Capturing History: The man behind the lens at Barnstaple Rugby Club

The incredible success story of Barnstaple Rugby Club is told every week through the lens of a dedicated volunteer, who fell in love with the sport and the club on a random visit to Pottington Road two decades ago.

After his introduction to North Devon rugby, Bob Collins, who moved down to the area from London in the 1980s, has taken on all manner of roles within the Barum club, including commercial advertising, running the media channels, taking pictures, providing IT support and a whole lot more.

For Bob, who is 66 and recently retired, it is clearly a labour of love, which is mirrored by all those behind the scenes at Barnstaple.

“All the volunteers are very busy at the club,” said Bob. “Take someone like Verity White and the amount of stuff she does is incredible and that’s the same for all the volunteers.

“I moved to North Devon in 1986 and it came after I’d served in the Army. One of my colleagues lived in Bideford and I visited a couple of times and just loved the area. When I had family, we decided to move from London and now settled in Landkey.

“Prior to retirement, I was a supervisor for North Devon Council and worked in CCTV operations. I’ve always been very techy, my first computer was a ZX Spectrum, which is going back a few years.

“As a kid, I played cricket and also competed in boxing and aikido, but I loved all sports. I used to watch the Six Nations Rugby and it was when Barnstaple had a play-off game against Salisbury in around 2007 to win promotion to Tier 5 that I first came to the club.

“A friend of mine, born and bred in North Devon, dragged me along to watch and it was my first ever live game of rugby and I just fell in love with the atmosphere. It was the final game of the season and I haven’t stopped going ever since.

“I was already taking photos back then, so I decided in that summer to get a new camera and take pictures of the games.”

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Capturing those moments of glory and despair is part of the job for a photographer, although Bob readily admits that it is sometimes difficult to balance the act of taking pictures with his natural enthusiasm as a supporter of the team.

Focus is the key, both mentally and behind the lens, with his dream moment arriving when Barum played at Twickenham in the Community Cup Final of 2024.

“Being so close to the action can be difficult as a photographer because I do get so caught up in the ebb and flow of the game,” added Bob. “I’m taking pictures and shouting encouragement all at the same time.

“When we score a try, I get so excited that I sometimes forget to capture the celebrations. You have to train yourself to stay focussed on the pictures, but it is so intense from the sidelines. It is easy to lose the thread of a game and I do make a point of trying to capture as many of the players as possible.

“I remember one former player saying he’d been on the pitch for 40 minutes and didn’t see one picture of himself, so there is a lot going through my mind as I’m taking pictures.

“In terms of positioning, I will generally focus on our try line but if the action is in the middle of the park, I’ll move around, or if we’re defending for long periods, I’ll move down the other end.

“Wherever I sit, the general atmosphere is brilliant. I’ve been there for a long time now and from that first game, the cheering of the crowd, especially at our level, very few clubs have the same amount of support.

“The best day, of course, was playing at Twickenham. We might have lost the game on a technicality, but we certainly won the cheering match and to be at the home of rugby was so special.

“It was my dream to be at Twickenham and they treated us so well. We were in the media centre, like we were part of the official press, and then being out on the pitch taking pictures was a fantastic feeling.”

After a thrilling promotion that came down to the final day of last season, Barum have adjusted brilliantly to rugby in National League 2 West and currently sit third in the table behind Camborne and Luctonians.

For Bob, it is the experience and togetherness of the squad that has made such a crucial difference to their results.

“We played in National League 2 a couple of seasons and our team is very much built around local players, a lot of them had been there before,” said Bob. “The likes of Brandon Moore, Arthur Marks and others have experienced this level.

“They were all eager to get back into National rugby and our Head Coach Winston James has given us a bit more of an attacking feel, which is showing in the results.

“All the teams are pretty close in this league, so confidence is very important. We won some of our first few games and you can see that confidence in the way we are playing.

“However, it is not just about the Chiefs at Barnstaple, the whole squad trains together. We’ve got the Athletic and the Buccaneers all pushing the club forward, supported by the Colts and Junior teams.

“There is a real pathway to move through the ranks and we have so many great examples of players who have progressed from the Colts to the Senior teams. The vast majority of the match-day squad are local boys, which is hugely important to the togetherness of the team.

“Personal relationships make a huge difference in the club and I’m proud to play a small part in that journey.”

Next up for Barum is a trip to the Hornets on Saturday and then a visit from Taunton Titans on January 17, when Bob Collins will be in his perch, snapping away and cheering as loud as anyone in the ground.