NOTTINGHAM Rugby’s most decorated captain is leaving the club for the opportunity of a life-time in Hong Kong with Hong Kong Scottish.
After a decade-long career with the Green and Whites, skippering the side a record 227 times, Craig Hammond has accepted a job as player-coach of Hong Kong Scottish. Until the 33-year-old lock got a phone call out of the blue from the Oriental rugby hot-bed, he was considering a contract extension to stay with Nottingham and was busy planning his testimonial year with the RFU Championship club.
But when invited to tour the facilities of the Premiership club in the City-State last week, Hammond simply couldn’t resist taking the bold step into management and penned a two-year deal with the outfit. Having recently guided Midlands One East club Ilkeston to Derbyshire Cup glory, the New Zealander clearly indicated that he was thinking hard about life after playing.
“It’s been an emotional decision to come to, leaving a club, a city and people that have been so good to me for so long for an exciting chance to further my career in an amazing place like Hong Kong”, said Hammond, who will be relocating with his wife and three children in June. “Sure, I could see myself playing at Nottingham for a few more seasons, but this opportunity is just too good to knock back.I’ll be mentored in coaching at a high level, working with both the Hong Kong Rugby Union and an ambitious side like Scottish. I’ve just turned 33 so it’s a perfect time to transition from playing to coaching, which is what I’ve always wanted.”
It was during his first weeks in Nottingham that Hammond’s desire for coaching developed, arriving in 2001 to take a part-time post as head of the newly formed community department. He went on to take charge of Nottingham University for five years and last month claimed a breakthrough piece of silverware by guiding Ilkeston to its first Derby County Championship since 2001.
“There have been a lot of good years on the field, but the passion I have for coaching off the field and running the disability program through the club is a big part of me” Hammond said.”I’ll bring that experience with me to Hong Kong where I’ll be taking rugby to the schools while also moving down the coaching path that I always dreamed of since I first took charge of the Nottingham University side.”
While no one around him knew it at the time, Hammond was afforded a dream send-off mid-week when he captained the Barbarians against Loughborough Students. It may not have been in Green and White that Hammond has come to consider a second skin over a first team career spanning 280 games, but it was the victorious send-off he craved. “I never thought walking off the field at Meadow Lane when we lost to London Welsh would be the last time that I played for Nottingham” Hammond admits.
“But when I walked on as captain of the Barbarians with three of my Nottingham teammates with me (Joe Duffey, Sean Romans and James Arlidge) I knew it would be the last game I’d play here in England.It was a big occasion for me.”
Nottingham Director of Rugby Glenn Delaney praised Hammond for his years of unparalleled service. “Going on to take a job as a player-coach is an evolution of an already great career” said Delaney. “We had the discussions about extending his stay with the club and organising a number of things for his testimonial, but it’s easy to see that the opportunity this represents for him as a player and as a family man is too great to pass up. So with that we bid him the fondest of farewells. He leaves us as a true club legend.”
Craig Hammond stats and facts
Age: 33
Debut for Nottingham Rugby: Saturday, October 27, 2001 away to Plymouth.
Games: 280 games (273 as starter, 16 as a replacement). Holds record for league appearances.
Games as captain: 227 making him the most capped in clubs 135 year history.
Record as captain: 129 wins, 4 draws, 94 losses.
Points for the club: 110 (24 tries)