On the 27 August 1960, former swimmer, Anita Lonsbrough, MBE, won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. At the age of 19 she won gold in the 200 metre breaststroke in 2 minutes 49.5 seconds, ahead of West Germany’s Wiltrud Urselmann, setting a new world record time.
Anita Lonsbrough
Anita was one of only two GB gold medallists that year, the other being Don Thompson in the 50 kilometre walk. She was also the last British woman to win Olympic gold in swimming until Rebecca Adlington won 48 years later, in Beijing in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Born in 1941 in York, she was educated at St. Joseph’s Catholic College, Bradford, and later employed as a clerk in the Treasurer’s Office at the Huddersfield Town Hall.
Anita won her first gold medals for swimming at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, in the 220 yards breaststroke and the medley relay. In the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth. She won three golds, the 110 yards breaststroke, 220 yards breaststroke, and 440 yards individual medley.
Anita was the first female to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1962, and the first female flag bearer for Great Britain at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, when she carried the flag in the opening ceremony.
In 1963, Anita was awarded an MBE for services to swimming, and inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Anita retired in 1964, and after a spell teaching swimming, including the PE Dept at Ounsdale High School, she currently works as a sports commentator and journalist for The Daily Telegraph, under the name Anita Lonsbrough-Porter. She is married to cycling commentator and former British professional track cyclist Hugh Porter.
On the 26 August 1943, one of the leading professional golfers of the first quarter of the 20 century, ‘Ted’ Ray [1877-1943] died aged 66.
Ted Ray – c. 1920
Ray won two major championships, the Open Championship in 1912, and the US Open in 1920. Ray was also the captain of the British team in the inaugural Ryder Cup, in 1927.
Born at Marais, Grouville, Jersey, in April 1877, he learned his golf on the Grouville Links. One of large number of local boys who later became professional golfers, including Harry Vardon, his brother Tom, the Gaudin brothers, the Boomer brothers and the Renouf brothers. Ray was a tall, well-built man, known for his prodigious power, although his shots often landed in awful positions. In addition to his prowess on the golf course, he was also useful at billiards and lawnbowls.
Ray turned professional in 1894 at the age of 17, initially working as a club-maker before becoming a professional near St Malo, and in 1899 took a position as club professional at Churston Golf Club, Devon.
During his time at Churston, he was encouraged by the club’s committee to enter The Open Championship from 1900 to 1902, and was granted a week’s leave of absence and five pounds for expenses each year. After leaving Churston, in early 1903, he replaced Harry Vardon as the head professional at Ganton Golf Club, and in 1912 took a position at Oxhey Golf Club, Watford, Hertfordshire.
Ray favoured an attacking style, and as a consequence had to develop phenomenal recovery skills. Cartoonists usually depicted him with a niblick in hand, festooned with clumps of heather and saplings, with an inseparable pipe clamped between his teeth. Ray was admired by fans for his daring play, friendly, genial manner and optimistic spirit.
Ray was also a fine clubmaker and advertised his
business while the professional at Oxhey. He specialised in the production of
drivers, mashies, and niblicks.
Before World War I Ray was often overshadowed by the Great Triumvirate of James Braid, J.H. Taylor and Harry Vardon and after the war by George Duncan and Abe Mitchell.
On the 25 August 1804, Mrs. Alicia Thornton, became the first female jockey in an unusual race over a four-mile course at the Knavesmire, York. Riding side-saddle, as a woman of virtue and breeding would have done in her day, against her brother-in-law Captain Flint.
Alicia rose to notoriety in the early 1800’s when she married Colonel Thornton, of Thornville Royal in Yorkshire, not far from the present York racecourse. The marriage was a union of convenience, for she was described at the time as having a personality that left near-catastrophe in her wake.
