Martin Johnson was the centre of attention at Ilkley Rugby Club yesterday as he officially opened their new £1.7 million clubhouse.

He arrived by helicopter to be greeted by a cheering crowd and it must have been a heart-warming moment for the man who had resigned as England manager three days earlier.

Johnson who captained England to World Cup victory in 2003 was left in no doubt that he remains a hugely popular figure.

Johnson said: “I was always going to make the visit to Ilkley. It was arranged a long time ago and I am delighted to see so many people at the club.

“Elite rugby is only a small part of rugby union and it is great that clubs like Ilkley can develop such excellent facilities to develop the grass roots of the game.”

During his visit Johnson signed endless autographs for young admirers, posed for pictures and recorded a special message for Keighley under-17 player Nathan Cubitt, who is currently in Pinderfields Hospital after suffering a serious spinal injury in a scrum in a recent match against Bramley Phoenix.

Ilkley’s rugby operations manager Tom Gillon said: “It was a wonderful afternoon and Martin Johnson really did us proud.”

To crown a great occasion for the club, their first team defeated Scarborough 24-0 and their seconds (60-7), extra seconds (54-7) and third team (22-17) all won.