Tony Love
One of Tony’s many sayings was ‘we go back’! In my case Tony and I ‘go back’ over 57 years when, as a 13 year old, I met him at the St Albans Municipal Swimming Pool, known locally as Cottonmill Baths, every Monday night when the Pool was taken over by St Albans Swimming Club for their weekly Swimming sessions.
In 1965 the St Albans Club started a Waterpolo Team. One of the founders of that team was Tony’s father Dennis, who had played a little bit over 20 years before, when the game was much more static. Water Polo Practice (if you can call it that) took place after the various swimming sessions, often in the twilight, and consisted mainly of a group of players passing a ball among themselves and shooting at goal! I need to add that in 1965 the Cotton Mill Pool was an open air unheated pool and home to a notorious colony of ‘brass monkeys’, which meant that the water temperature rarely got above 60°F.
Several things made Tony stand out even in 1965. On a Monday night he would do at least one, if not two of the Swimming Sessions, and then stay in the water to join ‘the older players’ throwing the ball around. His time in the water would easily exceed over three hours in water temperatures that today’s cohort of swimmers and water polo players would consider ‘physical cruelty’. It was typical of Tony to want to be playing waterpolo, despite the ‘cold’ and it was clear, even at 13 years old, that it was the sport he was going to concentrate on.
Another thing that made Tony different at such a young age was he already knew what he wanted to do with his life, and especially his professional life. He readily admitted even then that he was not ‘academic’ and decided he wanted to be a Chef. Given how the British Education System was organised in 1965, the School Tony was attending coped with someone with such with a clearly defined path at 13 of wanting to be a Chef by putting him into a class that focussed heavily on what was called ‘Domestic Science’, which meant most of his classes were in cooking, sewing, ironing and house cleaning. To Tony’s delight, he was the only boy in his class! I always remember him turning up one Monday night pleased as punch that he had got the top score in his practical Ironing class that day, outscoring all the girls!. And the item he had to iron was a woman’s bra. Later In life I know one of his most used ‘chat up lines’ with women referred to his skill in ironing bras.
It was inevitable that Tony would progress with his waterpolo career given his introduction to the game at an early age. In fact, when Tony was 14 he was ‘talent spotted’ by the then Poly Captain - Neil (Mother) May - during a Hertfordshire Course for Junior players. Tony was obviously still at School in St Albans and Denis only agreed to Tony joining the Poly if Neil committed to drive Tony back to St Albans from London after the training sessions in Regent Street? As Neil has noted elsewhere,Tony never forgot that and has tried to repay Neil in the last few years by driving him to waterpolo matches and functions around London and the Home Counties.
Part of the Poly culture and tradition in the1960’s and 1970’s was meeting up in the Restaurant in the Polytechnic Building In Regent Street before going down to the Basement to train in the by then century old Swimming Pool, that had not changed since it was built, and sadly is no longer there. ‘Banter’, ’Sledging’ and a plethora of jokes and stories (many politically incorrect) abounded, not only in the Restaurant, but during training in the Pool and even into the pub for the ’after training pint’! Despite his relatively young age compared to everyone else, Tony not only embraced the culture and traditions, but soon became a major contributor to the banter, stories and jokes that characterised him throughout his life.
It was during those times in the Poly Restaurant and the Tuesday and Thursday training nights in the Poly Pool that Tony acquired his ‘Poly Name”of Luigi. After consulting various former Poly players from the era, it has been concluded that almost certainly the name ‘Luigi’ originated (as were many ‘Poly Names’ from the late 60’s) and bestowed on Tony by Jack Gauldie, although it is unsure whether it was because of Tony’s ‘Italian looks” or whether it was because he had once stated in Jack’s hearing that he was planning to open an Italian Restaurant when he became a qualified chef?
Tony made his debut for the Poly in the Season of 1968 and, like nearly everyone at that time, whether they were a junior as he was, or an already established International, he started in the Third Team (often carrying the balls) and worked his way upwards. Because of his studies, which also included practical work in the kitchen, Tony was not always available and did not have the flexibility that others had. He attended training and games as much as he could and always worked hard to improve his fitness and game.
Once he finished his studies,Tony started as a trainee Chef in the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane. At the time it was regarded as one of the best Hotel Restaurants in London. Working full time in London allowed Tony to be more available for training and games. He would entertain us with stories of the rich and famous for whom he had helped prepare meals for and how the Head Chef and his team often reacted behind the scenes, especially when the Clients had complaints!
