A Sporting Life

[cuttsie]

E3Rocky Marciano .    In September 1955 my old Pa shook my sleepy head around 3am in the morning . “Come on get thi sen up” he said , “Rocky will be on wireless in a minute “. 

Rocky Marciano the greatest and undefeated boxing  heavy weight champion of the World was about to have his last fight against Archie Moore ,A boxer much bigger   than  diminutive Marciano.

As usual Rocky knocked him cold a result that happened in 42 of his 48 fights , They all thought that Rocky was not really a heavy weight until the short right upper cut dispatched them to the canvas .

Next up Reg Harris  

Edited January 22, 2023 by cuttsie
Light heavy Archie Moore pointed out by long Col

[cuttsie]

Reg Harris ,

Reg was a legend in the 50’s and 60’s. He broke every World track cycling record and left the Continentals following in his wake , He was a celebrity before celebrity was invented , Brylecream adds , clothes  , shoes and so on if Reg wore them they sold in their millions .

And to top it all Reg rode a Raleigh made in Nottingham . 

Another one of my heroes .

Next up Jackie Sewell 

[cuttsie]

Jackie Sewell .

In the early fifties Sheffield Wednesday signed Jackie Sewell from  the Worlds oldest pro club Notts County . 

They paid Notts. £34,500 pounds for Jackie a sum that can be compared to today’s multi million pound transfer fees , indeed you could say that the Owls set the ball rolling in the transfer market ,  the sum they paid was huge for the time and made headlines World wide .

 

Jackie was a brilliant inside forward who played for England while with the Owls and was the reason I started going to Hillsborough as that team also inc Albert Quixall another brilliant. Player who went on to be another big transfer story when he signed for Manchester United straight after the Munich disaster

Wednesday were known as the Yo Yo team at that time as they continually got relegated from the first division then returned the following season . 

This of course resulted in huge crowds due to promotion or relegation battles , clever man was Eric Taylor the manager  who ran all aspects of the club in those days . Eric never kicked a ball in his life but knew how to manage young men and did so for many years.

next up Freddie Truman 

Edited January 22, 2023 by cuttsie

[Longcol]

1 hour ago, cuttsie said:

In September 1955 my old Pa shook my sleepy head around 3am in the morning . “Come on get thi sen up” he said , “Rocky will be on wireless in a minute “. 

Rocky Marciano the greatest and undefeated boxing  heavy weight champion of the World was about to have his last fight against Archie Moore ,A boxer much bigger and heavier than the diminutive Marciano.

As usual Rocky knocked him cold a result that happened in 42 of his 48 fights , They all thought that Rocky was not really a heavy weight until the short right upper cut dispatched them to the canvas .

Next up Reg Harris  

Wasn't Archie Moore a light heavyweight?

 

[cuttsie]

11 minutes ago, Longcol said:

Wasn't Archie Moore a light heavyweight?

 

Yes he was but bigger than Marciano ,  Archie knocked out more opponents than any other light or heavy weight in boxing history . 

Edited January 22, 2023 by cuttsie

[trastrick]

Great memories Cuttsie. 
 

Had the same routine in our house. Up early to hear Marciano vs Don Cockel.

 

Narrated by Raymond Glendenning and his color man.

 

(“Come in Barrington Dolby”  he always said)

Marciano was hard as nails, but a diplomat too.

 

I can still remember his comments after the fight, “Britain should be proud of their boy, Don Cockel”. Who like Brian London, later, finished up a bloody mess! 
 

 But they were game!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bassett one]

yes rocky was the best ,some say he only fought has beens ect,but you can only win what is put in front of you,he had luck on his side with that last fight ,but sometimes luck is needed as in football,but 49 fights 49 wins says it all

[Longcol]

30 minutes ago, cuttsie said:

Yes he was but bigger than Marciano ,  Archie knocked out more opponents than any other light or heavy weight in boxing history . 

AFAIK they both weighed in at 188lbs for the fight. Moore was maybe an inch taller than Marciano but a good few years older.

[cuttsie]

2 hours ago, trastrick said:

Great memories Cuttsie. 
 

Had the same routine in our house. Up early to hear Marciano vs Don Cockel.

 

Narrated by Raymond Glendenning and his color man.

 

(“Come in Barrington Dolby”  he always said)

Marciano was hard as nails, but a diplomat too.

 

I can still remember his comments after the fight, “Britain should be proud of their boy, Don Cockel”. Who like Brian London, later, finished up a bloody mess! 
 

 But they were game!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes  I remember that fight as well possibly my first fight memory . Again in middle of n f night on a crackling screaming radio , my old pa was. Continually twirlin the knobs when contact was lost . 

These memories stay with you 

 

[cuttsie]

Freddie Truman .

Once described as the greatest living Yorkshire man .

 

Bramall Lane  was a Yorkshire Mecca for cricket lovers when I was a kid. ,

Through the fifties into the 60’s I watched Yorkshire  many times .

 

When I started work in 1958  you could get into the Lane matches for nowt after 4-30 PM  and I took full advantage of this  seeing all the great great English Aussie and West  Indian players at one time or another . 

 But the greatest of all was our own South. Yorkshireman Fiery Fred Truman .

To see that famous run up that frightened the life out of opposition batsmen was some thing else. 

While on holiday. One year In Whitby I was in pub situated on the. Cliff tops near the whale bone arch that over looks the Harbour , Out of the corner of my eye I saw a familiar face sat on a bar stool just a couple of feet away , I could not resist it, “Thart Freddie Truman “ I said , “That’s reight and thart a Dee darr “ Freddie replied , we had a good natter about Bramall Lane days and Fred said he missed the old ground ,

So do I it’s a crime that the home of Yorkshire cricket  was. Robbed of a first class ground . 

The whole name should now be changed to Leeds CC .