Sports
At eight I was given a trial in the school junior eleven and immediately won a place at inside left, a position I held until I was promoted to the first eleven.
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By now I was recognised among the gang as one who would have a go at any daredevil stunt. I remember the occasion when after a game outside the church where we regularly played, the idea was put forward that we should try to ring the church bell from outside the church. This meant climbing up the church steeple from the outside right to the top and then reaching up to get hold of the bell hammer and bang it to make a sound. Kaney (my nickname) was the only one to succeed. We nearly always met outside the church and the school. The road which ran alongside it had been covered with a tarred surface to deaden the sound of the horses and carts as they passed by. This piece of road was known as the tar pitch and was recognised as our home ground, when we challenged other streets to play us. It was also recognised by the parish priest, who knew that he could always get a group of boys to do a job for him whenever he needed. Father Joyce the parish priest was a very decent man, he often gave us the money to buy a rubber ball as a reward for helping him.
At nine I was also playing cricket in the street. Lancashire were the cream and all the players my idols, but Dick and Ernie Tyldesley were the ones whom I tried to emulate; the intricacies of finger and wrist spin to right and left had to be learned, and until one had scored a century one was a rookie.
Such were the Liverpool sports mad kids, and we were quick to learn anything given the chance. I was also a fast sprinter, generally the first picked in the street games. At 11 the games master entered me into the inter school contest. I was a regular winner of awards at Polly Jays in County Road with vouchers for prizes won at various sports. My biggest disappointment was in the sprint final on Liverpool?s football ground. To reach the final I had to win area finals, zone finals and a semi final. In the final I was away to a flier, but sensed that I was on my own and thinking that I had jumped the gun I hesitated and in a split second someone had passed me, I recovered but only managed to come third. Mr Kirby the games master was furious as it was my last chance before I left school.
Swimming was a must in the area; many children were drowned in the river, docks and canals. Liverpool City opened a free swimming pool, and there was also a baths in Bevington Bush. I swam a mile.
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