It is extremely sad to have to report the death last Friday of Ed Richardson (Tonbridge). Ed was an extremely talented golfer and great company.
Ed played for Tonbridge in the Hewitt from 1988 until this year during which period Tonbridge won the Cup nine times. He played in 95 matches, winning 75 of them and drawing 4. Away from the Hewitt he represented Kent and England at all levels and was a past amateur champion of Hong Kong and Sussex. Ed was the current French International Senior Men’s Amateur Champion and a member of this year’s winning English Seniors team in the Home Internationals.
With a wonderful dry sense of humour, Ed was always enjoyable company both on and off the golf course. When The Amateur Championship was held at Deal in 2013, he asked me to stop supporting him as he felt he always lost holes when I appeared. He reached the last 16 before finally losing at the 19th, when he claimed to have seen me watching from the clubhouse balcony.
I only played golf with Ed once, in the Waterford Trophy and Sundridge Park when he was 16 years old and widely regarded as one of the most promising juniors in the country. It was clear from the start that he was in a different league from the rest of us in terms of his ball-striking and talent and it was a privilege to watch. He didn’t win but he would also probably have put that down to my presence.
Ed had battled ill-health earlier in his life when he wasn’t expected to survive bone cancer. He got through it all with his typical quiet and dogged determination and to everyone’s amazement announced he was well enough to play in the Hewitt. Tonbridge immediately dropped the man they had brought in as a replacement, even though he had turned down an invitation to Augusta in favour of the Hewitt.
Ed also put time and effort back into golf through an initiative to make golf more accessible. The Kent Golf Union has published an excellent tribute to Ed which can be found here: https://www.kentgolf.org/news.php?newsitem=1216
In summary, Ed was a model Hewitteer and it is a great loss to the tournament that his time with us is over. Our thoughts and condolences go to his family. Funeral details will be published here when they are known.
N D Owen
Hon Secretary.
