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Dickie Jeeps, arguably Cambridge's greatest player, has died at the age of 84.

Jeeps, widely regarded as one of the greatest scrum-halves to play the game, began his career at Cambridge in 1949 and returned for a second spell at the club in 1968 after a distinguished career with Northampton Saints, England and the British Lions

He joined Northampton in 1952 and went on to make 273 appearances for the club over 13 seasons, scoring 48 tries.

Jeeps (pictured right) was one of a select group of players capped for the British Lions before being capped by their country.

In 1955 he travelled to South Africa with the Lions and would go on to be the first-choice No 9 for three Lions tours, winning 13 caps, a record at the time.

Jeeps played 24 times for England between 1956 and 1962, including all four matches of the Grand Slam season of 1957. He captained his country in 13 matches.

Jeeps went on to serve as president of the Rugby Football Union in 1976-77 and chairman of the Sports Council for seven years. He was awarded the CBE in 1977.

In 2010, when Cambridge were facing a winding up petition from HM Revenue & Customs, Jeeps spoke of his love for the club.

He said: "Living on a fruit farm in Willingham, I first played at Cambridge in 1949 as a 17-year-old schoolboy and was immediately enveloped in the club and team camaraderie, spirit and joie-de-vivre of a successful club, both on and off the field.

"I was very fortunate to soon be spotted by Northampton Saints as a possible for their squad of junior players, and soon gained first XV status on a regular basis.

"Following the end of my international career, I returned to CRUFC in 1968 to rejoin the first team for a further period – a testament, I think, to my feelings toward an excellent club."