Graham Ball, the respected former literary editor of the Sunday Express died on 4 April, 2020 after a fall at his home. FRANK THORNE, who worked with Graham on the Sunday People, remembers his old friend. I first got to know Graham when he was a Mirror Group graduate from their Devon training scheme and he came to the Sunday People on attachment first in our northern office in Manchester as a general news reporter and later in the London office, where we first met. After stints on the road and later the news desk, Graham became the editor of the gossip column. I believe he had the title of assistant editor. Graham eventually moved to the Sunday Express and when there was a round or more of savage redundancies when the office was just over Blackfriars Bridge, our old Sunday People friend turned Express executive, the late John Maddock, also a close friend of both of us, looked after him by giving Graham the plum job of literary editor. After I had moved to freelance in Australia, we lost touch but the last time I saw Graham years later was at the funeral of retired Sunday People editor Ernie Burrington at that quaint little church in Smithfield a few years ago. He told me he no longer worked and was living near Aylesford in Kent. I never saw him again. My fondest memories of Graham was that he became the skipper of the Sunday People cricket team and our first proper outing was a grudge match, the London office versus the Manchester office at the Werneth Cricket Club in Oldham. We won but the result was not all that — as ever, most of us who had not played cricket since we were teenagers were there more for the social side. Back at our hotel the Sam Smiths flowed like water and a good time was had by all, especially Graham who gatecrashed a wedding disco. Our team under Graham and his big mate Ric Papineau, their wives, Mirror art editor and wicketkeeper Roy Wright and other Mirror Group mates eventually became Grub Street Casuals and once a year, we all embarked on some wonderful cricket tours for the odd week. Graham was our leader, skipper and an impressive fast bowler. I was a slow, left arm spinner — left arm round the wicket — and once took 5 wickets for just 9 runs. The photograph of the Sunday People reporting team was taken when the late news reporter Paul Davidson organised a trip to visit the First World War “killing fields” of northern France. (see gallery page) The misty picture of us, taken on an automatic timer with my camera perched on top of a gravestone, was taken when top freelance Ted Hynds — then the boss of Devon News and a close friend — took us to visit a small war grave cemetery where the Devonshire Regiment suffered terrible casualties. I remember the cold mist coming down and raindrops dripping from overhanging branches like tears. Very moving. I was 40 years old when this pic was taken, so that makes it just over 30 years ago, as I am 71 now. RIP Graham Ball.