John Chester

John Chester was educated at Monkton Combe school on the outskirts of Bath and then went to Keble College, Oxford to read law. A fine oarsman, Chester was in the Monkton Combe boat beaten by half-a-length by Radley in the final of the 1952 Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley, and in 1954 was Captain of Boats at Monkton. Having gone to Oxford, Chester was in the Keble four that won the Visitors’ Cup at Henley in 1958.

Chester became a double rowing Blue and was bow in their winning crew in 1960. That year Chester was a member of the Oxford crew that made up the Great Britain eight at the 1960 Roma Olympics, but they failed to make the final after finishing second in their repêchage heat. Also in 1960, Chester reached the final of the Oxford Pairs with Graham Cooper.

After graduating from Oxford with a law degree in 1961, Chester went to Clifton Theological College. He chose not to become a priest but was appointed an assistant master at Canford School in Dorset in 1963, before spending some time in the United States studying business administration. After moving back to the UK, Chester trained as a solicitor and eventually started his own practice. After his retirement, he spent time refurbishing a house in France with a view to living there eventually, but he died at his Bournemouth home in 2022.