Herts badminton has lost a true friend in the passing of Tony Clarke. The county junior squad system was very much his vision and he worked hard to bring this about. It was my privilege to work with him for many years managing and coaching the U17 squad. He was totally dedicated and spent many a sleepless night at ICT assessing and re-assessing the best way to play the team against the following day’s opposition. Despite his Parkinsons he still followed the U17 team and with the support of his family we were able to help him continue as long as possible. He was awarded the BE services to badminton (??) in (year??) and we were able to completely surprise him when he was presented with this at ICT. My deepest sympathy goes to his family. He was a true inspiration to me and to many young badminton players.