Obituary – Peter Risdon (1946-2024)

Peter John Risdon died peacefully at St George’s Hospital on 8 June on the age of 78, after scuffling with sickness since early February.

A former stockbroker and director of BZW UK Equities Restricted, he was concerned with tennis for many of his life, primarily as a participant, umpire and volunteer membership official.

He took a two-year break from the Metropolis in 1982 to handle Lew Hoad’s Campo de Tenis in Spain, and opted for early retirement in 1997, concentrating his efforts on Movie star Tennis, a consultancy he was the driving drive behind forming, in addition to on Woodfield Grove Tennis Membership in Streatham, south London, the place he served as Chairman for some 35 years.

Born on 3 February, 1946, Peter had been a member of Woodfield Grove since a toddler, and its staunchest supporter, performing as Males’s Captain and Treasurer earlier than turning into the membership’s longest serving Chairman, and serving to to champion the membership’s revival by way of the rebuilding of its amenities in 1999 by way of Lottery funding.

He was an integral a part of the membership’s golden taking part in period within the Seventies, when it fielded a number of groups in county competitions, and performed some 31 pleasant matches all year long with native golf equipment.

In 1975, Peter, along with fellow-member Gordon Blair, reached the finals of the Better London Parks Doubles Championships, and the pair additionally reached the finals of the Surrey Doubles, twice.

Through the years, within the membership match, Peter gained 10 singles, 15 doubles and 13 combined doubles titles, and was honoured in 2014 in celebration of fifty years since his first win there with the naming of the primary tennis court docket.

The next 12 months, 2015, the members introduced a silver trophy to Peter for use for a brand new occasion and, because of this, the Ris Group Cup was born, which continues to be performed yearly.

In 2017 Peter acquired the Tennis Surrey Meritorious Award for his long-time companies to the sport.

After stepping down as Chairman in 2019, Peter remained a stalwart on the membership, visiting every day to have a espresso or a drink, watch some matches, and chat with whoever occurred to be there, conserving abreast of the goings on.

He additionally appreciated to look at away matches in assist of the varied groups.

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Peter served as Treasurer of the Tennis Business Affiliation UK, representing Movie star Tennis, having first joined the administration committee of the TIA UK Board in 2000 and was appointed Treasurer a 12 months later, a task he diligently fulfilled till 2012 when the affiliation was restructured.

He additionally acted because the referee for the Millennium Cup, a pleasant competitors between the golf equipment of Streatham, and championed many junior gamers through the years, revelling of their eventual success, with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina being the newest of a protracted line of gifted kids he supported.

Peter beloved to comply with completely different sports activities, and appreciated to wager on the horses, performing as an unofficial bookie for mates. He saved up with the golf, snooker and , after all, soccer.

He constructed lasting friendships along with his sharp, slightly dry, wit, whereas his heat character offered a strong presence in so lots of the lives he touched. He was beneficiant and type, loyal and enjoyable.

Amongst his many shut mates through the years had been Lew Hoad and his household, John Lloyd and Chris Evert, and Maria Ether Bueno and Barbara Wancke, his wing-woman at Woodfield Grove for a few years, plus a myriad of others throughout the vast world of tennis and past.

In a curious accident, Peter, like Maria Esther, Peter died on French Open finals day, Saturday 8 June, a truth he would have appreciated.

Peter John Risdon – Born 3 February 1946 / Died 8 June 2024

By means of the years Peter Risdon was happiest behind the bar at Woodfield Grove, serving and chatting to members

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