ONE of the best known figures in Cornwall cricket has been found dead in his home.

Brian Holder, who lived in Fowey, had been scorer for the county side for more than 20 years.

When he wasn’t scoring for Cornwall in the Minor Counties Championship, he wielded the coloured pencils for St Austell CC.

Mr Holder, a bachelor believed to be in his 60s, worked for clay company Imery’s operating the weighbridge at Par. He had been in poor health for some time and colleagues became worried when he failed to turn up for work two days running. He was found dead in his bed on Tuesday.

As well as his passion for cricket, Mr Holder was a keen Plymouth Argyle fan and brass band enthusiast.

Anita George, the secretary of the county club, said Mr Holder’s death had come as a shock.

“Brian hadn’t been too well for some time, but no one thought he was that ill,” said Mrs George.

“My husband Peter and I got to know Brian really well over the years when we went away for Cornwall games and used to dine together most nights.

“Brian was a lovely, lovely man who will be missed by all his friends in cricket, not just in Cornwall but further afield.

“This year the county club wanted to honour him for his years of service and he was due to receive a cup at our annual meeting next month. It is such a shame he will never get to collect it.”

Keith Hore, who doubles up as treasurer for Cornwall and St Austell, said Mr Holder never played cricket but was a huge fan of the game.

He added: “He scored at St Austell for 30 years or more and was a real character known and liked by everyone.

“Brian didn’t have any family locally as he never married and lost both his parents close together about three years ago.

“We knew he hadn’t been well and missed a couple of games last season to have an operation on his intestines.

“Until the post mortem is carried out we don’t know why Brian died, although I my guess is it was probably a heart attack.”

Another tribute was paid by his Devon opposite number Harold Shaw, who shared the scorebox with Mr Holder for 18 years.

“We were the two longest-serving scorers in the business and it won’t seem the same not to meet up with Brian when we go to Truro this year,” said Mr Shaw, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

“Brian was great company in the scorebox and we got on like a house on fire as there was always lots of good-natured banter flying around.”

Friends across the cricket world knew Brian by his nickname of ‘Condor’, even though many of them hadn’t got a clue why.

“Years ago Brian used to like a pipe and clouds of tobacco smoke would billow out from the front of the scorebox,” said Mr Hore.

“Brian would only smoke Condor tobacco and although he gave up smoking years ago the nickname stuck.”