GET-TOGETHER
Home Counties’ late summer BBQ is coming around soon
FOLLOWING a successful July meeting, Home Counties’ August get-together went well too. “We had 30 members and guests in attendance,” Chairman Bob Williams said, “with our guest speaker, Steve Holdsworth. We also had a fantastic compilation of old fight footage on the large screen.”
The meeting took place at HC’S temporary venue – Watford Town Cricket Club, Horseshoe Lane, Watford. That will also be the venue for their late summer BBQ on Sunday week (September 20). There will be live music from Mick Mancini and DJ Henry (Pink Panther) Boyce. Safety measures will have to be in force, so the committee need to know how many will be attending. If you’re interested, please contact secretary Kieran Mccann via email (kiers20@ hotmail.com) or phone (07718 150 456).
There’s more about the BBQ, and safety precautions, in HC’S current newsletter: “If any of you have concerns, the BBQ and music will all be held outside and social distancing will be maintained. Our aim is to provide a safe time for all our members and friends while raising money and seeing people we haven’t been able to see for a long time. If you wish to bring your own foldup chairs and so on, so as to be safe and sit outside, this is a great way to keep safe and distanced.”
As I’ve said before, this coronavirus crisis has forced everyone to do a lot of lateral thinking. Problems have arisen – solutions have been found. The Home Counties summer BBQ is always a success, and I hope there’ll be a good turnout this time.
The latest Punch Lines – Essex EBA’S newsletter – has a full-page photo of Essex and London member Brian Hudspeth, who boxed professionally as Brian Hudson between 1967 and 1971. The caption refers to his then-upcoming bout with former British superfeatherweight champion Jimmy Anderson at London’s Albert Hall in February 1970.
I remember hitch-hiking from Bristol on a bitterly cold day – I particularly wanted to see one of my favourites, Alan Rudkin, in his second bid for the European bantamweight title. Alan duly won, forcing Italy’s Franco Zurlo to quit after 11 rounds – and in the chief support Hudson sensationally halted Anderson in the sixth round of “a fight that will be ranked among the year’s best,” to quote BN. Both were on the floor, both were cut – and finally, in the sixth, Hudson pulled out a left hook that flattened
Anderson. He got up at ‘nine’ but referee Harry Gibbs examined his badly gashed left eye and called a halt.
Cuts always bothered Hudson – his only loss other than on cuts came when he was halted in five rounds by Ken Buchanan in a British lightweight title bid (and next time out Buchanan beat Ismael Laguna for the WBA title). Hudson followed that loss with a defeat to Tommy Carson, then KO’D Jackie Lee in four rounds to win the vacant Southern Area belt. The sensational victory over Anderson followed – but then Brian lost his Area title to future British champion Willie Reilly (eighth-round retirement) and never boxed again.
Also in Punch Lines is an interesting item on the fighting Corbett brothers from Bethnal Green, both of whom won British titles – Harry at feather, Dick at bantam. In fact, when Dick outpointed Johnny King for the title in 1931 he was getting a kind of revenge for his brother – Harry challenged Johnny Brown for the bantamweight title in 1925, but retired in the 16th round.
There’s also news that Essex hope to have the Jimmy Batten scrapbook ready this month. Judging by their previous books, this should be an excellent read. Plus a detailed critique of the Matchroom show featuring Ted Cheeseman’s win over Sam Eggington. As I’ve said repeatedly, it’s vital that EBAS show that they are interested in today’s scene, rather than simply dwelling on the past – and newsletter items like this are a good way of showing it.