Ralph Hughes-obituary and funeral details

Published 19/08/2023 at 23:30:43 by Michael Howard.

Long-standing members of the League will be sad to learn of the recent death of Ralph Hughes, who passed away on 15^th August, aged 82. His daughter has indicated that Ralph endured a rare illness diagnosed some 3 years ago, but that he never complained and showed remarkable resilience and dignity, as well as strength and courage, as the illness progressed.
Ralph was a stalwart of the League for some 40 years until the 2014/15 season. He played for about 20 years at Newport Pagnell Table Tennis Club.His initial team-mates were Terry Higgins and Ron Osborne, the latter playing alongside Ralph for some 30 years. For some years the team was known as NP Hydra and later changed to RHFM, being the initials of his business Ralph Hughes Farm Machinery. The team, by then including Andy Fermor and later Mike Scott, moved to Greenleys TTC for a season, then to the Newport Pagnell Unionist Club for some years, before finding a home for a dozen years at Kingston as MK RHFM or MK Hydra.
Ralph was an extremely tough and competitive player to face, never giving up while there were still points to win. His concentration levels and strong mental attitude meant that opponents would rarely win without a massive struggle to break down his determined defensive play, keeping the ball low over the net while hoping to create a chance to unleash a forehand drive.
I recall many battles with Ralph over the years, usually alternating wins and losses. We were almost mirror images of each other in our styles of play. This made for incredibly tactical and lengthy matches, which often went to a final game with a very close finish in terms of the score. To more attacking team-mates, my matches with Ralph might have seemed mundane and even boring, but they could admire the fortitude and refusal to give way on both sides of the net. Fortunately no-one tried to invoke the expedite rule! Off the table, Ralph was always very friendly and willing to chat.
Ralph’s team mostly played in division 2, with occasional forays into division 1, where the team struggled. For some 30 years, Ralph was the best performer in the team, consistently finishing fairly high in the divisional averages, often in excess of 70%. It was only in his last few playing seasons that Ralph’s average in division 2 dropped below 50%.

What adds to the family distress is that Ralph’s death follows shortly after that of his son James, who died on 3^rd August.

The family has decided to hold a joint funeral for Ralph and James. This will take place at 2.30pm on Thursday 31^st August at The Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Newport Pagnell, to be followed by a private cremation at Crownhill and after that a wake at Ousebank House Newport Pagnell. The family will be pleased for anyone who knew and loved Ralph or James to attend the funeral and the wake, and have requested that those attending should wear smart attire, black if possible.
Ralph’s wife Gillian has asked that any flowers should be your own garden flowers, rather than a bouquet and would welcome any donations in favour of DAFS (Drugs and Alcohol Family Support in Newport Pagnell) or for Willen Hospice.