1948 a good year for sport

AT a young age and in my last year at Hinckley Grammar School, I was one of the many at the time eligible to join Earl Shilton Social Institute and joined the snooker team. They also had a soccer side both senior and junior.

At the time, everyone was sports mad so many of us went to speedway at Coventry , Leicester, Birmingham and Tamworth. And of course when Leicestershire played at Barwell and Hinckley we went along.

As I read in The Hinckley Times, I see Paul Gascoigne was to visit Burbage when England played Panama.

Undoubtedly a star in his day, but as one who saw Duncan Edwards play for Manchester United and England, he is no match in terms of manner and life dedication.

1948 was a golden year of sport in England. One of the best cricket sides, if not the best, came in the Aussies with Donald Bradman as captain and Keith Miller. We had Dennis Compton who scored 3,618 runs that season for Middlesex and England and also played for Arsenal and occasionally England.

There was also the Olympic Games at Wembley when I saw Gaston Ralf of Belgium beat Emil Zatopek in the 5,000m final on a wet day.

It was not under cover as it is today.

As I recall without reference it was Manchester United who beat Blackpool 4-2 in 1948.

I also saw England beat Belgium 2-0 in January 1946 in an international.

As I follow news in The Hinckley Times, I see yet another snooker hall is about to go under the hammer in Barwell just like the one that used to be in town where the public toilets are now.

It was said in our earlier years that being good at billiards or snooker was the sign of a miss-spent youth but I am glad to be able to say that, along with other people, I managed to play with Norman Dagley who won the World Billiard Championships and the English Amateur Championships many times.

I was pleased to report his record break of 862 against his old friend Bobby Close in Middlesborough.

Terry Langham