Tribute to Barry Taylor
TRIBUTE TO BARRY TAYLOR
I am sorry to have to inform you that my good friend and former neighbour Barry Taylor has sadly passed away, aged 80.
He finally succumbed to a difficult form of cancer which he had fought bravely since he was 77. He was determined to reach 80, and with that typical fighting spirit, which he always showed on the table tennis table, he did reach that magical figure.
Our thoughts go out to his wife Ann, and children Andy and Jennifer. They will miss him greatly.
I first met Barry in the 1970s, when Nigel Pryce, bless him, coerced me into joining the Table Tennis Association committee. I was then playing for the Liberal Club and I recall Barry was at The Castle club, a lovely, popular old pub in Old Coleham, where his dad was landlord. We rarely used to leave there before midnight, after a match, which was always hard fought as they had very good players in those days. Barry was a contemporary of such wonderful characters as Rod Shaw, Walter Croft, Colin Taylor, Derek Ruddock, I could name many more who played at that smashing pub
He used to grind out results with his awkward defensive chop, not such a stonewall character as the late Neville Birch, Wally Jones, Motto Jones or Nobby Johnston et al, but still a formidable opponent. He would try the occasional forehand smash, which usually meant he had a bit of a lead; a la Rob Mansfield for those who didn’t know Barry. Not as successful as Rob though.
When the Castle folded, he came to Shrewsbury Cricket Club with a few other Castle members and played with Keith Pritchard alongside Mike Beaman and John Holding (both sadly now departed) and Bob Wilson and in later years he joined Gary Brown and Dave Pountney in the days when we had 6 or 7 teams at London Road.
Barry loved his sport and after leaving Wrekin Council offices he helped out in the ticket office at Shrewsbury Town. He was a very good organiser and held various posts with our Association, from secretary, league match secretary, Chairman and eventually President (possibly on more than one occasion?). He may even have been treasurer.
I recall one Annual Presentation dinner at The Beauchamp in 1987, when Barry calmly announced that there were seconds available, when in reality there was not enough food to go round the first time! That was the one and only time I organised the end of season event, and boy, did Rod France rub it in for me when they ran out of food. I should have let Barry arrange that do!
Yes, lovely memories of a great chap, a brilliant administrator and a much-loved family man.
Rest in peace Barry
Roger Whitfield
I am sorry to have to inform you that my good friend and former neighbour Barry Taylor has sadly passed away, aged 80.
He finally succumbed to a difficult form of cancer which he had fought bravely since he was 77. He was determined to reach 80, and with that typical fighting spirit, which he always showed on the table tennis table, he did reach that magical figure.
Our thoughts go out to his wife Ann, and children Andy and Jennifer. They will miss him greatly.
I first met Barry in the 1970s, when Nigel Pryce, bless him, coerced me into joining the Table Tennis Association committee. I was then playing for the Liberal Club and I recall Barry was at The Castle club, a lovely, popular old pub in Old Coleham, where his dad was landlord. We rarely used to leave there before midnight, after a match, which was always hard fought as they had very good players in those days. Barry was a contemporary of such wonderful characters as Rod Shaw, Walter Croft, Colin Taylor, Derek Ruddock, I could name many more who played at that smashing pub
He used to grind out results with his awkward defensive chop, not such a stonewall character as the late Neville Birch, Wally Jones, Motto Jones or Nobby Johnston et al, but still a formidable opponent. He would try the occasional forehand smash, which usually meant he had a bit of a lead; a la Rob Mansfield for those who didn’t know Barry. Not as successful as Rob though.
When the Castle folded, he came to Shrewsbury Cricket Club with a few other Castle members and played with Keith Pritchard alongside Mike Beaman and John Holding (both sadly now departed) and Bob Wilson and in later years he joined Gary Brown and Dave Pountney in the days when we had 6 or 7 teams at London Road.
Barry loved his sport and after leaving Wrekin Council offices he helped out in the ticket office at Shrewsbury Town. He was a very good organiser and held various posts with our Association, from secretary, league match secretary, Chairman and eventually President (possibly on more than one occasion?). He may even have been treasurer.
I recall one Annual Presentation dinner at The Beauchamp in 1987, when Barry calmly announced that there were seconds available, when in reality there was not enough food to go round the first time! That was the one and only time I organised the end of season event, and boy, did Rod France rub it in for me when they ran out of food. I should have let Barry arrange that do!
Yes, lovely memories of a great chap, a brilliant administrator and a much-loved family man.
Rest in peace Barry
Roger Whitfield
Author: Robert Mansfield via Shrewsbury Table Tennis League
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