YESTERDAYS 1977
CALL him The Kid – and say it with respect. For this is the fastest gun in the West.
He’s outgunned El Lobo Gilmore, of Fairwater, Pecos Pete Nolan, El Negro Barta Jenkins and Alan Doc Cole, all of Pencoed, Buck Day, of Llanrumney, and Bronco Brefitt, of Barry.
Yes, at 16, Kevin The Kid Jones, of Baily Street, Ton Pentre, has six notches on his gun – and on Thursday he will have a Whitbread Trophy to go with them.
For The Kid is the official fast draw champion of the Pencoed-based Southerners Western Club. And the brewery will recognise him as such when they hand over the shield at the Britannia Hotel.
But the kid will have to celebrate with a lemonade – for he’s too young to take a beer.
“It was at the Britannia that I outgunned the six,” said Kevin, a slim, quietly spoken sixthformer at Upper Rhondda Comprehensive School.
“I knew I was fast but I even amazed myself when I came up against experienced men. I’ve only been a Southerner for six months.
“My fastest draw is .27 of a second using a replica gun. Now I’ve got a new gun which fires 9mm blanks and I practise at home using a tape recorder to give me the draw signal.”
Kevin, who had eight O-levels in his GCE examinations last year, now hopes that he can enter for the British Fast Draw title.
What does his headmaster, Mr John Davies think of him? “He’s a splendid sixth-former who’s extremely conscientious and reliable. He’s going to take A-levels in maths, physics and computer sciences. I had no idea he was interested in cowboys. He certainly hides his light under a bushel.”
Kevin is putting his computer sciences training to good use. He’s making himself an electronic fast draw recorder. MORE than half the people questioned for a Cardiff opinion poll thought birching should be introduced as punishment for the worst football hooligans.
And 70% thought too much drink before matches was one of three main reasons for soccer violence.
A salesman from the Roath area of Cardiff told researchers: “Most of the fans get very drunk before a game. I am sure if you closed the public houses there would only be half the trouble.”
The details are revealed in a poll carried out by a team of 22 trainee journalists at Cardiff College of Food Technology and Commerce.
More than 600 people in the city questioned were first asked whether they thought hooliganism by soccer and rugby fans would be reduced by heavier penalties. The results showed 67% saying yes and 21% no.
Many people advocated national service as an answer to soccer violence. One ex-army officer said: “A touch of army discipline would do all violent young men good. Society is soft and can’t cope with them.” SHOWMAN-HAIRSTYLIST “Mr Teasy-Weasy” Raymond Bessone departed from his popular image in a speech at Newport at the weekend and made a serious call for a “temporary dictatorship” to get Britain out of the present economic troubles.
He told members of the Newport Chamber of Trade at their annual dinner and dance: “I am sorry I have to speak in this manner. What we require is a moderate form of dictatorship – a man like General De Gaulle – for a period of 10 years and then back to our democracy.”
He said North Sea Oil would not solve our difficulties. It was like manna from heaven and it would not be there tomorrow. “We still haven’t realised that we must work,” he added. THE owners of Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre have made their “last offer” to the Welsh National Opera, who are seeking to purchase the building for conversion to an opera house for Wales.
Within the next few weeks they say they will start looking at alternative offers, if the company does not sign the deal.
Rank Leisure Services, which last year obtained permission to turn the cinema into a bingo hall, says it now wants to sell it, if possible to the WNO.