Letter: Lady Masham of Ilton obituary

In the mid-1960s I took part as an undergraduate in two summer camps for Borstal inmates that the Masham family ran on their estate in North Yorkshire, and so encountered Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Lady Masham of Ilton. The programme was in many ways a social experiment, involving overnight hikes and rural settings that most of the inmates had never met before.

When we all went up to the house for an evening, I recall Susan suggesting to the Borstal inmates that some of them might like to play table tennis with her. The 20-year-old “hard nut” with whom I shared a tent was very good, having had lots of practice in various institutions.

She thought it would be better to play against two of us, so I found myself joining him to face her across the table. Up to that point she had been a genial and cheerful host, but once in the swing of playing table tennis she was, her wheelchair notwithstanding, skilled, ruthless and quicker than any of us had expected. She beat us convincingly, displaying considerable tactics, but then reverted to being humorous and supportive to my chastened Borstal friend. It made a strong impression on him - and on me.