Tony Millard

[Mo Gosfield]

RIP, he was a regular at the Amex too, pretty sure I saw him before the Derby game.

You did. He was in his ' specially commissioned ' seat toward the back of the press box and as close to the halfway line as possible. He always tried to be at the Amex unless Sky commitments took him elsewhere.
He was a consummate professional and an extremely capable broadcaster. Whether it was football, cricket, speedway or any other sport. He leaves a massive hole in the Sussex Cricket League. He helped found the league in 1971, played in it for years and was latterly, a leading umpire. He was, quite simply, the driving force behind it. He was a massive supporter of Brighton Brunswick CC and heavily involved right up to present.
He was Mr. Sussex sport. Known throughout the County. He was as adept at the written word as the spoken word.
I knew Tony for over 40 years and only recently ( within the last two weeks ) I spent some time in his company, reminiscing about all things football and cricket. He was in sparkling form and talking about plans for the future.
Tony will be sorely missed. He was a doer. Even though he was always busy, if you asked him a favour, he would do it for you. A superb organiser, a driven man, who did things the right way. An excellent MC and no mean after-dinner speaker.
I have been left in a bit of a daze by todays news. It was so unexpected. All who knew him well expected him to go on for ever.( We know it comes to all of us but he had that long-term solidity about him )
I will raise a glass to him tonight and tomorrow I will look across to his seat in the press box. I know he won't be there but I will imagine him there. As he was at the Goldstone, at Gillingham and at the Withdean. As mentioned before, he joins Jack Arlidge and John Vinnicombe in that little select club of men that we have grown up with. Men that we have relied on for news. Men that were a special part of our lives because they shared our love of sport and BHA in particular.
Thanks for the memories Tony.
RIP.

 

[desprateseagull]

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/10632256.Tony_Millard_dies/

Commentator and former ‘Voice of the Albion’ Tony Millard has died.

The speedway commentator, cricket umpire and administrator passed away this morning, aged 74.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Knocks you back a bit when you hear news like this

RIP Mr Millard

 

[desprateseagull]

Hereford "highlights" with Tony's commentary. There is a man with a real emotional connection to his subject.

[video=vimeo;23283912]http://vimeo.com/23283912[/video]

STAND UP, for the Seagull Line!

RIP, Tony Millard.

Commentator.
Fan.
LEGEND.

 

[Seagulltonian]

He also had very big links with the Eastbourne Eagles speedway team, and was one of the voices on the PA at Arlington when I first went to speedway.

The youtube clip that I've put on this post was one of my favourite speedway commentrys of all time, especially as it was an Eastbourne rider that won the British Speedway GP.

I'm sure he'll be commentating wherever he is. RIP Tony

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Agree, along with Stavros on the football specials.

RIP

As someone who was fortunate enough to enjoy the Glory Years of the mid/late 70s Tony Millard was very much the voice of the Albion, and Stavos the face of the Seagull Special train on match day, with John Vinicombe's match report on a Monday.

With no Internet, the Seagull line was a lifeline, although I do recall spending a small fortune on it!

RIP Tony.

 

[melias shoes]

Not seen anything official, but various sources on Twitter (one connected with SkySports) are saying Tony Millard has passed away.

The voice of the Seagull Line, for those of us vintage enough to have frittered away many multiples of 35p per minute on it.

That seagull line cost my parents a bloody fortune.
Sad news indeed. His voice was instantly recognisable whether on the radio or the public address at the Goldstone.
After the Albion beat Liverpool at Anfield 83 Radio Brighton produced a cassette recording of the game. Tonys' description of the Albion opening goal was fantastic and i can remember it word for word.
RIP Tony Millard.

 

[Raphael Meade]

Very sad news! A true Albion legend... used to spend a fortune on the Albion line, and i've just sat here in the coffee shop i'm in and watched a bunch of youtube videos that someone cut his commentary too. Definitely brings a tear to the eye hearing his Hereford commentary again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwCzfZ7g0ZQ&list=UULuMDvOwG6JZ8TEBxj6jDbA&index=36

I know people posted links, but some great videos cut to his commentary there...

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Very sad news! A true Albion legend... used to spend a fortune on the Albion line, and i've just sat here in the coffee shop i'm in and watched a bunch of youtube videos that someone cut his commentary too. Definitely brings a tear to the eye hearing his Hereford commentary again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwCzfZ7g0ZQ&list=UULuMDvOwG6JZ8TEBxj6jDbA&index=36

I know people posted links, but some great videos cut to his commentary there...

