Bay sporting figure Tony dies at age of 80

Tony Atkins, who was 80, was always keen on sport at school won many prizes for athletics and running. He represented his school in football and cricket.
Tony moved to Torbay in the mid seventies for his work. He played badminton and tennis and it was in that field as well as bowls where he became best known and well-respected.
He submitted reports to the local paper. He had decided in the early nineties that he would like to pursue sports journalism and photography on a professional basis and this he did for the Herald Express, Plymouth and Exeter papers.
He loved all sports, reporting on badminton, tennis and bowls. He also enjoyed taking photos. He never thought of this as work and would spend many hours at the different clubs in Torbay and South Devon.
Tony died on September 14 sadly before he was able to complete a book on tennis in the Bay. It was something for he had been researching for a number of years.