Sevenoaks Rugby Club are delighted to announce that Lee Adamson and Hils Everitt have been made Honorary Life Members. Lee and Hils join a prestigious group, including England internationals David Flatman, Tom May and Ben Earl, who was the most recent recipient of the honour.
Since joining the Club in the early 1990s, Lee and Hils have epitomised what it truly means to be a member of Sevenoaks Rugby Club, freely giving their time and support to any cause or initiative.
Mr Chairman! Lee at the Clubhouse re-opening in November 2011.
‘I speak on behalf of the Committee and indeed the whole Club when I say we are absolutely delighted that Lee and Hils have agreed to become Honorary Life Members’ said President, Mike Wooldridge. ‘They have given so much to the Club across a number of roles and the Honorary Life Membership is to recognise that and to say thank you to them both for their contribution to Sevenoaks Rugby Club. We know what an extremely difficult time this is for both of them as Lee battles with illness, but we hope that this honour will provide a much needed lift during such a difficult time.’
When they joined the Club Lee and Hils both soon made an impact with the then named ‘Sevenoaks Rugby Club Ladies’ team – Hils as a scrum half and Lee as the teams Head Coach. Hils impressive performances and leadership skills soon earned her a call up to the Kent team, where she would captain the county side and become the Club’s first Kent captain at senior level.
It was as Chairman and 1st Team Manager that Lee and Hils made perhaps some of their most significant impacts. As Chairman of the Club, Lee oversaw the Clubhouse extension project – a huge undertaking as current Chairman Trevor Nicholson only knows too well. ‘I’ve come to know through my tenure, that the role of Chairman is a great honour, but also a thankless task. Your work is never quite done and the majority of your time is spent managing projects and key initiatives – the 80 minutes of rugby that you see on a Saturday is a light relief!’
Lee and Hils significant contribution to the Club started as soon as they arrived. Here both are featured in an article about ‘Sevenoaks RFC Ladies’, whom Lee coached and Hils played for.
‘So the Clubhouse extension makes Lee’s tenure as Chairman even more special. To undertake such a significant project and deliver it on time and in budget is a testament to hours and hours of unseen work that Lee and his team will have put in. This he did whilst still running every other aspect of the Club – the playing side of the seniors and juniors, bar, commercial – the list just goes on and on. As Chairman, you want to leave your successor with a stage from which to grow and Lee did that – and some! The Committee and I were incredibly fortunate with the work that he had done, which enabled us to focus on new projects and hopefully take the Club forward again – so even though in later years Lee wasn’t ‘Chairman’, his influence was still absolutely relevant thanks to the platform he had provided us to work from. ’
Happy Days! Hils pictured during Oaks famous win against the ‘G-Force’ in November 2010.
And of course, not doing things by half, whilst Lee had it covered off the field, Hils looked after matters on it in her 1st XV Manager role! A crucial support to coaches like the late Ron Standen, Stu Thresher, Graham Arkley and James Leverington as well as skippers George Roffey and Edy Alteraic, Hils was a crucial and constant support to the aforementioned as well as being a friendly face to new members and providing the appropriate kick up the backside to those who were older and supposedly wiser! Indeed Hils attention to detail went as far as numbered valuable bags for each player and her popularity amongst members of the front row union was cemented through the provision of half time sweets!
Since stepping down from the Chairman and 1st XV Manager role, Lee and Hils have remained at the core of the Club, most notably as a constant side line presence on a Saturday supporting the Senior Squad and on Sunday’s at Academy or Acorns games. And it hasn’t ended there. Both gifted photographers, many of their match action shots either adorn the Clubhouse or current website, whilst Lee has undertaken the role of Social Media Manager, providing regular score updates on match days to an audience of over 5,000 followers on Instagram and Twitter as well as sharing important Club news and views.
5 GOLD RINGS!!! Lee and Hils pictured with Club legends Chris Birch and Howard Pearl at the annual Club Christmas Carols, which both Lee and Hils have organised each year.
‘It’s very rare to find a couple that contribute who have given so much, in so many different areas – indeed I really can’t think of anyone who can compare. Both would have been absolutely well within their rights, after being Chairman and 1st XV Manager, to say ‘we’ll just sit back now and enjoy coming on a Saturday afternoon and that’s it. But that isn’t in their DNA – they continue to contribute to Club life in every aspect and last season took the mantle of Club Social Secretary, whilst Hils has, and I hope will continue, to be at the forefront of organising our Christmas Carols.’
Mike continued ‘So it’s easy to see why each and every one of us hold them both in such high regard. They have been integral to Club Life for the past 20 or so years and we cannot really thank them enough.’
So here’s to you Lee and Hils! On behalf of every member past and present, we thank you both for your magnificent contribution to Sevenoaks Rugby Club.