John 'The Singing Ref' Kendrew sadly passes away
Castleford Tigers are saddened to hear about the passing of John Kendrew, known by many as ‘The Singing Referee’.
A lifelong Castleford fan, John was a first-grade rugby league referee from 1982 to 1994, even being elected the President of the Senior Referees for the 1989/90 season. Since 1990 John has been the Secretary of the Castleford Rugby League Players’ Association, meaning he got to be on the same committee as some of his heroes such as the great Alan Hardisty.
‘The Singing Ref’ was often heard around the local areas in many clubs as an entertainer, regularly performing Neil Diamond songs such as ‘Sweet Caroline’. Furthermore, over the years John had also kindly raised thousands of pounds for local charitable causes.
Castleford Tigers Head Coach Daryl Powell paid tribute to Kendrew saying: “John was a massive Cas fan, he refereed me, and he was just a champion of a bloke. I want to put on record from myself and everybody at Castleford Tigers that we will miss him.
“A real champion and such a character, he was called ‘The Singing Ref’ and I just loved him as a bloke. As a Castleford fan, the club was a massive part of his life.”