Granville Taylor: hallmark of professionalism and integrity

Granville Taylor, who for some 25 years was press officer for the sport in Devon & Cornwall, died peacefully at home on Monday aged 81.

Taylor (pictured above holding trophy after a win by his Billy Merriott) had been contributing to the sport far longer than that, however, initially working for Pointerform ratings in 1968 and then, seven years later, becoming a race reader for Terry Selby’s Chase Publications, which produced the Mackenzie & Selby annual. His work continued once that organisation became part of Weatherbys. In October he was told a cancer diagnosis had worsened, but battled on and attended and filed a report from the season’s opening weekend fixture at Dunsmore in Devon.

A man with huge knowledge of point-to-pointing and popular with its participants, he was also a skilful writer whose reports were published on this website, in Go Pointing and across local media in the West Country. He was fortunate that some giants of the sport, from horses, riders and trainers, were active in his patch during his many years covering point-to-pointing.

His son Nick said: “Dad really enjoyed his final day out at Dunsmore when he was in his happy place on the racetrack. We even backed the last-race winner together.

“He was born and raised in Leicestershire, just off the back straight to the racecourse, and it was his dad who first took him racing. My father went on to join the MoD, and joked that he had only two bosses – the Queen and racing. In 1980 we moved to Taunton and he worked for the Admiralty, selling nautical charts and maps and travelling abroad in the summer so as to spend as much time at home in the winter.”

Taylor owned point-to-pointers and horses who ran under rules. Nick said: “I remember a family meeting involving the four of us in which he said: ‘We can buy a racehorse or have a summer holiday abroad’. The vote was three-nil for the racehorse before Mum got a look in.

“He also liked giving young people a chance and gave rides to the likes of Michael Legg, Anthony Honeyball and Ben Godfrey (pictured above in jockey colours) among others when they were starting out.

“Until last week he was still able to pen reports and previews with great care and pride, which I found unbelievable.”

Gordon Chambers, secretary to the Devon & Cornwall Point-to-Point Association, said: “Granville has been one of those people who was always there. If a meeting was on, it didn’t matter if it was raining, hail, frost or snow, he would be there, always enthusiastic, and he loved being involved in a journalistic capacity.

“He had a fine way of telling a story, and often with an anecdote from his long involvement in the sport. He told the truth, but in a diplomatic way when needed, and he was a kind man, who understood the challenges of getting horses to win races.

“He came to our area meeting in October, gave a season’s preview chat to all the secretaries and said that while he wasn’t in the best of health he hoped to get us through to the New Year. It was a terrible shock when a few days later he informed us his illness had worsened.

“Granville has been a rock in our area, and we are all going to remember him and miss him.”

Taylor leaves his second wife Gail, son Nick, daughter Gillian and granddaughter Isobel.