Sporting Icons - who’s yours ?

[Valiant62]

Between Ali and Aspin for me.

[ClntonBoulton]

Sorry everyone that got sidetracked....but I enjoyed the local cricket talk. Brought back many happy memories.....back on track now....

[RailwayRowdy]

My wife, who hates sport with a passion, came up with a name I totally agree with. Tanni Gray-Thompson.

 

Not only did she dedicate her life to her sport, but post retirement championed the para-sport ethic within The House Of Lords.

 

PS I was unaware of Roy Gilchrist, but his Wiki page makes interesting reading !

[geosname]

It has to be Ali for me, exceptional boxer, sports personality and man.

He could literally float like a butterfly sting like a bee.

His appearance on this is your life amused me greatly (as an aside)

[ClntonBoulton]

Good call Mrs Railway Rowdy!

[Conrad]

One of my sporting icons would be Ron Hill.

Arguably the greatest distance runner of all time.

Never missed a days running from Dec.1964 till Jan 17.

First English man to win the Boston marathon, and all this whilst being a smoker.

[Paul6754]

Ali, for a big guy he was incredibly athletic, Mcguigan for his determination and lefty hook, GGG for being the guy next door, brilliant boxer.

 

tiger Woods for his brilliance, faldo for his determination.

 

Bobby chaarlton for being a gentleman, put yer boots on Bobby your still better than. Any one we’ve got today! Huddle and Garson for their artistry, peel for the best piece of sporting action ever.

 

Boycott for his application, via Richards just brilliant, best onside player I’ve ever seen.jon snow cause he won the ashes for us.

 

Gary Kasparov, brilliant chess player, reputed to know every reply to white p to q4.

 

Desmond Douglas, one of the first world class us table tennis players.

 

Too many to list.

[Howjy04]

Your Dad, bless him, was a great keeper and a smashing bloke. My memory of that era was watching the WI pro's at Boslem and what fantastic cricketers they were. I once recall Roy Gichrist smashing a six past the pavilion and into the car park, where I think it resulted in an insurance claim. Think he was playing for Chell at the time but I was only about 8, so connor be sure. Always wondered how he managed to bowl so quick for a small guy!

 

There's a great piece about Roy with some comments by former members of Chell CC (including Hanley High former pupils from when it was at Chell) here on Cricket Web:

 

http://www.cricketweb.net/roy-gilchrist/

 

The other thing I remember was Wes Hall - huge bloke with amazing pace - how did anyone manage to survive!

 

On the pro's side, I always admire Cloughie. Great forward whose career was cut short by injury and what an amazing job he did in transforming Forest from a mid-table side at best into European champions. Outspoken too, always told it like it was

I noticed in the link a reference to Brian Crump.Lovely bloke,worked for Warwick Savage Stationers in Burslem.I spoke to him regularly about his cricket days at Northamptonshire and Colin Milburn.:yes:Have some of that Mr Hall.

[ClntonBoulton]

I noticed in the link a reference to Brian Crump.Lovely bloke,worked for Warwick Savage Stationers in Burslem.I spoke to him regularly about his cricket days at Northamptonshire and Colin Milburn.:yes:Have some of that Mr Hall.

 

There was a dynasty of Crumps wasn't there? I remember me Dad talking about Stan and Brian and then I'm sure there were some younger than that? David Steele's brother, John aka Ninky, played at Sneyd with the Old Fellah. he went on to become a first class umpire...is he still? Talking of dynasties Sneyd had the Halls and the Blanks featuring regularly on the team sheet late 60's and early 70's.

[onestepatatime]

As far as cricket is concerned I played for Newcastle and Hartshill in the hey days of Sobers, Hall, Gilchrist etc, etc. These West Indian cricketers graced the North Staffs and South Cheshire League in those days as paid professionals. I was very young but recall many a day in their presence. They were all gentleman assisting our League to get in the crowds. Sir Garfield Sobers was a true gent and a fantastic cricketer and I was honoured to be in the same bar and cricket field as him.

