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Sports journalist and former lecturer dies aged 83

A veteran Welsh journalist who continued to write rugby reports into his 80s has died following a stroke.

George Williams, of Cardiff, covered Welsh Premiership matches for the South Wales Argus before retiring a year ago.

Earlier in his career he worked as a sub-editor on the sportsdesk of the Western Mail, also covering matches on a Saturday.

He left that position to become a lecturer at Cardiff’s school of journalism and was responsible for tutoring some of the current stars of the profession.

Although in later years he concentrated on rugby, George’s great love was reporting racquet sports including squash, tennis and badminton.

He was part of the Press Association’s racquet sports reporting team at several Commonwealth games and also worked for national newspapers and agencies.

Chris Smart, a friend and colleague who had known him for 45 years paid tribute.

He told the Argus: “George was a perfect courteous gentleman, one of the old school, meticulous for detail and careful in everything he did.

“I feel privileged to have known him for so long. Many journalists today have a lot to thank George for.”

George leaves wife Wendy, a former Sports Council for Wales member, and a son and a daughter.

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  • September 11, 2013 at 11:40 am
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    George Campbell Williams was a long-standing member of the NCTJ media law exams board, and was valued there, as elsewhere, for his expertise, which was always imparted with a kindly, good humour. He was an instinctively good educator and journalist.

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