In the early 1800’s it must have seemed preposterous to bet on a woman to win a race against a man, but her husband Colonel Thornton wagered the sum of 500 guineas, which would not have been insignificant at the start of the 19 century. It is said the match was the talk of the town, if not the country, with nearly 100,000 people making their way to York to place their bets and watch the race over the course in the thrilling match.
Alicia rode in a dress that was considered tasteful and practical, with a silk blouse and jockey cap. She led the race for three miles until her horse Eclipse broke down and she had to pull up, leaving Captain Flint to reap the prize money.
Although Mrs. Thornton lost the race, she ‘displayed great ability in the management of her horse and kept the lead nearly the whole race’. And her striking attire, spirited acceptance of the wager, skill and courage, coupled with her admirable good humour in defeat, made her a favourite of the crowd and long-celebrated even after the race was concluded.
Alicia demanded a re-match, but her husband Colonel Thornton wouldn’t settle his account over the first race, and Flint declined the invitation. As time went by, and the debt remained unpaid, Flint attacked Thornton with a horse-whip and as a result ended up in jail.
At the time horse racing was not the only draw at Knavesmire which was infamous for the gallows above the racecourse, and the hangings, drawing and quartering, as much part of the racing experience as cock-fights and general scandalous behaviour.
Alicia’s adventures on the turf continued when she challenged professional jockey Frank Buckle to a match across the Knavesmire. Alicia’s horse carried 9st 6lbs, whereas Buckle’s was burdened with 4-stone more. Alicia won by a neck, and claimed her reputation as a horsewoman of distinction.
On the 24 August 1957, former England international footballer, Jimmy Greaves (born 1940) made his first appearance for Chelsea at the age of 17, and scored against Tottenham Hotspur in a 1–1 draw at White Hart Lane.
Jimmy Greaves
Born in Manor Park and raised in Hainault, Greaves was scouted while playing football as a schoolboy by Chelsea , and in 1955 was signed on as an apprentice, becoming one of ‘Drake’s Ducklings’, were named after the manager Ted Drake.
Greaves began his professional career at Chelsea in 1957, and scored 124 First Division goals in 4 seasons, before being sold to A.C. Milan for £80,000 in 1961. He was given a three-year contract on £140 a week with a £15,000 signing on fee. Jimmy was unhappy in Italy, and returned to England and joined with Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £99,999 in December 1961.
He moved to West Ham United in a player-exchange with Martin Peters in 1970, and retired the following year.
After leaving West Ham, drinking formed a large part of his life and he became an alcoholic. Seeking an answer to his alcoholism, Greaves decided to return to football at a lower level, and after a 4 year absence he returned to play non-league football at in a five-year spell for Brentwood, Chelmsford City, Barnet, and Woodford Town before finally retiring in 1980.
Greaves won his first England cap in May 1959 against Peru at the Estadio Nacional Stadium, scoring England’s only goal in a 4–1 defeat. He played in the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cup, but was injured in the group stage of the 1966 World Cup and lost his first team place to Geoff Hurst. England won the World Cup, but Greaves was not given his medal until a change of FIFA rules in 2009.
Greaves is England’s fourth highest international goal scorer with 44 goals in 57 full England internationals between 1959 and 1967, Tottenham Hotspur’s highest ever goal scorer with 266 goals), and the highest goal scorer in the history of English top-flight football with 357 goals. With half-a-dozen hat-tricks to his credit, he has scored more for England than any other player. Greaves finished as the First Division’s top scorer in 6 seasons, and is a member of the English Football Hall of Fame.
After retiring Greaves enjoyed a successful career
in broadcasting, he also made regular TV appearances.
Greaves underwent surgery after suffering a mild stroke in 2012, and experienced a severe stroke in 2015 which left him unable to speak. Although slowly recovering from the stroke, in 2016 Greaves was in a wheelchair, and was told he would not walk again.
On the 23 August 1949, the British former shot putter, strongman, and professional Highland Games competitor, Geoff Capes was born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire.
