John Hartley, longstanding Shipton and SOA member and former SOA President passed away on Tuesday 14 October at his home in Shipton.
John was a real gentleman who farmed in Shipton and served on the parish council there. He played cricket, hockey and golf keenly, reaching minor counties standard with Oxfordshire where he opened the batting, as he did at Shipton.
Always keen to keep an eye on events at both Shipton and SOA, John will be much missed by all.
The photograph is from the SOA 1997 tour to South Africa and shows a Shipton contingent of SOA Presidents (L to R) John Hartley (1985/6), Margaret Hartley, Sue Hayes, Russell Hayes (2002), Barbara Gorton and Brian Gorton (1995). John's brother Terry was also an SOA President (1981/2).
Den Harvey, SOA president in 2010 and a well-known and well-loved figure in Oxfordshire sporting circles, died on August 22nd, aged 82.
A canny medium-paced bowler, he played for Risinghurst and Old Botley in the 1960s and 1970s before becoming a member of Morris Motors.
It was while playing for Oxfordshire Over 50s in the 1990s, that he started to play for SOA and was a regular on the Western Tour. He joined his last club Witney Mills in 2003, playing for them well into his seventies.
But he was best known as a groundsman. After working in the car factory, he became full time groundsman for Oxford University Press at Jordan Hill. He also helped look after the football and cricket pitches at Morris Motors.
After leaving OUP, he became a ground adviser at Bletchingdon and Kidlington Football Clubs and at Witney Mills.
A friendly modest man, who loved chatting over a beer after a game, he is best summed up by his Witney clubmate Steve Kelly, who said: "Den was a generous and good-humoured human."
Den's funeral is on Monday October 13th 1pm start at Tackley Crematorium with the wake afterwards at Oxford City FC.