Percy Beames dies at 92

Percy Beames, an Australian sporting legend, has died in Melbourne at the age of 92.

Beames made his name playing football for Melbourne - he was in three premiership teams and was named in their team of the century - and Victoria. He also played cricket for Victoria 18 times on either side of the war, scoring 1186 runs at 51.56 with a career-best of 226 not out against Tasmania in 1938-39.

After his retirement from top-level sport in 1945 he became a journalist, and for more than 30 years was the chief football and cricket writer for The Age newspaper in Melbourne. He retired in 1976.

"His voice was from the Bradman era, but his ideas were contemporary," Greg Baum wrote in Beames's old paper. "His enthusiasm for sport and for Melbourne never dimmed. Now both he and the Members' Stand are gone, and the sporting landscape in Melbourne will never be the same."