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John Brian Booth

I first met Brian in 1961 soon after we had both joined the Squash Club (although I had been a tennis member for 2 or 3 years before that). We were drawn against each other in the club tournament and had a great match (can't remember who won) and really got on well at the bar afterwards; we were both just out of National Service in the RAF and had a lot of good experiences to swap.

We played regularly over the next few years and our games were always very hard fought; if Brian had one of his ‘on' days he could be one of the best players in the club and it was only his fitness level which stopped him from playing at a higher level - he just enjoyed the good life a bit too much! Nevertheless, whatever our respective current form and fitness I could never bank on beating him - I think he saw winning against me as a matter of honour and always seemed to find something extra from somewhere. It was during one of our games that Brian snapped his Achilles and I have never seen anyone in as much pain but he bore it like the true stoic Yorkshireman he was.

I was Best Man at Brian's wedding to Sheila and later on, as our young families grew up together, both families used to go on holiday every summer with Colin and Jenny Evans and their two girls. I remember that we went up to Scarborough one summer and Colin, Brian and I went to a pub where Brian objected to the fact that the head on the beer was doing him out of a full pint. The barman was quite indignant, as was Brian (but even more so when the barman said to him ‘the trouble with you Southerners is you don't know a proper pint when you see one'. I think Colin wet himself.

The six of us made it a routine of getting together every New Year's Eve and when it was Brian and Sheila's turn to be host the home-made beer always came out. I well recall one New Year's Eve Brian persuading me to have a pint of his home brew ‘for the road' (before the breathalysers I must add) and finding that when I got to the Holmesdale Road junction with the A21 I had to make a very hairy decision as to which one of the 3 pairs of Traffic Lights I should stop at! Goodness knows what proof his brew was.

We did grow apart in later years when I hung up my squash rackets and the kids all left the coop. However, on the occasions when we did meet we just left off from the last time as if it had been yesterday. Brian was that kind of guy, always good company, always a twinkle in his eye and rarely a bad word to say about anyone - unless they truly deserved it.

They don't come like Brian very often and I find it hard to believe he is still not around the bar at Sundridge laughing his Yorkshire laugh and insisting it is his turn to buy.

He will be sadly missed by all of us who knew him.

Bernard Williams

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Brian Booth captained the Squash 2nd Team in the Priory League winning for about 3 years running. Other team members were Paul Bourdon and Bernard Williams. Brian also represented Kent in the vets team and one year was challenged for his place by Tommy Steele who at that time lived in Chislehurst. The match was played at the Club (the balcony was packed with women wanting to catch a glimpse of Tommy Steele) and Brian was the victor

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