Warriors to rename stand after former chairman

Worcester Warriors are to rename a stand at their Sixways Stadium after former owner Cecil Duckworth, the rugby union club has revealed.

Mr Duckworth was widely credited with transforming the club into a Premiership side in 2004.

He was actively involved from 1997 to 2015, when he stepped down as chairman to become club president.

Announcing that the club's East Stand would be renamed, executive chairman Christopher Holland said Mr Duckworth was "the visionary whose passion and commitment laid the foundations for professional rugby in Worcester".

The season is about to get under way at Sixways

"By naming this stand after Cecil, we can pay tribute to a man and a family whose influence is woven into the fabric of Worcester Warriors," he added.

Mr Duckworth also served as club president with Worcestershire County Cricket Club and, alongside his support for the city's sports scene, he also established the Duckworth Trust - a wildlife group - in 1998, after selling his company Worcester Heat Systems to Bosch six years earlier.

He died in 2020 at the age of 83.

His wife Beatrice said: "I know that Cecil, the Duckworth family and all our loyal supporters are delighted to see the Warriors playing again at Sixways and we wish all the players, coaches and management the very best for this coming season and the future."

Worcester Warriors will mark their professional return to rugby in a tie against Bath on 19 September, two and a half years after going into administration.

The club announced stadium expansion plans in 2024 under new ownership.