He has seen the highs, the lows and the fluctuating cash flows. But, after close to half a century as treasurer of Clifton rugby club, Keith Bonham will be putting his calculator in the drawer for the last time at the end of this season.

The 74-year-old came to Bristol in 1962 as his future wife Gill was living here. On just his second day in the city, a colleague introduced him to the rugby club and he started playing in the second row, turning out for the club into his 50s.

In 1967, he took on the voluntary role of club treasurer and has been doing it since – possibly the longest such tenure in the Bristol area.

Keith, who has an MBE for his services to community life and lives in Stoke Bishop, was a chartered accountant for nearly 40 years. He retired as managing partner of the Bristol office of Ernst & Young and spends about ten hours per week looking after Clifton’s finances.

Looking back on his time serving the oldest club in Bristol, he said: “Clifton is a great club with which to be associated. One of the biggest events was in 1976 when we moved our headquarters from Eastfield, just off the top of Westbury Hill, to our present home at Cribbs Causeway. That involved a lot of major financial transactions.

“There was a very serious cash flow problem in the early years of this century. But there was such a spirit in the club that members loaned us the best part of £100,000. All the loans have now been repaid.”

Delving into Clifton’s history, Keith points out that there was a financial crisis in 1892 and the club could have folded due to debts.

Long gone are the days when a club treasurer might only be required to collect subs from members and pay a few bills. These days, the work involved can be similar to keeping the books for a small business.

He added: “Besides subs, there are car parking fees at our ground, money from hiring out the club’s premises for such events as weddings and 21st birthday parties, sponsorship, bar-takings and even fundraising events like raffles, dances and hog- roasts. We also lease out part of our headquarters to Bristol Rugby for their administration and training facilities.”

The work has grown as the club, whose first XV is doing well in National League Two South, fields four senior and 12 junior teams.

Many of the committee members Keith has worked with will mark his service at a lunch later this month.

He said: “Over the years, I have been blessed with a body of committee members who have always been great colleagues to work with.”

“Although the club retains its amateur status, the game has become more professionally organised than what it was 20 or 30 years ago.

Of the changes at the club, he said: “Today, a professional caterer turns up to provide after-match meals. When I was playing it was tins of baked beans and pasties. For a long time, my wife ran the rota of ladies who made sure the beans and pasties were hot and ready on time.”

Even into his 70s, Keith is swift on his feet. He has completed 16 marathons, including London’s to mark his 70th birthday, and has cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Both raised funds for St Peter’s Hospice, of which Keith used to be chairman.

In May, he will be handing over the club’s accounts to John Levis, also an accountant, and former Clifton captain.