Ultimate club man Baldwin set to make his 200th appearance for Wharfedale

Rob Baldwin, in action for Leeds Carnegie last season. Picture By Simon Hulme.

Wharfedale head coach Jon Feeley has described Rob Baldwin as the “ultimate club man” as the Keighley-born back-row forward prepares to play his 200th game for the club.

The 29-year-old former England Counties captain made his debut for the Greens a decade ago and leads them out tomorrow at Old Albanians as one of only a select few to have reached two centuries of appearances.

Baldwin had a spell in professional rugby with Leeds Carnagie last season, playing 26 games and finishing as runner-up in their players’ player of the year poll.

He returned to Wharfedale in September because part-time rugby better suited his work commitments.

Feeley said: “He’s a terrific servant. He’s never asked for anything from this club and yet week in, week out, he puts his body on the line for us.”

Wharfedale need Baldwin and the other leaders in the team to continue doing that over the final five games of the National One season to end their fears of slipping out of the division.

Two months ago they were safely in the top half of the table but six straight defeats later has left them looking over their shoulder. “It’s been a challenging period but we’ve re-established our focus,” said Feeley, whose side are 10 points clear of the bottom three, though four of their five remaining games are away.