Web Page No 2664

28th February 2020

Good Heavens I am 74 today I am getting old!!!!!

1st Picture. Vaulting Horse

 2nd Picture. Wall Bars

3rd Picture. Alexandra Park

4th Picture. Billy Two Rivers

In the Gym or on the Playing Field

Whilst at school I was never very keen on the weekly torture known as PE or PT classes. The bewildering collection of sports equipment was always a puzzlement to me. There was no way that I was ever going to get myself over the vaulting box and trying to clear over the pummel horse was never an option. Luckily, we did not have a pair of hanging rings because I am convinced that I would never be able to work on them. Funnily although I could never climb ropes wall bars were no problem to me, I loved them. And do not even mention the dreaded Medicine Ball.

In the field sports area sprinting and hurdles again were not my thing but for some reason I was fairly good at cross country running normally coming within the first six or so. I did play for the school football team as outside left a couple of times but only twice. The trips to the football grounds from Court Lane school, (at Manor Court we had our own playing fields,) involved transport by an old Portsmouth Corporation double decker bus. The sound of a whole year of young boys all with football boots on rushing up the stairs of the bus stays with me still. In retrospect after we had returned from the football field on a wet and muddy afternoon the bus must have looked like a quagmire. We, at that time, gave no thought to the depot staff who would have to clean the bus after us!

Long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault I avoided if I could, I was no good at the discus or shot and so it can be seen that I was not the best sports student!

One startling event did happen while we were in the playing field at East Lodge. Two of the lads from my year, I will not mention their names, were playing around with a javelin in a distant corner of the playing field out of sight of the sports master. All of a sudden, the whole field was filled with a blood curling yell as one of the lads fell to the ground with the javelin sticking deep into his ankle.

Panic ensued as the sports teacher rushed across the field to see what was wrong. He was followed by others carrying with them a couple of towels and a first aid box which they had collected from the sports pavilion. The rescuers proceeded to carefully remove the javelin and pack the wound with the towels, fixing them on with bandages from the first aid kit. Remember these were the days before mobile phones and not everyone had a telephone at home, we didn’t for example, and so someone was quickly dispatched to look at the telephone lines in Lower Rectory Avenue and discover a local householder who had a telephone so that the Ambulance Service could be called and an ambulance dispatched from the station at Cosham. This accident certainly caused a stir on the playing field. What is even stranger is that the two boys involved in the incident were best friends and were only mucking about. As far as I remember the injury was treated and caused no permanent lasting damage. 

Remember in the lower junior and infant schools we had to endure other PT related items. Bean bags, bamboo hoops and do you remember the ghastly smell of those individual rubber mats we had to use? One sport that was popular was netball and as well as a girls’ team there was also a boys’ team.

The Annual Senior School Sports Days were held either at East Lodge in Farlington or in Alexander Park in Twyford Avenue, both of which would be reached by specially chartered Corporation busses. The Sports Days held  at the Park were always a challenge in so much as trying to keep well out of the way so we were not volunteered for marshalling or any other job, event or task designated to us by the form teacher.

We rarely played cricket and were never given the chance to play tennis at senior school and by the time we left the swimming pool fund had begun but it had not been started let alone built. I understand from local Drayton residents that even that has gone now.  

The nearest I got to being involved in any form of sport was going to the Royal Area (Theatre Royal) and seeing Billy Two Rivers in a professional wrestling bout.

Stay in touch

Peter

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News and Views:

On this day 28th February 1960-1965

On 28/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was USSR wins Winter Olympics

On 28/02/1961 the number one single was Sailor - Petula Clark and the number one album was Tottenham Hotspur. The top rated TV show was The Army Game (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £not very interesting and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada).

On 28/02/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was John Glenn is 1st US astronaut to orbit earth.

On 28/02/1963 the number one single was The Wayward Wind - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 28/02/1964 the number one single was Diane - Bachelors and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 28/02/1965 the number one single was I'll Never Find Another You - Seekers and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Goldie the Eagle escapes London Zoo.