John Easter

John Nicholas Cave Easter (17 December 1945 – 11 January 2016) was an English squash player, cricketer and businessman.

John Easter attended St Edward's School, Oxford, before going up to Christ Church, Oxford, where he got an honours degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

A tall, naturally gifted player, Easter got his squash blue for Oxford in 1966 and 1967. Between 1971 and 1983, he played 31 times for Great Britain and England. He turned professional in the 1973-74 season after leading Great Britain to second place at the World Championships in South Africa. At one stage he was ranked No. 9 in the world.

His best performances in the British Open were reaching the quarter-finals in 1970 and in 1971 (when he was seeded seventh).

A pace bowler, Easter spent several seasons in the First XI at St Edward's School, captaining the team in 1964. He played for Oxford University in 1966 without establishing his place. He also played once for Surrey Second XI.

In 1967 he won his blue, playing every match and taking 34 wickets at an average of 32.44, impressing with his accuracy. He took 5 for 62 against Northamptonshire, including a hat-trick. He was unable to play for most of the 1968 season, but returned to the team towards the end and won a second blue.

After doing some modelling in his younger years, his working life was spent in the financial world.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2007, and died in 2016. He and his wife Glynis had a daughter and two sons, one of whom, Nick, has played rugby union for England since 2007.