Bill Marshall recalls the Press' sporting headlines from this week...

80 YEARS AGO

IN A week when it was announced that the number of marriages in the first quarter of 1936 were 99,336 – a staggering drop of 78,454 on the previous quarter – and that deaths (153,583) outnumbered births (148,136) from January to March, a golfer had to take extreme measures in the British Open at Hoylake.

Title contender Alfred Padgham, of Sundridge Park in Kent, was due on the first tee just before 8am for his final round but his clubs were in the professionals' shop, which was locked.

Padgham, said to have the biggest hands of any of the current professionals, broke a window and his caddie clambered through to retrieve his bag.

The 30-year-old, who only arrived at the tee just before his name was called, then proceeded to win the title and the £100 first prize, saying afterwards that it was worth it to have broken that window.

Yorkshire were 42-4 against Somerset at Bath but ended up on 392, initially thanks to a battling 92 from Wilf Barber and then a near-record partnership of 167 for the ninth wicket between Hedley Verity (89) and Frank Smailes (80).

The efforts of those three were worth it, however, as Somerset were dismissed for 146 (Bill Bowes 5-32, Smailes 7-4-3-2) and 94 (Bowes 4-29, Smailes 3-33).

Gubby Allen's 5-35 and 5-43 put England on the road to victory in the first Test against All India at Lord's – but England did not have it all their own way, being dismissed for 134 (Leyland 60) to concede a first-innings lead before Harold Gimblett (67) steered them towards a nine-wicket win.

50 YEARS AGO

WITH a superb first-Test victory in the bag after a 17-13 victory over Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Great Britain's rugby league team had a shock when they faced Northern Division at Tamworth in Queensland.

They had beer cans (definitely empty), beer bottles (presumably empty), orange peel, bread and apple cores thrown at them during a 15-13 defeat.

Much of the blame was laid at the door of referee Bob Johnson, who only called the teams together five minutes from time when he should have done it much earlier.

Tries were scored by second-row Terry Fogerty, centre Ian Brooke and stand-off Willie Aspinall but the casualty count was high – hooker Colin Clarke (strained knee ligaments), scrum half Carl Dooler (torn rib cartilage), centre Geoff Shelton (dislocated finger and six stitches) and wingers Bill Burgess (thigh) and Geoff Wrigglesworth (ricked ankle).

Arthur Keegan, only called into the team at full back because Ken Gowers dropped out at short notice, was one of the Test heroes in front of 40,000 spectators, as was scrum half Tommy Bishop, with tries in a switchback affair coming from Cliff Watson and stand-off Alan Hardisty.

The British Lions, meanwhile, were falling to a third defeat on their tour, Wellington beating them 20-6 at Dunedin watched by 30,000 fans, Irish hooker Ken Kennedy suffering a broken jaw as Welsh winger Dewi Bebb got their only try.

England took an 86-run lead in the second Test against the West Indies at Lord's but were back on the defensive after a partnership of 274 for the sixth wicket between skipper Garry Sobers (163no) and his cousin David Holford (105no). The hosts ended up batting out for a draw at 197-4, Colin Milburn hitting 126 not out.

20 YEARS AGO

"WE are our own worst enemies," admitted York's coach Stewart Horton after their 18-14 home defeat against Doncaster Dragons, which was a big blow to their top-four hopes in the Second Division.

Jason Laurence and Dave Smith got's York's tries and they were ahead with five minutes left – but the match added to their injury list, with Mark Cain suffering a broken nose and Andy Marson limping off.

Earlier in the week, York had given an improved display on their setback against Swinton in going down 58-6 at Stanley Gene-inspired Hull KR, with Keith Mawer getting the only try.

Ian Dews had injured a hand but York Cricket Club's skipper was still man of the match in their Abbott Ale Cup Group Three decider at Harrogate, taking 3-29 and scoring 76. Alec Backhouse mopped up the tail with 4-11 as the hosts were dismissed for 133, York winning by eight wickets to set up an inter-zone final against Blackpool in what was a repeat of the 1975 final.

The previous day, Marcus Wood's 59 could not prevent York from losing a thriller by one wicket against Castleford in the Yorkshire League.

Martyn Moxon (137) and Richard Stemp (4-45) were the heroes of Yorkshire's comprehensive NatWest Trophy first-round victory over Nottinghamshire.

England beat Spain 4-2 on a penalty shoot-out in Euro 96 after a 0-0 draw but then reverted to type and lost 6-5 on penalties to Germany in the semi-finals after a 1-1 draw.