Geoff Capers – 1980
The 7th of 9 children, a gifted sportsman, he became a member of Holbeach Athletic Club, and represented Lincolnshire at basketball, football, and cross-country. In addition he was a decent sprinter, running 23.7 s for the 200 m.
Growing up on the Lincolnshire fens Capes was fascinated by the natural world, and from when he was a young boy. cared for injured birds and animals. After leaving school he worked as a coal-man and a farm labourer. It is said he was capable of loading 20 tons of potatoes in 20 minutes. He joined Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 1970, and remained in the police for 10 years.
Capes stood 6 feet 5 1⁄2 inches tall and weighed in at 370 lb at his peak. He represented England and Great Britain in field athletics over a period of 11 years, specialising in the shot put, an event in which he was twice Commonwealth champion, twice European indoor champion, and three time Olympian.
Capes turned fully professional in 1980, the Olympics in Moscow being his last event as an amateur athlete. His mainstay then became the Highland Games. As a Highland Games competitor he was 6 times world champion, first winning the title in Lagos in 1981, and held world records in numerous events.
As a strongman, he won the title of World’s Strongest Man twice, was World Muscle Power champion on two occasions, and numerous other titles including that of Europe’s Strongest Man and Britain’s Strongest Man.
Following retirement from competitive sport he was involved in strength athletics as a referee, event promoter and coach. He also ran a sportswear retail shop, and became renowned as a world-class breeder of birds of budgerigars. In 2008 he became President of the Budgerigar Society.
Capes currently lives at Stoke Rochford, near Grantham, and has a daughter Emma who was English Schools’ shot put champion and Youth Olympics bronze medalist. His son Lewis played American football for the London Monarchs.
On the 22 August 1871, the Scottish-American professional golfer James Foulis was born at the ‘Home of Golf’, St Andrews, in Scotland.
James Foulis – 1896
His father was the foreman at Old Tom Morris’ golf shop and club making business, and Foulis spent some time working at the shop.
In 1895 he took up a job as a golf professional at Chicago Golf Club, the first club in the US to have an 18-hole course.
Foulis was one of the 11 players who took part in the first U.S. Open in 1895, held at Newport Golf Club in Newport, Rhode Island, and came third.
The following year he won the tournament by three strokes from Englishman Horace Rawlins [1874-1935], who won the first U.S. Open Championship in 1895. Representing the Chicago Golf Club at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Long Island, Foulis scored 78-74-152,and won $200. Twice British Open champion Willie Park, Jr. failed to reach the United States in time to compete for the Championship, arriving the day after the tournament.
The following year the Open was played at Foulis’s home club, and he finished tied for third with Willie Dunn, Jr. The most notable aspect of his game was his driving; it is said that he often drove over three hundred yards using the relatively primitive clubs of his day.
Foulis only ever competed in the US Open, 13 times
from 1895-1911, but did not win again.
Jim Foulis and his brother David ran a golf shop at the Chicago Golf Club, and played a significant part in the evolution of golf equipment. They invented the bramble patterning for Coburn Haskell’s new rubber-cored ball. In response to the demands of the new ball they developed the ‘mashie-niblick’, the modern 7-iron, which fell between the traditional mashie (5-iron) and niblick (9-iron), and patented the design.
Foulis had four brothers, all of whom also moved to the United States. Robert and David were also golf professionals, Simpson was a fine amateur golfer, and John was an expert ball maker who also worked as a bookkeeper at Chicago Golf Club.
Jim Foulis also worked as a golf course designer from 1896 until his death in Chicago, Illinois in 1928 aged 56. All five brothers are buried in Wheaton Cemetery, adjacent to Chicago Golf Club.
On the 21 August, 1878, English cricketer,Ted Pooley [1842-1907] made his 8th stumping in a match against Kent at The Oval, a record in first-class cricket at the time.
