Sadness as talented sporting all-rounder Kate Wright loses cancer battle, aged just 36

Kate Wright won county honours in cricket, hockey and golf and carved out a career in media relations with two of the sports she loved after graduating from university with a BA Honours degree in journalism.

‘Wrighty’ as she was affectionately known by her friends and sporting colleagues, was born in 1984, the only child of Brian and Suzanne, and lived in Great Brickhill. She attended High Ash school in the village before moving to Gilbert Inglefield, Vandyke Upper and then Staffordshire University.

She played junior cricket at the Great Brickhill club and for Buckhamshire; junior hockey for Leighton Buzzard Hockey club and Bedfordshire, and took up golf at the age of 13, enjoying junior coaching lessons with Ian Poulter who went on to become a pro-tour champion and Ryder Cup legend.

At the age of 15 Kate represented Bedfordshire at county level in both golf and hockey and a year later, was crowned Bedfordshire Junior golf champion. Having joined Leighton Buzzard Golf Club in 1998, she went on to win countless individual and team competitions at junior and adult level.

With her sporting background, Kate secured work experience on the Sunday Telegraph sports desk, obtained her journalism degree and worked for the English and Wales Cricket Board at Lords, meeting sporting giants like Freddie Flintoff and helping at Test match venues.

In 2008, Kate joined the European Tour team based at Wentworth as the Tour’s Media Relations Co-ordinator, and was involved in organising Ryder Cup encounters in 2010 and 2014.

A hugely popular figure amongst staff and players, journalists and broadcasters, Kate was described by Scott Crockett, the Euro Tour Director of Communications as “one of the family,” adding: “Kate Wright was a unique individual. Unfazed by anything thrown at her, unbridled in her passion for all sport but unequivocal in her love of golf. She absolutely loved Tour life and Tour life absolutely loved her.”

Which was no doubt born by Kate’s love of travel. Before university, with her parents she went to America, Kenya and Zimbabwe on safari and white-water rafted down the Zambezi river. Peru, Boliviar and the Amazon rainforest followed.

During her university studies, the family travelled the silk road through Usbekistan, Kyrgzstan to Xion, China; spent two weeks on safaris in India in search of tigers and travelled to Australia in 2013-4 to watch the Ashes series meeting up with Test skipper Alistair Cooke and Alice, his wife. .

And it that’s not enough, she was also an avid Northampton Saints rugby fan and season ticket holder, travelling to New Zealand on the Lions tour in 2017.

Kate's funeral will take place on Tuesday, September 8, in her home village of Great Brickhill, with the service restricted to family members in line with COVID guidance.

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