One of the benefits the Poly Players of that era benefited from Tony’s membership of the Club in the early 70’s was their ability to profit what Tony referred to as ‘the perks of being a Chef’! Using those perks he turned the Poly into the favourite fixture for teams outside London in the National League matches, despite the inevitable loss to enjoy the quality of food they served. Back in the 60’s and 70’s it was tradition that the Home Team provided to the travelling Team hospitality in the form of Food and Drinks, usually in a local pub. From a few crisps and stale sandwiches from the Poly Restaurant,Tony transformed the food served by the Poly to sandwiches of smoked salmon and finely cut steak, and even occasionally some caviar. As the Poly Goalie in the late 70’s Pat Lennox recalls, one team, Teesside did not enjoy Tony’s fare. They could not understand why they were being served ‘fish sandwiches’ and why couldn’t they have Egg Sandwiches. Needless to say their share was devoured by all the Poly boys!
Being available on a much more regular basis, by the early 1970’s, despite some talented
competition,Tony established himself in the First Team Squad. Despite not being regularly in the starting seven, he was very much what today is phrased as ‘an impact substitute (in more ways than one) at a time when the Team consisted of eleven players. Tony remained an integral part of the Polytechnic First Team Squad throughout the 1970’s, which was probably the most successful period the club has ever had.
Tony was an enthusiastic ‘tourist’ when it came to waterpolo matches in Europe, especially when it came to the European Cup Competition. Along with his teammate Martin Binns, he had an innate ability to find just to find the best bars and restaurants in any strange city for the Team to enjoy local hospitality after the games were over.
As mentioned earlier, Tony was a legendary source and raconteur of stories and jokes. Many of his most famous stories revolved around the antics and feats of Budgerigars, Parrots and Vultures, to the point that for a Wedding Present on the occasion of his marriage in the late 1970’s, his teammates from the Poly gave the happy couple a ‘Budgie in a Cage’. When challenged to reveal who the husband was in his stories,Tony flatly denied it was him, claiming his ‘reach’ was far superior. Many of the Poly Players I have contacted give one of their lasting memories of Tony is travelling North along the M1 for National League games in Tony’s Ford Capri (fitted with what was then in the late 1970’s the ‘state of the art’ Car Stereo System), often journeys of four or five hours, during which Tony did not stop the flow of stories and jokes.
In parallel to moving up the waterpolo ladder, starting in the mid 1970’s Tony began to establish for himself what eventually became a very successful career in the Hospitality and Catering World. He held several senior positions as a Chef in various leading Hotels and Hospitality Establishments in London and the Home Counties. In the ‘London Waterpolo Family’ he became the ‘go to man’ for advice when not only the Poly, but also other Waterpolo Clubs in the London Area who were planning Dinners and Hospitality Events. His contacts were extensive and he always knew where to find the best deals! As time went on, Tony also created his own Catering and Hospitality Company whose Clients over the years included the Annual Chelsea Flower Show and also Private Functions hosted by various rich and famous people.
What set again Tony apart from everyone else at that time was his generosity and willingness to make his Catering Skills for the special events in the lives of his Friends and their Families. Many recall how he would calmly turn up with all the Food and other items necessary for an event with 70 guests, often only a couple of hours prior to the event, and then just calmly preparing and cooking a Three Course Meal while also chatting and telling stories, his hands moving deftly pealing, cutting, mixing and cooking the various courses.
Often Tony would also suggest musical entertainment along with his Catering Services in the form of the Band of his Father Dennis, who also had progressed in the waterpolo world to a Referee in the London League. Denis and his Band were a regular feature in the St Albans Area in the 1970’s. Dennis’s musical talent was also inherited by Tony. Unkown even by many of his Poly Players, as well as the wider Waterpolo World who knew him, Tony was an excellent and talented pianist who sometimes played with his Father’s Band.
Tony continued playing waterpolo competitively well into his 50’s, albeit not at the elite level he did previously. He was a permanent fixture in in the Watford Waterpolo Team, which incidentally I started my competitive career in their Junior Team in 1963. The last time I played with Tony was in the World Masters Tournament in Sheffield in 1996 as members of the Poly over 40’s Team. His energy levels by then may have diminished, but his ability to ‘slip by’ defenders and get a shot away at a crucial time was still there.
In March the Poly will hold their first Dinner since COVID. It will also probably be the first Poly Dinner that Tony will not be present since the inception of that Dinner in the late 1980’s. This has been noted by others in tributes to Tony. It should also be remembered that Tony was at one time the Head Chef at the Royal Garden Hotel where in 1974 the Poly held their Centenary Dinner. It is cruel that he left us early and will not be in attendance at the 150th Celebration of Polytechnic Swimming and Water Polo Club in 2024.
I am sure my memories of Tony can be augmented many times over by not only former and current members of the Poly Club, but also from the wider waterpolo family in Britain and from his many colleagues in the Hospitality and Catering World. He will certainly never be forgotten by the former Poly players of the 1970’s era, who I am sure whenever they are together will drink a toast to ‘Luigi’ and his memory, which will also be a little bit ironic, as for all the times I have known TonyI have never seen him drink any alcohol.
David Chapman