David R King

Sat 18 Oct, 2008 19:37
Posted By Adam Davies

David Rennie King - 12 October 1938 to 10 October 2008

Kingsize started playing for Robbies in 1958,he was a winger of some pace, back in the days of a shopping bag to carry your kit with a stick draped across the top, he remained as a club member throughout his life holding various positions within that time, ending up holding the position of club president David liked to move with the times and as youngsters came along with fancy kit bags & stick bags, David turned up to an away fixture in Glastonbury with not a stick bag but a golf bag to hold his clubs sorry sticks much to the delight of his friends!

David was a legendary tourist. 48 unbroken years with Esanders at the Torbay hockey festival, not letting family commitments get in the way he simply took them along to sample the delights of the English Riviera.
He treated the locals annually with his rendition of Aloetta, some say it was so good it left people transfixed, at his knees, hardly able to move...

I know little of Davids playing career but would like to mention some experiences he shared with my generation of players.
David followed Robinsons everywhere, through the adventures up the west leagues, the Somerset cup, the HA cup, the play offs, Barbados, the national league, he, with Joy saw them all. Even when his sons were not in the team & whilst suffering with ill health he escorted his Grandchildren to Bromley & Beckenham to cheer the boys to victory in the EHL.
David always enjoyed the game & the social and would often be found in the oppositions club house sharing a drink & conversation with the opposition, a great conversationalist he would put the hockey world to rights.. Ryan why do you pass the ball backwards when the goal is in the opposite direction? We debated this many times..he had a point.

Robinsons toured Barbados under the name of Rumraiders & David really got into the atmosphere, enjoying the opening ceremony, enjoying the Rum shacks & telling the locals the Rumraiders were in town. Many of the players will remember David for his unusual warm down techniques, we had played in high temperature & humidity as soon as the game was over, David was there with his cricket hat on, a huge grin & a crate of ice cold Banks beer to reward the boys for their efforts, that drink was one of the best I've ever tasted!

Kingsize was one of the clubs olds, these guys hold our club together and the loyalty shown by them is seldom seen today. We could all learn from them, in times of good & bad the social matters most

The King flame burns brightly in our club with his sons Ian & Philip who David was immensely proud of. Ian, the charasmatic talisman of our club & Philip our treasurer who works hard to balance the books with barely a word of thanks, both Ian & Philip have gone from being top class first eleven players, largely responsible for our clubs rise through the West leagues, to now, the ultimate club men.

It takes somebody far more articulate than myself & with more knowledge to quantify Davids input but it was immense, too big to describe, but I couldn't let this sad occasion pass without paying tribute to David Kingsize King.

Ryan