ASKED what his style of leadership will be as new Northwich Rugby Club chairman, Ron McLaverty had an answer ready.

“Well, I’m not Sam Naylor,” he said.

“He was a captain of the ship, a great man at the helm.

“Me? I plan to be a genial Irishman ready with a can of oil to make sure all the parts of the club fit together.”

McLaverty put himself forward to replace Naylor at last month’s annual meeting, when his predecessor stood down after 15 years as the head of the Moss Farm outfit’s committee.

Like Naylor, his link to Northwich Rugby Club was first forged more than four decades ago.

He watched a match for the first time shortly after moving to Wincham in 1974.

“I remember it,” he said.

“I’ve known most of the stalwarts here since they were young guys. And I feel fortunate to have met some great people along the way.

“I guess that’s why I’m still sticking around!”

The Ulsterman, a former referee, has served as secretary, main sponsor and president.

He says it was his idea to launch the popular Festival of Sport, an annual fundraiser held every August Bank Holiday weekend, in 1985.

McLaverty said: “I’ve been a regular at committee meetings, even those I didn’t need to be at! On those occasions, I was an interested observer.

“It’s been great fun to be a part of the club for so long.

“Everybody knows me, and I guess that will help now I’m chairman.”

Now 71, McLaverty told the Guardian he doesn’t intend to be a long-time successor to Naylor.

Nor will he be as hands-on.

He added: “I’m here to keep things going.

"I trust people; if they’re good at what they do – and we have plenty of them who help to run this club day-to-day – then they should be allowed to get on with it without interference from me.

“The players, those guys, women, girls or boys who run out onto the field each weekend, are the most important.

“Our volunteers, whether they’re coaches or administrators, are close behind.

“I see myself further down that list.”

He believes Northwich’s immediate priority should be to secure a future at Moss Farm that includes a way for them to generate revenue by running a social space of their own.

In an interview with the Guardian, Naylor said one of the reasons he had wanted to resign was frustration at not making enough progress towards realising that objective.

“We have to sort it out,” said McLaverty.

“That’s top of the list. Well, that and the first team getting promoted.”