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Teacher's memories of Ricky
RICKY Butler's primary school teacher this week shared her memories of a polite, sporty little boy who was always popular with the girls in his class.
Ricky, 15, died after a serious assault outside a Hallowe'en party, in Gorringes Brook, Horsham, in the early hours of Saturday November 3.
Elizabeth Tongue, 63, from Billingshurst, was his class teacher in year five, at Leechpool Primary School, in Leechpool Lane, Horsham.
She also taught his brother Robert and has memories of mum Sarah helping out with the class.
Mrs Tongue, who retired in 2004 after 14 years at Leechpool, said she was shocked when she heard what had happened to Ricky.
"I couldn't believe it was Ricky who had been hurt," she said.
"The tributes in the County Times last week were so nice.
"Ricky would have been about nine or ten when I taught him.
"He was always such a happy boy and he was a really good sport.
"He never complained.
"We taught him a sport called tripleball, based on a kind of a mixture between rounders, cricket and stool ball. He was excellent at it.
"He could hit the ball so far he could get round twice in the time it took most children to get round just once.
"He was very popular and he had wonderful manners. He really was a very well mannered boy."
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Weather for Horsham
Thursday 09 February 2012
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