THE Oxfordshire sporting community has been left shocked by the death of Steve Wheeler.

The well-known photographer, who has taken pictures for the Oxford Mail for more than 30 years, passed away in his sleep at his Eynsham home on Tuesday morning. He was 62.

Mr Wheeler was a driving force behind the coverage of grass roots sport in the county, taking thousands of images from the Oxford Mail Youth League and Oxford Mail Girls League, covering every level of cricket, as well as his real passion, rugby union.

Oxford Mail sports editor Mark Edwards said: “Our sports pages in the Oxford Mail have been full of Steve’s pictures for decades.

“Every weekend without fail he would ensure he was available to go to whatever jobs we asked him to – often having to rearrange family commitments because he did not want to let us down.

“Even this weekend he was out producing a great set of images which adorn our pages.

“We are all stunned and saddened at the news, and send our deepest condolences to his family.”

Funeral arrangements are yet to be organised, while a full obituary will be published in the Oxford Mail next week.

Did you know Steve or remember him from sports games over the years? Leave your tribute below or send us an email