John Nicholas Cave Easter (17 December 1945 – 11 January 2016) was an English squash player, cricketer and businessman.

John Easter
Easter in 1973
Personal information
Full name
John Nicholas Cave Easter
Born(1945-12-17)17 December 1945
Shawford, Hampshire, England
Died11 January 2016(2016-01-11) (aged 70)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
RelationsNick Easter (son)
Mark Easter (son)
Anne Easter Smith (sister)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1966 to 1968Oxford University
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 28
Runs scored 90
Batting average 3.91
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 14
Balls bowled 4057
Wickets 58
Bowling average 33.44
5 wickets in innings 1
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 5/62
Catches/stumpings 8/–
Source: ESPN cricinfo, 9 March 2016

Education

edit

John Easter attended St Edward's School, Oxford, before going up to Christ Church, Oxford, where he got an honours degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.[1]

Squash career

edit

A tall, naturally gifted player, Easter got his squash blue for Oxford in 1966 and 1967. Between 1971 and 1983, he played 31 times for Great Britain and England. He turned professional in the 1973-74 season after leading Great Britain to second place at the World Championships in South Africa. At one stage he was ranked No. 9 in the world.[1]

His best performances in the British Open were reaching the quarter-finals in 1970 and in 1971 (when he was seeded seventh).

Cricket career

edit

A pace bowler, Easter spent several seasons in the First XI at St Edward's School, captaining the team in 1964.[2] He played for Oxford University in 1966 without establishing his place. He also played once for Surrey Second XI.

In 1967 he won his blue at Oxford, playing every match and taking 34 wickets at an average of 32.44, impressing with his accuracy.[3] He took 5 for 62 against Northamptonshire, including a hat-trick.[4] He was unable to play for most of the 1968 season, but returned to the team towards the end and won a second blue.

Later life

edit

After doing some modelling in his younger years, Easter spent his working life in the financial world.[1]

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2007, and died in 2016. He and his wife Glynis had a daughter and two sons. One son, Nick Easter, played rugby union for England from 2007 to 2016. The other son, Mark Easter, played rugby union for Sale Sharks and Northampton Saints.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d Courtney, Stuart (24 January 2016). "John Easter (1945–2015) [sic]". Squashmad.com. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  2. ^ Wisden 1965, p. 784.
  3. ^ Wisden 1968, pp. 676-77.
  4. ^ "Oxford University v Northamptonshire 1967". CricketArchive. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
edit