Peter Cooper

Mr Cooper, from Greystones in Sheffield, worked on the Daily Mirror for 26 years and was a popular figure at football grounds across the region.

As a teenager, he began his working life on the Sheffield Morning Telegraph, leaving in 1960 to pursue a career with the national press.

He was a regular voice on BBC Radio Sheffield from its early days in the late Sixties and his Red Card feature still appeared on the station until 2008. He also worked on a freelance basis for various other newspapers, including the Sunday Express and The Sunday Times, and appeared on Yorkshire Television.

He was chairman of the Elsecar Cricket Club in Barnsley.

Colleagues admired his wit, his sporting insight, and his wonderful way with words. A larger than life character, he was a regular on the top table at Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Society and was chair of the annual Yorkshire Football Writers Christmas lunch.

Following a stroke last year, Mr Cooper spent five months in hospital before moving to Fulwood Lodge Nursing Home, Sheffield, where he spent his final months.

A widower, he died with his three sons Michael, Christopher, and Jonathan, by his side. He is survived by his partner, Elizabeth Oakes. A funeral date has yet to be arranged.