Looks like our paths never crossed on the pitch then Sparks. I played for Brynglas Dynamo, Girling Cwmbran and Girling Pontypool in the Newport and District, trained with Llantwit Fardre but got injured but never played for them and then finished my playing days with Tongwynlais in the Cardiff and District including a couple of games in their first team in a higher Cardiff league. Some remarkable venues in Cardiff, like the Gliderfields, Ely Racecourse and the Marl, until the tide came in. My one claim to fame was holding on to the guy from Grange Quins who had just decked boxer Billy Waith in a post match "discussion". I held on to the guy until I realised there was just me and Billy left from our team and Billy was on the ground. Me? Exit stage left a darn sight faster than I ever ran during a game. Strange thing though, the guy who hit Billy with a side punch when he was in "conversation" with someone else was found in a less than satisfactory condition down an alley in Grangetown a couple of weeks later. Isn't fate peculiar?
Bluey - As a very (very) young teenager, I used to watch Bridgend Town in the Welsh League from the railings on Coychurch Road. I used to be in awe of the strikers they had those years. Aldwyn Morse, Alan Killey and Jan Bekker always stick in my mind. I think Bluescull (whatever happened to him on here) was a mate of Jan who sadly died a short while back. Bluescull (Pete) was a keeper from memory and used to come down to Bridgend with Jan for the games. Great memories of that old Coychurch road ground now sadly cut in half by the new Asda feeder road.
Sparks Bluescull (Pete) is still around. I saw him under the Ninian Stand before the Huddersfield game. I seem to recall he was counting down the days to retirement. He had been trying to contact Prophet, without success, as well. H Those were the days. Billy was a great guy off the pitch and out of the ring. He had 2 Old English Sheep Dogs one of which was blind as a bat and was guided around by the other. I had another incident with a boxer while playing for my brother's team in Cwmbran. No ref turned up (not unusual) and I ended up refing the second half as I wasn't "one of the regular team". We were losing 2 - 1 at half time having played into a ferocious wind. I ended up having to make some very hard decisions in favour of my brother's team who ran out 3 - 2 winners in the end. The opposition centre forward, a boxer called Manley (I had played with his brother, Mike Manley, a pro boxer frpm Pontypool, for Girlings), took offence at some decisions and came for me towards the end of the game. My brother, who is about 6 ft 3 ins, stepped in to calm things and got decked with a single punch for his trouble. Cue final whistle and our whole team (who represented a church in Newport and couldn't be seen to be involved in a punch up) legged it for the cars, driving off still wearing boots and covered in mud. I think I've still got the whistle. We weren't brave but we were still alive to tell the tale. Apart from my brother who couldn't talk for a week - some positive outcomes then!!!
