OHA Obituaries

We shall sorely miss all of his contributions – indeed, I ask myself who and how can we replace him. The answer is we cannot – his unassuming but always constructive presence was just him. It will not be the same without him.

Go with God and Rest in Peace, Simon.

Philip P. LEHAIN (1968-73) Died on 30th September 1998 at the age of 43 after a brave fight against cancer, which had been discovered about 12 months earlier.

The funeral was attended by a very large number of friends from the Haberdashers' community, with many making long journeys to pay their respects. The wide age range, from those who had been senior officers of the O.H.R.F.C. when Phil started playing to those who had been starting to play when he retired, showed the appeal and the impact of the man.

Philip enjoyed his schooldays, particularly excelling as a singer and on the choral trips to Europe. This was reflected in his enthusiasm to take part in Alan Taylor's final school concert in the company of many old friends and particularly Richard Jenkins. He was a member of Joblings and a sub-prefect. He was always part of the lighting and effects team for school plays and was enthusiastic about canoeing and pottery. He was a member of the Navy section of the C.C.F. which he saw as one long Outward Bound course.

Philip went to University in London where he studied law and realised a great ambition when he was called by Inner Temple in 1978. He found a place in chambers in London and began his very successful career as a barrister. By the time he died Philip was a senior member of his chambers and among the leading people in his specialist field of medical negligence and personal injury. His head of chambers gave an extremely eloquent and moving eulogy at Philip's funeral, which made it clear that Philip was a popular and highly respected member of his profession.

Philip made his debut for the O.H.R.F.C. 1st XV on 29th November 1975 as a hooker and soon became the first choice for that position. He was greatly respected in Old Boys' rugby as a first class technical hooker, always winning his own ball, a fair share on the opposition's put in and was an accurate line out thrower. He played his 200th 1st XV game on 18th January 1986 to become a member of the O.H.R.F.C. 200 club, a fact of which he was conspicuously proud. He continued to play for the 1st XV until 1989 by which time his number of 1st XV appearance had reached a very creditable 285. He played in the very successful teams in 1984-85 and 1987-88, which established new records for the number of 1st XV matches won in a season.

He was an extremely loyal and committed member of the Club ensuring consistent availability despite his demanding legal career. There were a number of times when he had