Death of tennis ace (From York Press)

Death of tennis ace

12:01pm Saturday 12th December 2009 in

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FOUNDER member and former secretary of York Tennis Club, Mike Prime, has died. He was 73.

Born in York, Prime was educated at Nunthorpe Grammar School and spent all his working life – 41 years – at British Rail as a bridge engineer.

A keen tennis player, he was a member of York Railway Institute before joining the now defunct Tang Hall and Clifton clubs.

When these two clubs were faced with losing their courts for development, they amalgamated in 1966 to become York Tennis Club, which had one year on Clifton’s courts in Water End before moving to the present Clifton Park site in 1967.

Prime served on the York TC committee from 1968 to 1988 and was secretary from 1974 to 1988.

He played in goal for Clifton and Rawcliffe FC, and then for Poppleton Road Old Boys before joining Unicrux in 1960.

He was also a squash member at York RI from 1970 to 1988.

Diagnosed with cancer in September, he died at his home in Clifton. Prime leaves his wife of 49 years Pam, son Richard and grandchildren Joseph and Eva.

His funeral is at York Crematorium on Thursday, December 17, at 1.30pm.