JOHN Taylor, one of York's finest sporting all-rounders, has died in St Leonard's Hospice after a long illness. He was 64.

Mr Taylor, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer last year, was a leading cricketer and low handicap golfer for many years.

He opened the bowling with Ken Skilbeck for York Cricket Club when they beat Blackpool in the final to win the National Club Championship at Maidstone in 1975.

A medium pace bowler, he finished top of the Yorkshire League bowling averages in 1970 and 1971 when players such as Arnie Sidebottom, Peter Kippax and Bill Foord were in their prime.

Clive Robinson, York's captain when they won the national title, said today, "John was a very good and tremendously competitive cricketer.

"He was always the first name down on the team sheet when we chose the teams each week because of his all-round strength. He could move the ball both ways and also bowl seam up and was a more than useful batsman.

"Sometimes we fell out on the field because he was so keen he always thought he should be bowling. Put it this way, if there was a war on he was the man you would need next to you in the trenches."

Born in Middlesborough, Mr Taylor moved to Easingwold when he was six months old and went to Easingwold School. He then became an electrician at Rowntree's from 1956 to 1984 before moving into planning maintenance. He took early retirement and spent the last five years of his working life at British Telecom.

He played football for Easingwold in the 1950s and 60s and cricket until 1965 before joining Rowntree's CC the following year. He then played for York from 1969 to 1977 and was in the team which won the Yorkshire League and the Yorkshire Council championship in 1970.

Mr Taylor was a 24-handicap golfer when he took up the sport at Easingwold in 1971 and went on to win many club trophies as his handicap eventually came down to three.

He joined Fulford in 1980 and three years later was in the team which won the Yorkshire first division team championship. He was runner-up in the York match-play championship the same year when he also played in the Benson & Hedges pro-am. He was Yorkshire Seniors champion in 1999.

Mr Taylor, who represented York on many occasions in the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs inter-union team championship, had three holes in one in his career. He last played on September 30 before his illness made it impossible for him to continue.

He was a Mason, a Past Master of the Mitre Lodge, York and a member of the Installed Masters and Chapter.

Mr Taylor leaves his wife Joyce, to whom he was married for 38 years, daughters Jane and Joanne and three grandchildren.

The funeral service is at Osbaldwick Church on Tuesday, May 25 at noon, followed by a private cremation.

Updated: 10:57 Tuesday, May 18, 2004