A long-time Ely resident and well-liked member of the Cambridgeshire rugby community has died aged 90. 

Tony Brear, who had a playing and then refereeing career that stretched over three decades, passed away peacefully at his home on February 16.

Tony played first class rugby with Cambridge RUFC in the 60s. 

He completed his playing career captaining the famous ‘dangerous old-timers’ team the Cambridge Vanguards, which included the former England scrum half Dicky Jeeps.

Tony’s last game resulted him coming home from Cambridge with a black eye and a ‘frozen face’ courtesy of an elbow in the line-out.

Persuaded to consult the family doctor only on the following Monday, he was swiftly despatched to hospital for x-rays, of what turned out to be multiple fractures of the cheekbone and jaw.

“People die from this injury," said Ely doctor Dennis Scott, persuading him that perhaps his playing days were over.

Undaunted, Tony decided that he should continue on the rugby pitch - but with a whistle in his hand.

Over 20 years of 'giving back’ to the game he loved then followed. This included refereeing at every level at every club in the district, including many Cambridge University games.

He achieved senior referee status but was happy to take any game, regardless of level and was widely respected for his firm but fair and good humoured approach.

During his latter years, he became the ‘referee in residence’ at Ely Rugby Club. He was proud to referee the first official game on the then new pitch at Downham Road.

He was once known to have refereed two games there in one afternoon, when the other referee failed to appear.

“I wasn’t going to let the visiting team go home without a good game at Ely,” he said afterwards, nursing a pint in the club house bar.

He was voted a life vice president by both Cambridge and Ely clubs.

After retirement, Tony and his wife Marie, a school teacher in Ely for 35 years, moved to Southwold in Suffolk, where he will be buried on March 12.

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