Your Greatest Sporting Day

[Robbie B]

It's Whit Monday and I have been reminded of the greatest sporting day,in my life, so far (6 June 1977).

 

It started off going to the Oval watching England play against Australia, in a one-day International. A match where unusually a player for each team made a century. namely Dennis Amiss (England) 108 and Greg Chappell (Australia) 125.

 

Both teams contained famous names of the past.

The England team was (242) JM Brearley (78), DL Amiss (108), DW Randall (6), GD Barlow (2), AW Greig (4), APE Knott (4), G Miller (4), CM Old (20), JK Lever (2), DL Underwood (5), RGD Willis (0), England having a 161 run opening partnership.

The Australian Team was (246) RB McCosker (11), RD Robinson (70), GS Chappell (125), KJ Hughes (3), KD Walters (12), DW Hookes (3), RJ Bright (0), KJ O'Keeffe (0), JR Thompson (3), G Dymock (2), LS Pascoe (dnb)

Australia won the match by 2 wickets.

 

After the match it was a matter of a short journey to Plough Lane to watch the Internationale. And what a meeting that turned out to be with a Wimbledon one-two. This rounded off a fantastic of day of live sport, for me as a teenager.

Internationale scores

Edward Jancarz (Wimbledon) 13, Larry Ross (Wimbledon) 11 (after run off), Phil Crump (Bristol) 11, Dave Jessup (Reading) 9, John Davis (Reading) 9, Gordon Kennett (White City) 9, Billy Sanders (Ipswich) 9, Jim McMillan (Wolverhampton) 8, Chris Morton (Belle Vue) 8, Peter Collins (Belle Vue) 7, Martin Ashby (Swindon) 7, Malcolm Simmons (Poole) 7, John Louis (Ipswich) 5, John Boulger (Leicester) 4, Doug Wyer (Sheffield) 2, Michael Lee (King's Lynn) 1, Neil Middleditch (Poole) (res) 0, Keith White (Hackney) (res) dnr.

 

The cost of all this live entertainment (including programmes) less then £5. What a bargain.

 

So what was your greatest ever sporting day?

Edited May 27, 2013 by Robbie B

[Guest]

It's Whit Monday and I have been reminded of the greatest sporting day,in my life, so far (6 June 1977).

 

It started off going to the Oval watching England play against Australia, in a one-day International. A match where unusually a player for each team made a century. namely Dennis Amiss (England) 108 and Greg Chappell (Australia) 125.

 

Both teams contained famous names of the past.

The England team was (242) JM Brearley (78), DL Amiss (108), DW Randall (6), GD Barlow (2), AW Greig (4), APE Knott (4), G Miller (4), CM Old (20), JK Lever (2), DL Underwood (5), RGD Willis (0), England having a 161 run opening partnership.

The Australian Team was (246) RB McCosker (11), RD Robinson (70), GS Chappell (125), KJ Hughes (3), KD Walters (12), DW Hookes (3), RJ Bright (0), KJ O'Keeffe (0), JR Thompson (3), G Dymock (2), LS Pascoe (dnb)

Australia won the match by 2 wickets.

 

After the match it was a matter of a short journey to Plough Lane to watch the Internationale. And what a meeting that turned out to be with a Wimbledon one-two. This rounded off a fantastic of day of live sport, for me as a teenager.

Internationale scores

Edward Jancarz (Wimbledon) 13, Larry Ross (Wimbledon) 11 (after run off), Phil Crump (Bristol) 11, Dave Jessup (Reading) 9, John Davis (Reading) 9, Gordon Kennett (White City) 9, Billy Sanders (Ipswich) 9, Jim McMillan (Wolverhampton) 8, Chris Morton (Belle Vue) 8, Peter Collins (Belle Vue) 7, Martin Ashby (Swindon) 7, Malcolm Simmons (Poole) 7, John Louis (Ipswich) 5, John Boulger (Leicester) 4, Doug Wyer (Sheffield) 2, Michael Lee (King's Lynn) 1, Neil Middleditch (Poole) (res) 0, Keith White (Hackney) (res) dnr.

 

The cost of all this live entertainment (including programmes) less then £5. What a bargain.

 

So what was your greatest ever sporting day?

 

An inflation calculator shows that in 1977 £5 in spending power was worth £30.40p. Even at that calculation it was certainly a bargain. I wonder how much a similar event (albeit sadly with no Wimbledon Speedway but another venue) would cost today. I reckon around £70 which in 1977 would have been £11.40.

Edited May 27, 2013 by Guest

[Robbie B]

The cricket I think was about 90p (maybe less) and souvenir programme about 50p or less.

 

The Speedway main grandstand at Wimbledon about 60p or 70p with programme.

 

So that's about £2.10

 

You have to remember that I was still at school at this time, so they are children prices, but he adults wouldn't have paid that much more then me.

Edited May 27, 2013 by Robbie B

[Guest]

An inflation calculator shows that in 1977 £5 in spending power was worth £30.40p. Even at that calculation it was certainly a bargain. I wonder how much a similar event (albeit sadly with no Wimbledon Speedway but another venue) would cost today. I reckon around £70 which in 1977 would have been £11.40.

