Looking back 50 years
CAN you remember what happened in the world of sport in 1973? Well, here we go and I’m sure memories (good and bad) will come flooding back as you read on…
• Welshman Ray Reardon became world snooker champion
• Featherstone Rovers lifted Rugby League’s Challenge Cup
• Poland’s Jerzy Szczakiel was crowned speedway champion
• For the first time, Rugby Union’s Five Nations Tournament was shared with England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales all locked together on four points each
• Phil Read, riding his MV Augusta, was the world motor cycling champion
• Scotsman Jackie Stewart, in a Tyrrell Ford, won the Formula One World Drivers' Champions
• Jan Kodes (Czech Republic) and Billie Jean King (USA) won the men’s and women’s singles titles at Wimbledon
• The winners of golf’s major tournaments were Tom Weiskopf (Open), Jack Nicklaus (USA PGA), Tommy Aaron (US Masters) and Lou Graham (US Open), while GB and the USA shared the Ryder Cup and the USA’s women won the Walker Cup
• In horse racing, Morston won the Derby and Mysterious triumphed in the Oaks and 1,000 Guineas. Red Rum claimed his first Grand National victory and Willie Carson and Ron Barry were top jockeys on the flat and over the jumps
• Patricias Hope won the English Greyhound Derby for the second year running
• George Foreman was the world heavyweight boxing champion while Danny McAl- inden was the GB champ
• Bobby Fischer (USA) was the reigning world chess champion
• The Miami Dolphins won the American Super Bowl; Richmond were crowned Australian Rules Football champions; the USA NBA and baseball champions were the New York Knicks and the Oakland Athletics; Cork won the All-Ireland Gaelic football championship; Italian Felice Gimondi was crowned world cycling champion, Spain’s Luis Ocaña won the Tour of France and Ivor Hodgkinson (England) became the professional world darts champion
• The main cricket tournaments went to Hampshire (County Championship), Gloucestershire (NatWest Trophy) and Kent (the Benson & Hedges and Sunday League championships). In Test series, England beat both New Zealand and India, while the West Indies defeated England. Windies’ star Maurice Foster was the top batter in the world with an average of 63.69, while Somerset’s Tom Cartwright was the top bowler with an average of 15.84 per wicket
• Finally, in football… Dutch giants Ajax completed a hattrick of European Cup final victories; Liverpool doubled up by winning the First Division championship and the UEFA Cup; Sunderland edged out Leeds 1-0 in the FA Cup final; Spurs won the League Cup and Burnley defeated Manchester City to lift the Charity Shield; north of the border, Celtic (Division 1), Rangers (FA Cup) and Hibernian (League Cup) carried off the three domestic trophies, and here in Spain, Atlético Madrid won LaLiga, ahead of Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao beat Castellón 2-0 to lift the Copa del Rey. And finally the Tottenham and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Pat Jennings was voted the FW’s Player of the Year
• And interestingly, both Bournemouth and Brighton were based in Division 3, along Aldershot, Halifax, Rochdale and York, while Brentford, Bury, Newport, Swansea and Workington were all playing in Division 4