by Malcolm Pheby | Oct 2, 2019 | Manchester, Sport
Normally when British boxing legend Henry Cooper came to Manchester it was to fight at Belle Vue. But in June 1972 it was different. Cooper arrived at Old Trafford to captain a team in the long-running BBC quiz show Question of Sport. It was in the middle of the First...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jun 26, 2019 | Rugby League, Sport
Record signing Jim Sullivan lost no time piling on the points when he made his debut for Wigan rugby league club in August 1921. The Welsh fullback scored no less than five conversions in a 21-0 win against Widnes. He’d score another 2,312 in his remarkable 25-year...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jun 19, 2019 | Sport
If you wanted to see brilliant men’s tennis played by its biggest stars in the 1990s, then Didsbury was the place to go. Sampras, McEnroe, Edberg, Ivanisevic and Rafter all made their way to Manchester to play at the Northern Lawn Tennis Club. The Manchester Open was...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jun 12, 2019 | 1960s, Sport
Half a century ago this week, the M.E.N. published a fascinating insight into life behind the scenes at Old Trafford during the First Test match against the West Indies. Photographers captured every aspect of the grand cricketing occasion – from cushion-sellers...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jan 31, 2019 | Football, Sport
Most footballers would be jubilant after scoring six goals in a single match. But not Manchester City’s gifted young forward Denis Law. This week in January 1961, his double hat-trick against Luton at Kenilworth Road was wiped from the record books. City were 6-2 up...
by Malcolm Pheby | Sep 30, 2018 | 1960s, Liverpool, Sport
One of the greatest gestures of fair play in sporting history took place on the 18th green at Royal Birkdale on Sunday September 20th 1969. The 18th Ryder Cup between Britain and the USA was balanced on a knife-edge. The three-day event was all square at 16 points...
