CORNWALL'S long serving cricket and rugby correspondent Paul Bawden, of Camborne, died on Friday at Treliske Hospital, after a recent illness. He was 78.

A popular character and familiar face, particularly among the Cornish rugby and cricket fraternities, Paul was possibly best known for compiling the Cornwall Cricket League results on Saturday evenings for many years, and he also wrote cricket and rugby reports for the local press.

He had been a newspaper correspondent supplying details to a number of media organisations, including The West Briton.

He was a life member of the Cornwall RFU, and was also a life member of the Trelawny Army Supporters' Club.

Paul was a player at Redruth RFC, Redruth Albany, and Falmouth RFC. he was also an England Colts selector, Cornwall Colts chairman, CRFU chairman of selectors, and chairman of CRFU Rugby Development Partnership.

Last November, his Rucking Feasters team played St Just in the annual Feast Monday match for the 42nd time since the game's inception back in 1967.

● In a personal tribute Cornwall cricket press officer Michael Weeks writes:

"Though rugby was unquestionably Paul's passion the local cricket community will also greatly miss him. For the best part of 50 years he has provided a cricket reporting service. Initially he covered the clubs in the Camborne and Redruth areas. Over the years this expanded and on the passing of his 'sparring partner' Bunny Williams, in 2001, he took on the collating of results for the entire Western section of the Cornwall League.

"This was further expanded in 2003 to cover the whole county. Having spent virtually every summer Saturday night with him over the last nine years there is no doubt about the pressure to collate around 60 or 70 results and submit to the press by the increasingly tighter deadlines – as early as 10pm nowadays.

"Up until only three or four years ago this was tediously done by voice to copy takers at the other end of the phone in the newspaper offices, with a complete Sunday morning repeat for the Western Morning News for good measure. "Words having to be literally spelt out at times – how often have I heard his dulcet tones forcefully saying down the phone line "It's Stevens with a V or Barripper with three R's". On top of that there would be some very busy Sunday evenings when rearrangements across the divisions were in play, full Bank Holiday Monday programmes plus County and mid week cup games etc. Paul took it all in his stride, albeit with some highly charged moments when Premier or County 1 results hadn't come in and some frantic last minute 'digging' had to be done. He felt it of prime importance that these games especially must see the light of print on Sunday morning. "By the time I was ready for a breather at the end of the cricket season Paul was already well into his rugby reporting and a winter of meeting new deadlines.

"With the new digital age Paul was one of the 'old school' of correspondents and his like will surely never be seen again."

● Mr Bawden's funeral service will be held at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Station Hill, Redruth on Thursday March 25 at noon, followed by a private cremation.