Sports clubs in the Portsmouth and South East Hants area will be saddened to learn of the death of Kevin Ricketts, who covered grassroots sport for The News for many years, after losing a courageous battle with cancer. He was 73.
Kevin first started working for The News in the 1990s, mainly covering Havant & Waterlooville FC. He was also the main reporter on other non-league football and rugby union, while he also covered Southern Premier and Hampshire League cricket in the summer, somehow crafting stories galore without ever going to matches !
He retired from his writing career after the first Covid lockdown in 2020. In a previous work life, Kevin was a history teacher at Priory School.
Born and bred in South Wales, he was a top class rugby referee for several years in the 1990s, during which he refereed many of the top clubs in England including Wasps, Bristol, Bath, Harlequins, Gloucester, Leicester and London Welsh. He also officiated the Middlesex Sevens and Under-21 international rugby.
Former News (and Daily Echo) sports editor Dave King recalled: "Kevin will be remembered as an excellent writer, a wonderful man with a warm heart who people liked, and respected. For more than 20 years, he represented the heart and soul of grass roots sport in Portsmouth.”
“His dedication to covering non-league football, rugby and cricket made him a valuable and trusted member of our sport team for so many years, while his sense of humour, infectious personality and kind demeanour made him a joy to work with.
His funeral will take place at 1145 on Tuesday, February 20 at Christ Church, Portsdown Hill, London Road, PO6 3NB, with the wake at Havant RFC from 1pm.
Kevin first started working for The News in the 1990s, mainly covering Havant & Waterlooville FC. He was also the main reporter on other non-league football and rugby union, while he also covered Southern Premier and Hampshire League cricket in the summer, somehow crafting stories galore without ever going to matches !
He retired from his writing career after the first Covid lockdown in 2020. In a previous work life, Kevin was a history teacher at Priory School.
Born and bred in South Wales, he was a top class rugby referee for several years in the 1990s, during which he refereed many of the top clubs in England including Wasps, Bristol, Bath, Harlequins, Gloucester, Leicester and London Welsh. He also officiated the Middlesex Sevens and Under-21 international rugby.
Former News (and Daily Echo) sports editor Dave King recalled: "Kevin will be remembered as an excellent writer, a wonderful man with a warm heart who people liked, and respected. For more than 20 years, he represented the heart and soul of grass roots sport in Portsmouth.”
“His dedication to covering non-league football, rugby and cricket made him a valuable and trusted member of our sport team for so many years, while his sense of humour, infectious personality and kind demeanour made him a joy to work with.
His funeral will take place at 1145 on Tuesday, February 20 at Christ Church, Portsdown Hill, London Road, PO6 3NB, with the wake at Havant RFC from 1pm.
