At 82 years young, OH Patrick St Leger is on his way into the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest person still playing competitive Squash. Patrick had played at both Haileybury and Ickleford’s Squash clubs for many years and is an honorary member of both clubs. He is quite rightly delighted to share the news of his most recent win for Ickleford in October 2023.

Patrick writes: 

I would be happy for my stunning news to be circulated. My photo made the front page of the Comet, Letchworth’s local paper, with a further spread on Page 10. 

I have been a member of both Haileybury and Ickleford clubs for some years but latterly I have been only playing at Ickleford. 

We oldies used to play doubles at Haileybury every Wednesday night but after my wife Merle died it was just too far for me to go. We didn’t start until 8.15om so I was pretty late back. The pandemic and increasing age badly affected our numbers and we dropped from about a dozen to only 5 and then to 4 when I opted out and focused on Ickleford to which I cycled in days of yore.

When I say oldies I mean oldies. Our oldest regular was 87 and at that time I think I was the second youngest at 80 or 81. (I had been invited to this select group when I retired at 63)

The Guiness Book of Records has the oldest regular playing member as a lady in Bury St Edmunds who played a friend once a week and she was only 81 I think. Playing a friend once a week doesn’t sound too competitive to me! More like a couple of pals knocking up!! I informed Jenny Pilgrim, the Haileybury Club Secretary of this and suggested she contacted Squash England, but I don’t know whether she ever did.

Our doubles involved playing different opponents and although we were not “right little movers” at guile, deception and cunning we were past masters and were extremely competitive. John Chick, who had been a housemaster at Haileybury and was a published mathematician would never know the score when he wanted a rest and would query it until he had had one (and he thought nobody knew of this little ploy!!) Oh, Happy Days. 

I should say as part of the story that I started playing squash at Haileybury in the days of Nigel Broomfield (B 54)

On one occasion I also played for the OH squash club in a match in London where one of our team didn’t turn up, so I had to play twice!

When we were transferred back to the UK from South Africa in 1986, we chose Hertford to live in initially because it was more or less equidistant from Burghclere, near Newbury, where Merle’s parents lived and Whittlesey, near Peterborough where my parents lived. Additionally, it had two railway stations one to Liverpool Street and one to Moorgate, both near to my office. And thus, much of my squash was played at Haileybury. Indeed, our elder son, Bruce was Club Champion there one year. (He had played for South Africa as a 16-year-old, (coached by me!!!)
I believe the Haileybury Squash Club is alive and well. Ickleford played them recently and as I was recognised by some of their team as one of the Oldies. The Oldies also still continues but is now more or less down to 4. 

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