A POPULAR sportsman who once rescued a young girl from a river has died at the age of 72.

Robert Granville Hardy-Readman, who was known as Bob Readman, was well- known in York footballing circles since his schooldays at Shipton Street Primary and Manor Higher Grade School for Boys.

A centre-half or full-back, Bob played first as a youngster for Crombie Avenue Boys, and went on to play for South Bank, Cliftonville and Yorkshire Herald, a club he helped to form in the 1950s.

He then ran the team alongside Roy Ellwood, another founder member, and for some years was a keen York City fan.

Mr Readman, who died at his home on May 27 after a long battle against cancer, was a bookbinder for 27 years at the Yorkshire Herald Printing Works in Coney Street, and went on to work for a further 20 years at Ben Johnson's in Boroughbridge Road.

He loved cricket and rugby, being a member of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

While playing for the Herald team in a match alongside the River Humber in Hull in the 1960s, Bob made headline news in the Evening Press for saving 12-year-old Susan Burr from drowning.

On a separate occasion while working at the Herald, Bob, who was scared of heights, scaled a church tower on Coney Street to help rescue a workman who had collapsed on the roof.

Roy Ellwood, president of York FA, said: "Bob was my best friend for more than 50 years.

"We were life members of the Groves WMC and often went on holiday together including two cruises on the Oriana. I never heard anyone say a bad word about Bob."

Mr Readman and his widow, Elsie, recently celebrated their golden wedding.

They got married in Halifax on the same day that York City were playing in an FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield, but Elsie said Bob still kept tabs on the game from afar.

Mrs Readman, who lives in the same house in Holgate where the couple spent all of their married life, said Bob was "a wonderful man".

"He was a good husband and father, and everybody liked him," she said.

Mrs Readman said that after retirement local youngsters used to come and knock on the door to see if Bob would come out and play football with them.

"They used to call him Bob the Builder, and he always used to say to them there's no playing football outside my house unless I'm playing as well," said Elsie.

Mr Readman also leaves a daughter, Vanessa, four grandchildren - Ben, 26, Hannah, 23, and twins Laura and Rachel, 20 - and great- grandchildren Harmony, three, and ten-week-old Coby.

His funeral is at York Crematorium tomorrow (3rd), at 10am, followed by a get-together at the Railway Institute sports ground in Hamilton Drive, Holgate.

Updated: 10:21 Thursday, June 02, 2005