Grandmasters celebrate Allan Mayo

Dozens of members of the hockey community gathered on Saturday 11 February at Teddington Cricket Club to celebrate the life of Allan Mayo, 1949-2022.

Allan played his final match for Spencer against Bromley & Beckenham Grandmasters on November 20th and was looking forward to attending trials for England over-70s when he passed away unexpectedly in his sleep.

Allan’s wife, Nancy and children Olly and Jenny were guests of honour at Saturday’s memorial event hosted by Clive Hicks, another former star of Spencer’s Dream Team. The evening was a fitting tribute, not least because guests were treated to an excellent curry, Allan’s favourite meal. A consistent story emerged of a man who was warm, generous, a natural leader, gifted player and inspiration to those around him. 

We heard that Allan became an England indoor hockey international in the 1970s. You can see how good he was in this BBC link: https://youtu.be/X1NMCH45gfg

While playing for Teddington and Hampshire, Allan was invited to join London Indians who recognised him as, “One of the most skilful players to grace the game.” Later, he coached the England indoor Under-21 national side, winning a silver medal at the European Cup. In 2015, when he came out of hockey retirement, Tochi Panesar worked his magic to lure Allan to Spencer Grandmasters (with the promise of post-match curries). Allan went on to win gold at the European Championships in Barcelona with England Masters.

Allan was educated at the Duke of York’s Military School, where he played not only hockey but the piccolo in the school band. He went to Aberystwyth University, then completed his Masters at the LSE before becoming an economist in government, working for the Home Office and Department of Trade & Industry. In recent years, Allan became an expert consultant in Smart Cities – a little surprising given that emails stretched him to his technological limits!

Among those who spoke at the celebratory event were Spencer’s own Tochi Panesar and Avtar Bhurji, former colleagues of Allan in London Indians. Allan’s loss will be mourned by everyone who was lucky enough to meet him.