OBITUARIES
ROGER ANTHONY VICTOR STAPLES
Dennis Scarr Chairman – Middlesbrough Croquet Club 10 JANUARY 1948 – 30 JUNE 2026
Born on 10th January 1948 in Beckenham Kent Roger was the first of 4 children for Muriel and Don Staples. He was always proud of his Kentish roots. A childhood love of steam trains would always remain. A keen rugby player in his youth and, while his playing days didn’t last too long his love of the sport continued throughout his life translating to arm chair commentary every six nations and World Cup tournament! In his late teens Roger moved to Leicester to study chemical engineering. He graduated and landed his first job with ICI in south west Scotland moving there in 1970. It was there that daughters Emma and Amy were born. In 1978 ICI took him to Teesside and here he found his spiritual and emotional home. He loved the area, the beauty of the North Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales and of course the North Yorkshire Moors Railway His love of trains and steam trains in particular was one of the many reasons why he was proud to call Teesside home. The move to Teesside also introduced him to two new hobbies and passions - Croquet through ICI, Norton Hall and Middlesborough Croquet Club where he was a member for over 45 years and Wine Tasting. In 1983 that he met his greatest love and passion - his wife Hilary. A marriage that has lasted more than 42 years and brought such joy and happiness (and more than a few daily frustrations!) along the way. With Hilary and her daughter Helene Rogers family was complete and his focus on building a family unit with Emma and Amy, even though they lived in Derby, was always on his mind.
Roger was immensely proud of his family, although spread far and wide from Edinburgh to SW France and everywhere in between. He was a man of formality and tradition - he loved an occasion with Christmas being his favourite. In retirement he relished his role as Father Christmas, which he embodied fully and completely for the benefit of St Mary’s school in his home village of Long Newton as well as for his grandchildren. Retirement from ICI allowed Roger the opportunity to pursue new endeavours too. His research, data analysis and documentation skills honed through his career were put to good use researching and documenting his family tree - culminating in a comprehensive and very detailed history spanning close to 20000 entries and dating back to 1500s. Alongside this historical research Roger used his time for voluntary work. He and Hilary loved Long Newton and the village community. Roger served on the Parish Council for several years. Roger began playing croquet in 1979 at Norton Hall Croquet Club. From an early stage, he demonstrated a strong commitment to the sport, both as a player and as a volunteer. He was an active and valued contributor to what is now Middlesbrough Croquet Club and to the Croquet North Federation since the late 1990s, serving in several roles including Trustee, Federation Coaching Officer, and Federation Development Officer. At national level, Roger served on multiple Croquet Association committees until his retirement in 2024. His leadership roles included Chair of the CA Coaching Committee (2011–2015) and Chair of the CA Development Committee (2016–2019).
He was a member of the CA Council from 2011 to 2019 and played a significant role in the Association’s transition to charitable status. He also chaired the Executive Board of Croquet England in its inaugural year and served as a Director until 2024. More recently, he chaired the AC Laws Committee. Roger was a Grade 2 Association Croquet Coach and represented Croquet England in matches against the Scottish Croquet Association. His playing career took him across the UK and overseas. In recent years, he focused on developing Golf Croquet at Middlesbrough Croquet Club, bringing considerable experience and enthusiasm to the role. Roger was presented with Croquets prestigious Bernard Neal Award at his home on 21st May by Jonathon Isaacs, President of Croquet England in the company of friends from both near and far. Roger’s wife Hilary says he was both humbled and overwhelmed by the award. Roger was laid to rest in St Marys Churchyard on Tuesday 14th July, 2026 after a Service celebrating his life in a packed Church. Rogers family give thanks for his warmth, kindness, love and affection. He is remembered as loyal, determined, stubborn and single minded, dedicated, passionate and
overwhelmingly generous. The Croquet community say ‘Amen’
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