I really wish we could have that clip, with Tony's superb commentary, at the game tomorrow.

 

[Baron Pepperpot]

Very sad news! A true Albion legend... used to spend a fortune on the Albion line, and i've just sat here in the coffee shop i'm in and watched a bunch of youtube videos that someone cut his commentary too. Definitely brings a tear to the eye hearing his Hereford commentary again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwCzfZ7g0ZQ&list=UULuMDvOwG6JZ8TEBxj6jDbA&index=36

I know people posted links, but some great videos cut to his commentary there...

'The crowds gone mad, we've gone mad !'

 

[Oscar]

RIP Tony.

I doubt they'll ever bring back the Seagull Line now.

 

[Al Bion]

So shocked to hear of the untimely passing of Tony Millard. He really was the voice of Sussex sport. Hard to imagine now just how important the Seagull Line was in an age when it was the only way of finding out Albion news. I loved how sometimes the new recording didn't quite erase over the previous recording so you had to listen to all sorts before you gained a snippet of news. And some of his commentaries are just legendary. It would be really fitting if there could be a medley of some of them at the Amex as a tribute tomorrow.

RIP Tony.

 

[Canonman]

The voice of The Albion, RIP Tony.

 

[Stevie Boy]

Hereford "highlights" with Tony's commentary. There is a man with a real emotional connection to his subject.

[video=vimeo;23283912]http://vimeo.com/23283912[/video]

1.26 sec, true passion with his commentary, sitting here with tears watching this

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Minute silence rather than applause in my opinion, will mean a lot more. Shocking news, and another really significant loss.

 

[Henfield One]

Sad news - Tony Millard was for many the voice of Sussex sport. A big shock. Tony had a colourful past and was very occasionally cynical about our campaigning, but we respected each other and he was Sussex/Albion through & through.

A great communicator and his words are already a part of Albion folklore, thanks for everything Tony - rest in peace.

 

[KNC]

You did. He was in his ' specially commissioned ' seat toward the back of the press box and as close to the halfway line as possible. He always tried to be at the Amex unless Sky commitments took him elsewhere.
He was a consummate professional and an extremely capable broadcaster. Whether it was football, cricket, speedway or any other sport. He leaves a massive hole in the Sussex Cricket League. He helped found the league in 1971, played in it for years and was latterly, a leading umpire. He was, quite simply, the driving force behind it. He was a massive supporter of Brighton Brunswick CC and heavily involved right up to present.
He was Mr. Sussex sport. Known throughout the County. He was as adept at the written word as the spoken word.
I knew Tony for over 40 years and only recently ( within the last two weeks ) I spent some time in his company, reminiscing about all things football and cricket. He was in sparkling form and talking about plans for the future.
Tony will be sorely missed. He was a doer. Even though he was always busy, if you asked him a favour, he would do it for you. A superb organiser, a driven man, who did things the right way. An excellent MC and no mean after-dinner speaker.
I have been left in a bit of a daze by todays news. It was so unexpected. All who knew him well expected him to go on for ever.( We know it comes to all of us but he had that long-term solidity about him )
I will raise a glass to him tonight and tomorrow I will look across to his seat in the press box. I know he won't be there but I will imagine him there. As he was at the Goldstone, at Gillingham and at the Withdean. As mentioned before, he joins Jack Arlidge and John Vinnicombe in that little select club of men that we have grown up with. Men that we have relied on for news. Men that were a special part of our lives because they shared our love of sport and BHA in particular.
Thanks for the memories Tony.
RIP.

Great obituary, Mo.
Although from different sides of the 'track', we've lost two Albion stalwarts in the last month.

 

[John Byrnes Mullet]

RIP Tony Millard.
He was voice of the Albion for me as a child. Had a job interview at his Sports Promotion Company in Landsdown Place he ran with Danny Bloor. Had no luck with the job but was great to meet for sure a true professional journalist.
A minutes silence tommorrow and place on the Legends wall would be a fitting tribute.

 

[Jambo Seagull]

RIP Tony Millard. I can still hear his voice now wafting across Hove Park from the Goldstone on the walk with my Dad to the game in the late 70s.

 

[Steve Foster]

Sad day, was better than what we currently have. A legend in his own right.

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