A short post after a wet week's holiday in west Wales...
Howard Johnson has been banned from racing for four years following a BHA disciplinary inquiry; quoting Alan Lee in Saturday's Times, Johnson was judged '...to have shown "reckless disregard of equine welfare" in running a horse, Striking Article, eight times after an operation to desensitise a leg.' The decision spells the end of the trainer's career. Johnson's main owner Graham Wylie had previously moved six horses to Paul Nicholls' yard and has indicated he will consider his involvement in the sport over the weekend.
Comedian Jarred Christmas may have played The Queens Hall, Narbeth, but a couple of racing connections popped up while I was perambulating in Pembrokeshire... I discovered that famous author and jockey Dick Francis was born at Coedcanlas, Lawrenny, while a number of racing-related items are to be found on the walls of The Cresselly Arms at Cresswell Quay. This hostelry wouldn't necessarily be everyone's cup of tea but its lack of pretence and accompanying memorabilia were right up my street. In recent years several horses have carried the name Cresswell (including Cresswell Quay), many of them owned by Mr Bruce McKay and trained nearby by Keith Goldsworthy. I was particularly pleased to come across a picture of Hills Of Aran (McCoy up) as I tipped this one at Cheltenham's New Year's Day meeting in 2008 and managed to avail myself of 14/1 offered by Fred Done. In the ensuing three and a half years I have tried on several occassions to repeat the stunt - but with no further success.
Showing posts with label wales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wales. Show all posts
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
World Cup nostalgia from Wales
I grew up in Wrexham, north Wales, something of a footballing backwater. The two teams I supported then, and still do now, are Wrexham and Wales.
Recently a colleague has loaned me a copy of 'When Pele broke our hearts - Wales & the 1958 World Cup' by Mario Risoli. This book is an enlightening read in an age when many footballers are paid tens of thousands of pounds a week.
Here's a taster.
May 1957 and Wales face two World Cup qualifying games behind the Iron Curtain, East Germany in Leipzig and then Czechoslovakia in Prague seven days later. On the flight out the non-playing staff outnumber the players 13-12.
After defeat in Gemany, Wales are forced to call for replacements. One player targeted is Sunderland centre half Ray Daniel. At the time Daniel was on holiday in Swansea; he contacts Sunderland and asks them to send his boots to London. Sunderland send him a brand new pair of boots; this proves to be a bit of a problem.
Quoting another squad member...
"The boots in those days were thick and heavy-leathered with hard toes and knock-in studs.
It would take you about 12 months to break them in. They were very, very uncomfortable. We would put them in soapy water to soften them up and then stuff them with brown paper so they would fill out."
Daniel was in agony in his new boots, so much so that for the last 10-15 minutes of the match he took them off and played in just his socks.
Tell me, where did it all go wrong?
Recently a colleague has loaned me a copy of 'When Pele broke our hearts - Wales & the 1958 World Cup' by Mario Risoli. This book is an enlightening read in an age when many footballers are paid tens of thousands of pounds a week.
Here's a taster.
May 1957 and Wales face two World Cup qualifying games behind the Iron Curtain, East Germany in Leipzig and then Czechoslovakia in Prague seven days later. On the flight out the non-playing staff outnumber the players 13-12.
After defeat in Gemany, Wales are forced to call for replacements. One player targeted is Sunderland centre half Ray Daniel. At the time Daniel was on holiday in Swansea; he contacts Sunderland and asks them to send his boots to London. Sunderland send him a brand new pair of boots; this proves to be a bit of a problem.
Quoting another squad member...
"The boots in those days were thick and heavy-leathered with hard toes and knock-in studs.
It would take you about 12 months to break them in. They were very, very uncomfortable. We would put them in soapy water to soften them up and then stuff them with brown paper so they would fill out."
Daniel was in agony in his new boots, so much so that for the last 10-15 minutes of the match he took them off and played in just his socks.
Tell me, where did it all go wrong?
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