It has certainly been a sad week for Penzance AFC. After the loss of Terry Dann, the club is now greatly saddened to learn of the passing of much-loved former captain Richard Stanley.
Richard, or Dick as he was better known, moved to Penzance from Bedworth in Warwickshire with his family in the late 1960s. Whilst working at the family newsagents Bonsor’s at the bottom of Market Jew Street, he played with great distinction for the Magpies. “He was a bit of a midfield terrier but still a very skilful and adept player, commanding a starting position each week,” recalls team-mate John Mead with whom Dick won a South Western League championship medal in 1974-75.
By the end of his career, in the early 1980s, Dick had been promoted to team captain by manager David Wadd. After retiring from the game, he established himself as a pub landlord running both the London Inn and the Old Smithy (now the Seven Stars). He later moved to Plymouth as landlord of the Brown Bear before going on to Millbrook where he was the Steward at the Football Club for a number of years. He married Megan Edgcumbe, daughter of the Earl of Mount Edgecumbe, with whom he ran the Manor Lodge Bed and Breakfast on the estate, and appeared on Channel Four’s “Four in a Bed” series in 2013.
“He was a real character and had a great sense of humour - both on and off the field,” adds John Mead. The thoughts of everyone at Penlee Park are with Dick’s friends and family at this sad time.