A long-serving sports journalist has bowed out after more than four decades in the regional press.
The Yorkshire Post has said farewell to Chris Stratford, left, who has worked for the Yorkshire Post since August 1987 and finished up as night editor (sport) at the Leeds-based daily.
Chris, 64, worked his last shift yesterday (Monday 17), bringing the curtain down on a career which began on the Romford Observer in October 1973.
Manchester-born Chris’s support of his hometown football club Manchester United had aided him in his interview at the Observer, with then-editor Lou Cummins also being a fan of the team.
Initially serving as news reporter on an indentured apprenticeship, he became sports editor in September 1976 before moving to become assistant editor at Golf Illustrated magazine in January 1978.
Chris returned to the regional press in April 1980 as a sports sub/writer on the evening Herald, in Chelmsford, and was promoted to sports editor the following year before the newspaper folded in April 1982.
He turned down the job of group sports editor for the Essex Chronicle Series to move to The News, Portsmouth, as sports sub/writer with responsibility for covering Southampton FC.
Chris said: “Their manager Lawrie McMenemy had me banned from The Dell’s press room for a brief while because I was talking to players without his authority – but when I stopped covering Saints he rang to thank me for ‘the best coverage we’ve ever had from your paper’.”
Between December 1984 and August 1987 he was TV writer for The News, before returning to sport when he joined the Post as deputy sports editor.
In April 2015 he turned down the opportunity to become sports editor of a desk that combined the YP and the Yorkshire Evening Post sports teams, following a merger a few years earlier, and became night editor (sport).
For four years he also acted as both papers’ golf correspondent in his own free time.
Chris, who is a father-of-three and grandfather-of-seven, added: “I’ve had a great time at the Yorkshire Post and elsewhere and will be sorry to leave behind some very good colleagues and friends.
“On a positive note I will still be supplying golf stories for the paper.”
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Farewell Chris, I only worked with you for a short time, but you are a smashing bloke. All the best for the future, you now have more time to watch your beloved Manchester United
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Good luck Chris. You were a pleasure to work with at the Romford Observer when I took over the editorship from Lou Cummins. They were happy days with some excellent journalists like John Hill, Charlie Whebell, Gill Humphrey and Patrick Faulkner when working on a local paper was also fun. Enjoy your retirement.
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A consummate professional!
Very entertaining company and a great guy.
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Many thanks for the kind comments, gents. It was great working with you all.
I have such wonderful memories of working under your excellent leadership, David, at the Romford Observer.
I owe so much to you, Lou, John Hill, ‘Tex’ Hennessey, Dennis Skinner, Sue Savage, and photographers such as Ted Sepple, Steve Watson and Keith Steele.
Hard to believe I managed to continue through my whole working life in the same trade, but it undoubtedly had a lot to do with the grounding I was given at the Observer.
I recall Dennis impressing on me the first day the need to ‘Check, check and check again’.
I accept the mantra has changed to ‘Get it on line, get it online, get it online’, but I do feel a bit more care should be taken before hitting the Send button.
But that’s just the boring old f*rt in the corner muttering about that.
Lunch then off to take photos and hopefully interview the winner of the Yorkshire Seniors golf championship at Garforth. Seems an appropriate first event for me to cover as a retired gent.
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