Trevor Bond, who served the SJA in several roles including chair, treasurer and secretary, has died at the age of 90; he worked in senior sports editorial roles for the Sunday Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday before retiring in the mid 1990s; here, Trevor’s son Duncan leads the tributes…
By The SJA
Trevor Bond, the former chair and secretary of the Sports Journalists’ Association who was greatly admired across the industry, has died at the age of 90.
The Sports Journalists’ Association sends its deepest condolences to Trevor’s family, friends and former colleagues at this sad time.
“Bondy” – as he was known to everyone in the media – began his career on the Essex and Thurrock Gazette at the age of 18, before moving to the Romford Times and then the Stratford Express, which was then one of the biggest-selling weekly newspapers in the country.
He was responsible for their famous headline “West Ham 4, W. Germany 2” on the 1966 World Cup final report from Wembley.
Three years later, he joined the Sunday Telegraph and rose to the position of sports editor. When The Mail on Sunday launched in 1982, he was handed the job of associate sports editor.
By this time, he had already had a spell as a committee member of the then Sports Writers’ Association, and he returned in 1991.
Within a few years, he was serving as chair; then he took on the role of treasurer; and then had an eight-year stint as secretary, during which he won the Doug Gardner Award in 1999 and saw the association’s name change to the SJA.
He also served as AIPS deputy secretary from 2001 to 2005, and was a life member of the SJA.
Trevor’s son Duncan writes: “Dad always supported the association whenever he could. He adored his career in sports journalism.”
Here, Duncan shares memories of his father’s life and career…
Our Dad, Trevor William Bond, has played his last innings.
Dad had an amazing career in sports journalism. Firstly on the Stratford Express, following his beloved West Ham United across Europe in the 1960s.
He then became Sports Editor of the Sunday Telegraph in the 1970s, and was Associate Sports Editor of The Mail on Sunday, when it launched in the early 1980s.
The picture below is one of my favourites ever as Dad (second from left), sits opposite Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, on a royal visit to the Sunday Telegraph in the 1970s.
Dad loved his cricket. He never did quite reach a century, but what a glorious innings he played to get to his 90th birthday in April this year.
His highest-ever score of 98 was ended when he was out because his cap fell on the wicket and knocked a bail off. He never wore a cap again after that.
His love of cricket rubbed off on Mark and me. From an early age, we were introduced to the very underrated game of beach cricket.
Pitch up on a beach in Devon, three stumps, a bat and a tennis ball. The deviation you got from bowling into a ridge on the sand was better than anything Shane Warne bowled in his career. Needless to say, I still can’t play spin!
And Dad left us on the same day as one of his cricketing heroes, Sir Garfield Sobers. Two cricket legends leaving the world at the same time. Dad will be happy with that. He’s probably asking him for a Heavenly net as we speak.
He was a loving husband to Jan for over 60 years and found it difficult when Jan went into a care home permanently with Alzheimer’s disease.
He had two sons, Mark and me (Duncan) and was simply Grandpa Trev to three much-loved and adored grandchildren, Liam, Callum and Chloe.
You will be forever missed but always remembered.
Finally, you can now enjoy a Scotch with your dear friends up there. I know you missed them. Now you can all be reunited in the great ‘Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese’ in the sky, and remember happy times and “hot metal”.
If you are interested in sharing your memories of Trevor via publication on the SJA website, please email us – we welcome your contributions.
Further reading…
The Questionnaire: Trevor Bond (April 2006)
Memories of a local weekly renowned for its training of journalists (Roy Greenslade on The Stratford Express, Media Guardian, October 2016)
Scenes from a Life – Trevor Bond sharing experiences resulting from his surname (Rotary Club of Billericay, 2023)
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