The following obituary was written by John Spurling (JH 73-78), a Halford Hewitt partner

Ed Richardson (1968 - 2023)

I had the pleasure of playing with Ed in the Halford Hewitt for many years. He was someone whose friendship and loyalty I valued greatly. In truth though, I was often very nervous about partnering “the Big Man” because he was in my opinion the finest amateur golfer I had ever played with, and the best player for many years in the competition. He was in 7 OT Halford Hewitt winning sides playing 95 matches and a points win rate of c. 81%. This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of his overall golfing achievements, as in total he won 15 amateur golf tournaments (at one stage he was ranked no. 35 in the world Amateur rankings), represented the English national golf team between 2005-2008 and only recently in September was part of the England Seniors' men’s team that won the European Team championship.

Ed loved the game of golf and everything it stood for. His business, Get Golfing, which he started in 2018, was set up with the aim of increasing participation in the game, bettering local communities and enriching the lives of staff and customers. It was flourishing, operating across 12 sites, employing c. 500 people.

Watching Ed play golf was a treat. He was meticulous on shot preparation, then it was full commitment. It was like seeing a conductor in charge of his orchestra of clubs. Great rhythm, effortless power which could be dialled up or down, positive intent on every stroke and a delicate touch when required. I genuinely find it hard to recall any really poor shots that he ever hit, becoming almost shocked if he missed a fairway or a green by even a small margin.

Ed wasn’t a man of many words on the course so you knew when you got a “well done” that you had the master's strong approval. After a day’s golf at the Hewitt, often in testing conditions, he would often make the journey home to his own bed. This was never a problem to any of us as we knew how lucky we were to have him in the side and our chances of winning matches significantly enhanced. Considering his commitments and medical challenges over the years he was a massive supporter of Old Tonbridgian golf and our Halford Hewitt side in particular.

Fittingly, Ed would almost always play top in our side. He was our standard bearer, our inspirational and irreplaceable talisman.

We will miss him dearly.

Ed Richardson (PH 82-87)