Return of Lister is coup for Keighley (From Keighley News)

Return of Lister is coup for Keighley

10:10am Thursday 25th June 2009

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Keighley have announced their biggest signing for many years.

The Yorkshire Division One club are welcoming back record-breaking lock Dave Lister from Wharfedale.

The experienced second row, who has made a national record of 317 appearances for the Dalesmen, is expected to fulfil a player-coaching role at Rose Cottage before next season is done.

Lister, who broke Greens colleague Hedley Verity’s record of national league appearances, also holds national records for the most successive appearances (154 between 1998 and 2004) and the most successive starts as a second-row pairing (with Antony Capstick).

They played 69 matches as a unit, beating the record of Bath duo Nigel Redman and Martin Haag.

Lister, who made his Greens debut on September 28, 1996 at home to Leeds, joined the Dalesmen from Keighley and started his magnificent run of consecutive appearances against Morley on March 14, 1998 – a sequence that finished at Esher on February 14, 2004.

Keighley’s head coach Jeff Inman, who was still playing himself when Lister was last at Keighley, said: “Dave will bring a massive amount of experience to us having played at National League level for so long.

“We are delighted that he has signed for us and we are looking forward to having a very powerful second row.

“Not only will we have Dave, who is well over 6ft, but also Rob Clarke, who is 6ft 8in.

“The idea is that Dave will take his coaching badges to enable him to also get involved in that side of things later in the season.”

Wharfedale’s chairman of rugby Michael Harrison paid tribute to The Avenue stalwart, saying: “David Lister has played 13 seasons for us and has hardly missed a game.

“He has not only given us his rugby experience in quantity but also in quality.

“Wharfedale Rugby Union Football Club owes David Lister a massive debt of gratitude.

“He has thoroughly enjoyed playing his rugby with us, has been an excellent team member and we have enjoyed having him here at Wharfedale.

“We wish him all the best for the future.”

Meanwhile, Inman has revealed that many of his first-team squad haven’t had a close season.

He explained: “Some of the lads said they didn’t want a break, and have been doing things like touch and pass, and we started pre-season anyway two weeks ago.”

Keighley open their league prog-ramme on Saturday, September 5 with a home game against Castleford.

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