TRIBUTES have poured in to Granville Beckett, the Examiner's former athletics correspondent.

Mr Beckett, of Dalton, died at the age of 69 after a distinguished journalistic career.

He covered athletics and boxing for the Examiner for many years, but also provided excellent reports for many other newspapers and magazines.

Examiner sports editor John Gledhill said: "Over the years I have never known a more conscientious correspondent than Granville Beckett.

"The outstanding feature of his work was the meticulous attention to detail, whether he was covering athletics or boxing. That transmitted itself to his organisational skills with Longwood Harriers."

Allan Greenwood, a journalistic colleague, recalls: "I first met Granville Beckett at a cross-country meeting near Batley one freezing winter's afternoon.

"From that day grew a good friendship and I got to know a man who many only knew by his reports of their sporting joy or misery.

"Granville was an honest man, a loving caring and devoted family man with a passion for his chosen profession.

"Granville was a good club runner and a lifelong member of Huddersfield-based Longwood Harriers. He organised the Longwood 10 road race for over a decade.

"He would ensure a top-quality field at the sharp end by ringing round the top athletics stars of the day, with all of whom he was on first name terms and, if necessary, offer travelling expenses as an incentive.

"One year he told me: `I rang Ron Hill', who at the time was British and Commonwealth marathon champion. Hill was used to winning good prizes and his reply inferred that it had to be worth his while to travel. "What can you get me for winning?" "What do you want?" asked Granville, to which Hill came back: `I could do with a new carpet, a good one mind'.

"On race day, Granville himself ran in the race and after around a half-mile Ron Hill came up alongside. They were probably in the third main group of runners, just behind the chasing bunch.

"Hill said: `Hey Granville, did you get me that carpet?'. Granville replied: `Aye, but you'll have to win it!' - at which Hill set off at top speed. He was waiting on the finish line and with a grin, having broken the course record!

"The following year Hill returned to win a lawn-mower."

Beckett had a terrific memory for names, athletics clubs, dates and venues of sporting occasions. He held hand-written records of all the major athletics events dating back to the turn of the last century - never once resorting to a computer.

A spare room at his Dalton home was used as an office. It was filled with fitted wardrobes along one wall, filled from floor to ceiling with thousands of books and cased magazines.

Greenwood said: "He pulled out a leather binder of Athletics Weekly magazines from the early 1960s, opened it and proudly pointed out the report from a junior cross-country race."

"It said: `Watch out for this promising youngster from Hallamshire Harriers, writes Granville Beckett, he is a real prospect for the future. His name is Sebastian Coe' "

Beckett joined the Bradford Telegraph and Argus as athletics writer, but was told he would have to cover boxing as well.

He knew little about the sport but, in typical fashion, quickly learned about it and began covering contests, some of which went on late into the night.

He was dispatched to Munich to cover the Muhammad Ali v Richard Dunn heavyweight championship fight in 1976.

Waiting in the hotel one afternoon, in walked Ali, alone and relaxed and they chat quietly.

Beckett said: "He was polite and charming - but the moment his people walked in Ali changed in a flash, bouncing around and talking the big talk."

Mr Beckett's funeral took place this afternoon at the English Martyrs RC Church in Dalton.

He leaves a widow, Pat, two children, Elizabeth and Graham, and three grandsons, Benjamin, Jacob and Samuel.