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| 31 Jul 2017 | |
| Deaths & Obituaries |
| BATHURST, Peter John Roper Died in July 2017, aged 91. The Bathurst family writes: Peter Bathurst, who died in July at the age of 91, was a Tonbridgian who arguably exemplified the Corinthian spirit as much as any amateur golfer of the last 60 years. A talented two-handicap player in his prime, Peter also loved watching golf, loved reading and talking about it and loved writing articles about it. Born in 1926 to Madeleine and Philip, himself a Tonbridge housemaster, he attended Yardley Court before Tonbridge and was there from 1939-1944 during which time he proved a useful 1st XI left arm medium pace bowler. Much later, he wrote a book about school cricket – “The Story of Tonbridge Cricket 1900-2000”. After 3 years in the army – he never saw active service – he studied law at Cambridge, and in the course of his studies was tutored by a certain Professor Ziegler who said to him “Ah, Bathurst! You know no law but I think you will make a good solicitor – you have a good bedside manner!” Indeed he went on to pursue a career as a Country Solicitor in Hampshire but he always said that of far greater importance to him than his degree was his Golf Blue which he was awarded in 1950. His Blue allowed him membership of the Oxford and Cambridge Golfing Society which became a major part of his life, playing in the President’s Putter at Rye 46 times and serving as Captain in 1972-73. In 1997, with the late John Behrend, he co-authored the O&CGS’ centenary history – “100 Years of Serious Fun”. Not surprisingly, Peter played an extremely active role in Old Tonbridgian golf, serving as Captain and President of the OTGS and played 26 times in the Halford Hewitt, making his final appearance as a player in 1976. In the years after, he was an enthusiastic supporter and enjoyed success with the OTs in the Bernard Darwin at Woking, a tournament he loved dearly. He was also a member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club and the Senior Golfers Society, but his home club from 1957 until his passing was his beloved Hankley Common in Surrey, where he was a past Captain and an honorary life member. Although Peter thrived on competitive county standard golf he derived just as much, if not more, pleasure from club competitions and golf with his family and friends, especially if it was windy and wet with a card and pencil in hand and the promise of an enormous helping of toasted cheese and poached eggs to follow. Nothing annoyed him more than fair weather golfers, apart perhaps from people who enjoyed four balls. Aside from the Putter and Halford Hewitt his favourite event was the Father and Son Foursomes at West Hill where he played first with his father in the 1940s and latterly for 30 consecutive years as a father, strictly alternating two of his three sons as partners. Peter will however be remembered as much for his kindness and ebullience - he was a vintage ‘glass half full’ man - as for his many achievements on and off the golf course. He had an amazing ability to engage with different people on different wavelengths, always sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others. Peter’s prodigious memory not only served him well as a lawyer but allowed him to indulge his love of cricket, recalling, if given a number, who had scored that number of runs in a first-class match, where, and when, for whom, and against whom. At Peter’s Thanksgiving Service in September, his eldest son David recalled: “His attention on at least one occasion wandered during the sermon when he started jotting down the hymn numbers and who scored that number of runs in a first-class cricket match. Up there was 216, Rejoice The Lord Is King in the then current Ancient & Modern Hymn Book, but recorded by Dad as the number of runs scored by E Paynter for England against Australia at Trent Bridge in June 1938”. He was known by Tonbridgians, affectionately, as ‘The Boomer’, with his stentorian tones intimately recalling the finest details of any round of golf in which he had participated or watched. He bubbled with enthusiasm for the game he so loved. At an OT Spring Meeting at Princes in the 1970s, the gales and rain were simply dreadful and those few brave enough to play again in the afternoon heard through the lashing elements from afar “Marvellous. Terrific! Who would want to be in an office on a day like this?” Away from golf and cricket Peter was a huge fan of Amateur Dramatics, most particularly Gilbert & Sullivan opera, and he was a regular feature of the annual G&S production with both the Farnham and the Godalming Operatic Societies. In 1997 he was thrilled to be offered the part of the Judge in Trial By Jury with Godalming Operatic, at the age of 70. Peter married, first, Mary Butler (herself a former pupil at Wadhurst College) in 1957. They had three sons and a daughter. After Mary’s death from cancer in 1980, Peter had two further marriages and is survived by his third wife Christine, who Peter married in 1990. (PS 40-44) |