He played cricket for Surrey and Middlesex [1861-1883], and his wicket-keeping was fundamental to the success of spin bowlers following the legalisation of over-arm bowling in 1864. Including catches made when not keeping wicket, he finished with 854 dismissals in first-class matches.
Ted Pooley
Ted Pooley’s greatest claim to fame is that he should have been England’s first Test match wicket-keeper. The story is a good one, but it overshadows the fact that he was held in the highest regard for his cricketing ability, if not for his personal behaviour.
In 1877 in a representative England side touring New Zealand and then Australia, every match was an occasion for gambling by supporters of both sides. In a match in Christchurch, New Zealand, Pooley put a shilling on guessing the exact score of a batsman at odds of 20 to 1. An England XI played 22 from Christchurch. Pooley, who umpired the match, bet on every batsman making a duck.
After the match, which featured 11 scores of 0, Pooley claimed £9 15s . Pooley’s was arrested for alleged assault after the bet was not honoured. He was sent for trial before the England team left for Australia, to play what would subsequently be recognised as the first Test match. He was eventually found not guilty, and it is said the people of Christchurch subscribed to buy him a pocket watch.
Pooley was known as a drinker and a gambler, and in
1873 was suspended by Surrey for taking a bet on a match he was playing in.
All this detracts from his long and successful career as a professional cricketer. As with so many of his contemporary cricketers, after his cricket career, he struggled financially and his gambling and drinking eventually led him to the Lambeth workhouse. Pooley lived until 1907, dying in poverty, while his team mates from the 1877 tour were lauded as the first Test cricketers.
On the 20 August 1919, the English cricketer and Scottish rugby union player, Gregor MacGregor, died in Marylebone, London, aged 49.
MacGregor, who was born in Merchiston, Edinburgh in 1869, played rugby for Scotland and cricket for England. He was schooled at Uppingham, before studying at Jesus College, Cambridge. On leaving university he worked on the London Stock Exchange.
Gregor MacGregor
MacGregor played 265 first-class cricket matches [1888-1907], and won Blues in all his four years at Cambridge .He made his first-class debut for Cambridge University against C.I. Thornton’s XI at Fenner’s in 1888. He made first-class appearances for several teams, including Middlesex as a wicket keeper, and captained the county club between 1898-1907, later serving as its Treasurer. He played in eight Tests for England, his debut came against Australia in 1890.
He is
commemorated at Cambridge, as the first Scot to win a Blue, in the
Hone-MacGregor Trophy, a triangular tournament between Cambridge University,
Irish Universities and Scottish Universities.
A portrait painted by Henry Weigall Jr, of Andrew Stoddart batting, with MacGregor keeping wicket, was given to the MCC in 1927 and regularly hangs in the Pavilion at Lord’s.
MacGregor was also a notable rugby union footballer, who played club rugby for Cambridge and international rugby for Scotland [1890-1896].
In 1890, MacGregor was invited to join the newly formed Barbarians rugby touring team.
His final appearance in an international game was between Scotland and England, at Hampden Park in 1896.
On the 19 August 1900, the one and only cricket tournament began play as part of the 1900 Summer Olympics, the Vélodrome de Vincennes.
The only match of the tournament was played between teams of 12 representing Great Britain and France.
Originally, teams representing Belgium, France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands were scheduled to compete in the tournament, but Belgium and the Netherlands withdrew , leaving Great Britain to play France.
The British side was a touring club, the Devon and Somerset Wanderers [Devon County Wanderers], while the French team, was the French Athletic Club Union, comprised mainly British expatriates living in Paris.
Great Britain batted first and scored 117, and then bowled France out for 78. Great Britain then scored 145 for 5 in their second innings, setting the hosts a target of 185. France were bowled out for 26 and the two day match was won by Great Britain by 158 runs, with only five minutes of play remaining.
The Great Britain team was awarded silver medals and the French team bronze medals, together with miniature statues of the Eiffel Tower. The match was formally recognised as an Olympic contest in 1912, and the medals were later reassigned as gold and silver.
