FOOTBALL, cricket and driving were just three of Eric Tyler's passions, in spite of having lost the use of his arms following an attack of polio when he was 10 years old.

But Eric, who has died suddenly at the age of 64, was not going to let anything stand in his way.

"When he played cricket," recalls childhood friend Frank Harrison, "he couldn't use the bat so we'd roll his trouser leg up and he'd use his leg as the bat. We used a tennis ball but he took a lot of getting out and in the end, we'd substitute the cricket ball!"

Nor was Eric going to allow his disability to stand in the way of his working life.

At 16, he joined Berrows Newspapers as a proof-reader and was soon involved in running the Worcester Evening News football team, which, in its later incarnation as the Here-ford Times side, won the SOGAT National News-paper cup.

Perhaps his greatest achievement, though, was passing his driving test in 1983, having learned to drive in a specially adapted car.

Nine years later, Eric's story was used in an Employment Service national campaign to publicise the support available for employees with disabilities.

Until 2003, Eric worked for HP Bulmer as a senior analyst/programmer in the IT department. When he was made redundant that year, rather than taking early retirement, Eric embarked on another job, this time with Abbey Antiques, designing their website.

The funeral took place on Wednesday at St Paul's Church, Tupsley.