TRIBUTES have been paid to Warriors club president Cecil Duckworth who has died at the age of 83 after a lengthy illness.
The establishment of Warriors as one of the top 12 clubs in England is due entirely to Cecil’s vision and generosity.
The club made rapid progress from Midlands Two to the Premiership while Cecil was also responsible for the development of the Sixways site to one of the leading grounds in the country.
“Everyone at Warriors is deeply saddened by the news of Cecil’s death. Our thoughts today are with Beatrice and the Duckworth family,” said Warriors co-owners Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring.
“His rugby legacy is an immense one and one that we are proud to have inherited.
“Cecil has been a tremendous help to us over the last two years and a source of invaluable advice and guidance in his role as President.
“It says much about Cecil’s vision that the plans for the development of the Sixways site that we are working on at the moment are based on a masterplan that Cecil drew up 25 years ago.
“Cecil was respected throughout rugby, he was a superb ambassador for Warriors and for the city of Worcester and Worcestershire.
“Although Cecil was born and raised in Macclesfield, he lived in Worcester for more than 60 years and took great pride in the local community through his generous support of so many charities and organisations, including Warriors Community Foundation.
“Cecil was much loved by players and staff, past and present, at Sixways and he will be missed by us all.”
Warriors will hold a minute’s silence in Cecil’s memory before next Saturday’s opening Gallagher Premiership match of the season against London Irish at Sixways.
