THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES BANKSIE
THE passing of former England and Leicester City goalkeeper Gordon Banks brings down the curtain on a sportsman admired by all who ever watched him play football.
I had a personal relationship with Banks in 1961 when he came to Southern Rhodesia with Leicester City for two friendly games against my adopted country, the first in Salisbury (now Harare) and the second in Bulawayo.
Leicester, who had just lost 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the English FA Cup final, won 2-0 in Harare.
The selectors made a couple of changes to the SR team for the second game on the historic Queen’s Ground with Bobby Chalmers, later to star for Durban City in the SA National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), handed his first cap to play on the right wing and myself retaining my place on the left wing.
A full house of 6000 saw the Foxes score four goals without reply with 20 minutes still to be played.
Our coach Frank Dunlop, a former professional who had captained Aberdeen and Scotland, had called for me to switch places with our centre-forward.
Bulawayo Chronicle sportswriter, Martin Lee, takes up the story:
“Ballantyne and veteran Charlie Cravetti immediately proceeded to put the Rhodesian team back into the game. It was blood tingling stuff after the crowd had been treated in the first half to the artistry of football by the tourists.
“Leicester began toying with the opposition, slowing the game down, inviting opponents to the tackle, insolent first-time flicks, and so on; but this was the final indignity for the Rhodesian players.
“Their captain and centre-half, Johnny Thomas, chipped a free-kick over the wall of Leicester players and Ballantyne raced in behind them, did not quite connect with his first attempt, but made no mistake with his second and blasted the ball past Banks (4-1).
“Leicester appealed in vain for off-side but the real drama was yet to come and three minutes later Paxton received a pass from Burrows and pushed the ball between two Leicester defenders to the waiting Ballantyne and the little terrier pounced on it and hit it first-time into the net (4-2).
“The home side had its tail up by now and with only five minutes remaining the Rhodesians launched yet another attack against the by now shaky Leicester defence.
“The ball was passed by Cravetti to Burrows who found Thomas whose shot was blocked and the ball ran loose only for jack-in-the-box Ballantyne to somehow emerge from the forest of legs inside the Leicester penalty area, twist free with the ball at his feet and the next thing it was in the back of the net (4-3).
“The crowd went wild but it was Southern Rhodesia’s final fling and Leicester City emerged the deserved winners.
“Southern Rhodesia had scored more goals than ever before against a touring team with Ballantyne’s name going into the record books as the first Rhodesian player ever to score a hat-trick against a touring side.”
Several years later I noticed a Q&A interview with Banksie in “SHOOT” (a UK soccer magazine) and the last question put to him was: “Did anyone ever score a hat-trick against you?”
Banksie’s reply was: “Not that I can remember!”
Funny, Banksie had forgotten the one I scored against him; but from my perspective, it is something I will always remember!
RIP my friend.