The cricket I think was about 90p (maybe less) and souvenir programme about 50p or less.

 

The Speedway main grandstand at Wimbledon about 60p or 70p with programme.

 

So that's about £2.10

 

You have to remember that I was still at school at this time, so they are children prices, but he adults wouldn't have paid that much more then me.

 

That's interesting. Of course it's all a far cry from my first historic meeting at New Cross in 1946: admission old money 1shilling ninepence and programme sixpence. Total two shillings and sixpence plus I think four pence old money each way on the Tram - an overall cost of three shillings two pence old money.

The inflation calculator tells me that equal to £5.48p in modern terms - so speedway was obviously much cheaper to attend 67 years ago?

The historic link for me - I saw greats like Ron Johnson. Jack Parker and Geoff Pymar for the first time.

Edited May 27, 2013 by Guest

[Robbie B]

That's interesting. Of course it's all a far cry from my first historic meeting at New Cross in 1946: admission old money 1shilling ninepence and programme sixpence. Total two shillings and sixpence plus I think four pence old money each way on the Tram - an overall cost of three shillings two pence old money.

The inflation calculator tells me that equal to £5.48p in modern terms - so speedway was obviously much cheaper to attend 67 years ago?

The historic link for me - I saw greats like Ron Johnson. Jack Parker and Geoff Pymar for the first time.

 

It must have brilliant to see those star riders back in the day.

It's a shame that you can't get a real Tardis and go back in time. High Beech in 1928 and plus watching all of those pre-war riders at various tracks would be awesome.

[moxey63]

Only half of May 13th last year was My Best Sporting Day - the Man City last minute title victory only subdued on hearing of Lee Richardson's death later that evening.

 

Other than that, I recall the 1978 Whit Bank Holiday Monday and the trip to King's Lynn to watch the Aces, who fell 10 behind early on and played some masterly tac-subs to win eventually 35-43. Lovely morning at Saddlebow Road, then we journeyed on t o the Embassy International meeting at Wimbledon in the evening.

 

Peter Collins had scored a paid maximum in the morning and carried on the form at Plough Lane, despite starting slowly, I recall, and winning a three-man race-off (John Davis adn Malcolm Simmons starring) to take the trophy and seal what was a most memorable day for a 15 year-old (that was me, I was young once!).

 

It was a total contrast from 12 months earlier for this Belle Vue fan - Belle Vue losing at Lynn, Wilkie and his infamous ladder trek to the ref's box, and then PC bombing out at Wimbledon in the evening's Internationale, scoring way down the field.

Edited May 27, 2013 by moxey63

[John Ernest Holland]

in all sports watching england win the 66 world cup final and my dear old mum who when w germany equalised at 2-2 thinking it was england in the white shirts and my 2 favorite sports cricket my first glimse of a certain kevin petersen complete with bright red streak in his hair hitting a superb century against the aussies at headingly and the 1965 internationale at wimbledon when the stars of the old pl showed they could compete and beat the former big boys of the nl with c monk a deserved winner and hard man ivor brown meeting a certain mr fundin who showed him what real hard riding was

[BritPete]

in all sports watching england win the 66 world cup final and my dear old mum who when w germany equalised at 2-2 thinking it was england in the white shirts and my 2 favorite sports cricket my first glimse of a certain kevin petersen complete with bright red streak in his hair hitting a superb century against the aussies at headingly and the 1965 internationale at wimbledon when the stars of the old pl showed they could compete and beat the former big boys of the nl with c monk a deserved winner and hard man ivor brown meeting a certain mr fundin who showed him what real hard riding was

 

I was there for that meeting too. Gote Nordin was the unlucky one, he was leading Charlie Monk off the last bend, but his bike slowed, and Monk won the meeting. It was the best I ever saw Monk ride though, and he looked classy. I remember the clash between Fundin and Ivor Brown too! Ove was excluded for that, but in spite of his reputation, Fundin was rarely excluded.

Edited May 29, 2013 by BritPete

[van wolfswinkel]

in all sports watching england win the 66 world cup final and my dear old mum who when w germany equalised at 2-2 thinking it was england in the white shirts and my 2 favorite sports cricket my first glimse of a certain kevin petersen complete with bright red streak in his hair hitting a superb century against the aussies at headingly and the 1965 internationale at wimbledon when the stars of the old pl showed they could compete and beat the former big boys of the nl with c monk a deserved winner and hard man ivor brown meeting a certain mr fundin who showed him what real hard riding was

 

Definitely the 1966 World Cup Final, I was 10, but still remember it well. Going around the streets of London on the morning of the game waving Union Jacks.

Closely followed by Swindon Robins winning the Elite League play-off at Poole last year...first time since 1967. I started watching them in 1968. And would add Arsenal winning the league at Anfield in 1989, and 1971 Double. Plus Wilkys dropped goal to win the World Cup for England in the Aussie's back yard 10 years ago.

Edited May 30, 2013 by bertie boy