80 YEARS AGO

York City announced their financial figures – a loss of £1,352, making an adverse balance of £7,648, and admitted that the income from league matches (£3,797) could not cover the players' wages (£4,025).

An early exit from the FA Cup (5-1 in the first round at home to Burton Town, who they had beaten 3-2 away in the first round in 1934-35 when they reached the third round) was one explanatory factor, but suffice to say that the shareholders would not be receiving a dividend.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire County Cricket Club gave two contrasting performances in what had been a disappointing summer weather wise.

Maurice Leyland (163no), Len Hutton (163) and Herbert Sutcliffe (129) all made centuries in their 519-6 declared against Surrey, who were bowled out for 127 and 207, despite the twice defiant Laurie Fishlock to lose by an innings and 185 runs.

Then Yorkshire were caught on a 'sticky dog' (sunshine after rain on unprotected wickets) and were dismissed for 56 by Gloucestershire at Bristol, off-spinner Tom Goddard taking 5-23, medium-fast bowler Wally Hammond 2-24 and slow left-armer Reg Sinfield 2-7.

Gloucestershire were 57-5 at the end of the first day before the final two days were washed out – Yorkshire's seventh and eighth blanks of a frustrating campaign.

Fulford finished third in the Yorkshire First Division Team Golf Championship at Cleveland with a total of 633, behind record-breaking winners Brough, whose 625 beat the previous best by eight shots, and Halifax (627).

50 YEARS AGO

AFTER a protracted build-up, it looked as if the offer of a £1,000 bonus for each player if they brought back the silverware seemed to be affecting England's players in the opening match of the 1966 World Cup.

The 0-0 draw with Uruguay at Wembley Stadium was hardly the sort of start to set the pulses racing, or one to encourage the Queen to watch any more games in the flesh, but England manager Alf Ramsey said: "I was disappointed with the result but not the performance."

While the defensively astute South American team's odds to win the Jules Rimet Trophy dropped from 40-1 to 16-1, England's odds widened from 3-1 to 4-1.

Even less thrilling was the British Lions' 6-3 victory over North Auckland at Whangarei, a game that contained 74 line-outs, with the Lions winning 43 and the hosts 31. Tries for the winners came from Keith Savage and Ronnie Lamont.

Much more pleasant was the Great Britain rugby league tourists' 44-10 win over Queensland Country team Ipswich, with wingers Bill Burgess and Johnny Stopford each grabbing three tries.

Yorkshire were 139-run victors over Essex at Bradford, with Fred Trueman (8-37) and Tony Nicholson (6-32) being the destroyers in chief as the visitors were dismissed for 125 and 122 after Yorkshire had scored 263-8 declared (Brian Close 58, Ken Taylor 55, Phil Sharpe 47) and 123-3 declared (Doug Padgett 48no, John Hampshire 42no).

Blackburn Rovers right winger Roland Harrey was purchased by York City, making it six signings by the Minstermen for the new season, while York athlete Walter Wilkinson was second in the AAA Mile Championship at White City, clocking 4min 1.5sec to boost his hopes of being chosen for the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica.

20 YEARS AGO

IT IS said that the thing you cannot defend against is pace, and York, who fielded a quartet who had played for their A team 24 hours earlier, found that to their cost in a 34-12 home defeat by Hunslet Hawks, whose wingers Paul Sterling and David Plange scored a brace apiece.

But injuries to Paul Brown (suspected broken collarbone), Andy Merson (ankle) and replacement Lee Tichener (elbow) did not help, and the hosts, who were 10-6 behind at half-time, only managed tries by Dave Smith and Damian Ball.

National Conference League side New Earswick All Blacks appointed former Leigh and Salford player Mick McTigue as coach, while York Ladies' player Julie Cronin, who had been selected in the Great Britain Ladies' squad, found out that she had to pay for her own food in Australia on top of the £700 she had had to cough up for her air fare.

York sidecar ace Steve Webster, whose passenger was David James, celebrated his 100th Grand Prix start with third place in the German Grand Prix, and was third in the World Championship, just two points behind second place.

New signing Neil Tolson was targeting promotion with York City, and the 6ft 3in striker talked of getting on the end of crosses from Paul Stephenson and the like, but confessed that he was happier with the ball played to feet.

Tomas Brolin looked to have played his last game for Leeds United as he missed the start of pre-season training amid rumours of a move to Sampdoria, with the Elland Road club threatening to stop his pay.