Neither of the teams realised they had competed in the Olympic Games, as the match had been advertised as part of the World’s Fair.
As the match was 12-a-side and scheduled for only two days, it does not qualify as a having first-class status.
Cricket had been scheduled as an event at the first modern Olympics, the 1896 Summer Olympics, and was listed in the original programme for the Athens Games. But due to an insufficient number of entries, the event was cancelled.
The scheduled cricket competition for the 1904 Summer Olympics, held in St. Louis, USA, was cancelled at short notice due to a lack of entries and facilities, and the sport has not been included in the Olympic Games since.
On the 18 August 1920, ‘arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen’, Godfrey Evans, CBE was born in Finchley. Middlesex. Evans played for Kent and England, collecting 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959. And a total of 1,066 in first-class matches. He was the first wicket keeper to reach 200 Test dismissals, and the first Englishman to reach both 1,000 runs and 100 dismissals and 2,000 runs and 200 dismissals in Test cricket.
Godfrey Evans, CBE
As a teenager Evans was an all-round sportsman, who gained his colours, and captained the cricket, football and hockey teams at Kent College, Canterbury. He was also a very good boxer, who won all his fights, as an amateur and a professional. At the age of 17 Evans was forced to choose between cricket and boxing.
He chose cricket, and in 1937 worked on the ground staff at Dover, operating the scoreboard on the occasion that Kent made 219 runs in 71 minutes to beat Gloucestershire.
He made his Kent debut in July 1939 against Surrey at Blackheath. He made 8 runs in the first innings, and the match ended in a draw.
World War II interrupted Evans’ career, when he served in the Royal Army Service Corps. But a strong season on his return in 1946 earned him a Test call-up. Evans made his Test debut in 1946 against India, in the third Test at The Oval. In a largely rain affected contest he didn’t bat or was involved in any dismissals.
Evans made his fourth tour to Australia in 1958-1959, but it was a disappointing one for him. And although the England team went into the series as favourites, having won the previous three Ashes series, they lost convincingly 4–0. Evans played in three of the Test matches, missing the third with an injured finger, and despite returning for the fourth Test, a recurrence of the injury caused him to missing the fifth. With the bat Evans scored 27 runs in six innings, in four of which he only contributed four runs. Wisden wrote in its report that Evans was among several established players who had showed a ‘decline in power’.
In 1959, India toured England, in the first home series since the Ashes defeat, and a number of experienced players were dropped. However, Evans retained his place, and in the first Test of the summer justified his selection, with a run-a-ball innings of 73, which contained 12 boundaries. Wisden described it as ‘daring hitting’, which ‘reduced the hitherto keen Indian bowling to a thing of shreds and patches’. In the second Test at Lord’s Evans uncharacteristically missed four potential stumpings in the space of a quarter of an hour, otherwise he kept wicket well and didn’t concede a bye in the match. Evans was dropped from the team for the next Test, ‘in the interests of team building’, as the selectors chose to describe it.
Godfrey Evans earned 315 Test caps for England. After his retirement from professional cricket, sporting mutton-chop whiskers, similar to those he had so admired as worn by grandfather, he ran the Jolly Drover pub on the main A3 road through Hill Brow in Hampshire. The pub was adorned with cricketing photographs, and Evans was always ready to reminisce about his cricketing days.
Later he became a cricket expert for the bookmakers Ladbrokes, famously offering odds of 500 to 1 on an England victory against Australia at Headingley in 1981, the match in which Ian Botham and Bob Willis fought back, after England had been forced to follow-on when trailing 227 runs behind the Aussies, to achieve an improbable victory.
Evans published two memoirs, Behind the stumps [1951], and The gloves are off [1960]. He also played himself in an episode of the television adaptation of the play Outside Edge.
Godfrey Evans died in Northampton in May 1999, aged 78.
