/96 season, Pountney was at the forefront for a brilliant era for Saints immediately afterward.
Under the stewardship of Sir Ian McGeechan, the Demolition Tour of Division Two proved to be the springboard for a rise up the Premiership which culminated in the legendary Heineken Cup win over Munster.
The Heineken Cup was reward for a stunning season that took the Saints to the Tetley’s Bitter Cup final and to the brink of the Premiership title, with the campaign only faltering in the final few weeks as the heavy workload took its toll.
As well as skippering Scotland during his time at Frankin’s Gardens, Pountney also took the first team reins in the autumn of 2004 alongside Paul Grayson to save the side from relegation.
Tickets are still available for purchase and Season Ticket Holders can enjoy preferential rates, with packages also available for company and sponsor tables. For more information on rates, simply email [email protected] or call 01604 751 543.
