The tenth-highest appearance maker in Northampton Saints’ history, Arthur Richard Turnell, passed away last week aged 86.
‘Dick’ Turnell, as he was best known, made his debut for the men in Black, Green and Gold in 1955 and went on to amass an incredible 345 appearances for the Club. He passed away following a short illness on Sunday 13 January.
Saints wore black armbands in Turnell’s honour on Saturday as they recording a remarkable come-from-behind win over Munster at Thomond Park in the Investec Champions Cup.
The blindside flanker was the older brother of the late Roger Turnell, a tighthead prop who played 208 times for Saints, and was also the cousin of winger Barry Oldham, who made 337 appearances.
Oldham lived in the Turnell household for six years from the age of 16, so he and Dick held a brotherly relationship that would roll over onto the rugby pitch.
“In the old days, the blindside did a job. Dick covered the blindside and he made sure nothing came around that side and he didn’t really mind how he did it!” said Oldham.
“Whilst he wasn’t a violent sort, nobody ever got the better of him and if they did, he would wait until the next match and get them back!
“Dick loved the rivalries between the English clubs and the Welsh clubs, more than the normal fixture, apart from Leicester of course! If he went to Wales or a Welsh side came to us, there was always that bit of an extra edge.
“Dick was an absolute gentleman off the pitch, anyone who met him would tell you that. It meant a heck of a lot to him to be a Saintsman – he left the area to go university and to work, but he still wanted to play for the Saints and kept in touch.”
Dick is survived by his three sons Ross (who played 12 times for Saints after making his debut in 1982), James and Luke, and his partner of the past five years, Carol Crossman, with whom he lived in Ecton village.
She said: “Dick was a gentleman. He made everyone who knew him feel special. There isn’t one person who hasn't loved Dick. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body and he was just a lovely person to have known.”
Funeral details will be shared here when they become available.
