Tributes to Ipswich sporting legend Ian Young
Ian Young on a seat that marked his career at Ipswich School. - Credit: Karl Daniels
Tributes have been paid to popular Ipswich sportsman and club secretary Ian Young, who has died at the age of 89.
Mr Young was born in Leicester, but his family moved to Suffolk when he was still a young child and he was at Ipswich School for 10 years during the 1940s where he became a keen cricketer and a member of the school's First XV Rugby team.
After leaving school he spent his National Service in the RAF before joining the Royal Exchange insurance company in the town.
This became the Guardian Royal Exchange and then Axa. He worked for the company for more than 40 years as it became one of the town's largest employers.
For many years he was the star bowler of the Old Ipswichians Cricket Club - taking more than 1,000 wickets for the club. He was captain of the club at one point and team secretary for 18 years - making sure there were always enough players to turn out.
He was a keen badminton player. He was a founder member of the Corinthian Badminton Club in 1956, the second oldest club in Ipswich and he was both a team player and club secretary.
He served on the Ipswich and District League Committee and was league secretary from 1972 to 2013, for which he was recognised in the Ipswich Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Awards.
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He met his wife, Margaret, who was a cricket scorer, in the early 1960s and they were married in 1965. They had two children, Martin and Helen, and two granddaughters Jenny and Izzy.
Mr Young was a keen supporter of Ipswich Town and travelled to Amsterdam to see them win the UEFA Cup.
In later life, he took up golf and his friend Karl Daniels said: "Ian played golf at Seckford Golf Club usually with his great friend Roger Jarrold, and I know Ian had wished he had taken up the game much earlier."
Mr Young died on December 31 and his funeral was held at the end of January.