 

Also I was fortunate to be captain of my youth football team and have the photograph still of Stanley Mathews presenting us with the cup. Again, to be in the same presence of such a sporting character made me a very proud lad.

 

All the above are grand memories but I have to say my absolute number 1 sporting icon has to be Mohammed Ali. Style, fitness, grace, skill, charisma......he had the lot. top man.

[cheshirevaliant]

Yeah Vince was...what a character! I played against him years later, God knows how old he was. I was keeping wicket and he obviously didn't recognise me from when I was a nipper. When I spoke to him he looked at me and it took a while before he said in his brilliant accent, "Man, he's even wearing Ernie's glasses....." before bursting into laughter and shaking my hand. Had a drink afterwards with him when my Dad turned up and they were like schoolboys discussing all the characters from that era....Jess Hall, Terry Harrison, Brian James etc etc

 

Vince is still umpiring now at 82 in the NSSCL on a Saturday and the Stone and District League on a Sunday. He umpired our game (Betley) the other week. A lovely man and a great character.

[RailwayRowdy]

I was reading an interesting article about Bignall End’s finest John Ikin.

 

Apparantly in his testimonial against The Australians, Bradman threw the ball to Keith Miller to bowl. Miller, recognising Ikin as a “Rat Of Tobruk” refused to bowl as a mark Of respect.

 

Days indeed when cricket WAS a game of integrity.

[ClntonBoulton]

Vince is still umpiring now at 82 in the NSSCL on a Saturday and the Stone and District League on a Sunday. He umpired our game (Betley) the other week. A lovely man and a great character.

 

Bloody hell.....I wasn't sure if he was still alive but soooo glad to hear he is still going strong.

[For Us All]

Some interesting memories of the local cricket scene. Great Chell was my local club so I spent a lot of time watching there. Of course, I went to Norton as well to see the great Garfield Sobers. Roy Gilchrist played for Chell, and yes he was pretty moody and not entirely effective. Trevor Goddard, the South African Vice Captain credited his season with Chell for making him a much better all round cricketer. He broke the league record for runs, scoring over 1,000 at an average of 94. He took over 60 wickets at an average of 12.

 

Wes Hall did not come anywhere close to Goddard's success. I remember the wicket keeper, John Bailey, stood so far back to Hall that he was closer to the boundary than the stumps. I also remember a local batsman facing Hall and he drove him straight back over his head for 6, hitting a huge water tank located outside the ground. Wes was not happy at all. I remember asking him for his autograph which he gave me, somewhat unwillingly, complaining to me that I should be watching the game. I was 9 years of age! So not great memories of him, but certainly terrific memories of Trevor Goddard.

 

I grew up in Packmoor,which was only a five minute walk from the Great Chell cricket ground and I remember the game against Norton.In fact I've still got a photograph of Norton's captain Jim Flannery being presented with the Talbot Cup after their victory,with me in the background.

I managed to get a few autographs that day including those of Wes Hall,Gerry Sobers,Roy Gilchrist,Salim Durani,Les Billing,David Moorcroft,David Blank and Don Bean.

I was gutted not to get the great Gary Sobers' autograph but unfortunately the queue was too long and I had to get back home.

 

He would have been my sporting icon.

[Conrad]

As far as cricket is concerned I played for Newcastle and Hartshill in the hey days of Sobers, Hall, Gilchrist etc, etc. These West Indian cricketers graced the North Staffs and South Cheshire League in those days as paid professionals. I was very young but recall many a day in their presence. They were all gentleman assisting our League to get in the crowds. Sir Garfield Sobers was a true gent and a fantastic cricketer and I was honoured to be in the same bar and cricket field as him.

 

Also I was fortunate to be captain of my youth football team and have the photograph still of Stanley Mathews presenting us with the cup. Again, to be in the same presence of such a sporting character made me a very proud lad.

 

All the above are grand memories but I have to say my absolute number 1 sporting icon has to be Mohammed Ali. Style, fitness, grace, skill, charisma......he had the lot. top man.

 

My son in law plays for Newcastle and Hartshill.