“I’M just happy that he’s got his reward now for what he’s put into this club,” said Adrian Lam of Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont in the press conference after Saturday’s Challenge Cup Final.
That is certainly true.
It was the culmination of a journey that began ten years ago, when Derek, whose business back then was beginning to flourish, bought the club when the then directors approached him in April 2013 to resolve a cash crisis that meant they were unable to pay the players’ wages.
Derek came on board and the rest is history.
His story was told in a remarkable article in issue 417 of Rugby League World, back in 2016.
That article, written by Gareth Walker, told the story of his life and gives us some insight into the process we have seen unfold since that time.
“The most important people to me are my family and friends, and people who work for me I regard as family and stick by them. I’ve got everything I need in my life — a nice house with no mortgage, a factory with no mortgage, a business that’s worth a lot of money,” he said seven years ago.
“A lot of people would say I’ve made it, but I’m still driving my business and I’m still driving Leigh. I’ve got a long way to go.”
The road ahead has suddenly got a lot shorter.
But Derek is showing no signs of slowing down.
As the article revealed, he has had an eventful life with some rough edges.
But has there ever been anyone involved with Rugby League who had more energy than him?
If there was, then I didn’t meet them.
Even so, it’s wrong to think that Leigh under Derek have been an overnight success, unless you believe that ten years can pass in 24 hours.
