50 YEARS AGO: YORK City came mighty close to handing Wrexham their first and only home defeat of the season in Division Four.

Newly-married Tommy Spencer put the Minstermen ahead in the fifth minute, and they held that lead for 80 minutes until Albert Kinsey equalised, although York could still have won it when Andy Provan’s drive skimmed the crossbar in the 88th minute.

Wrexham went on to complete the whole campaign unbeaten at home, winning 11 and drawing 12, while City ended that 1966-67 campaign in third from bottom.

Bramley seemed to have taken a shine to their new McLaren Field ground, defeating York 21-11 there and scoring 11 points in as many minutes in the last quarter.

Meillam, Horner and Foster scored York’s tries.

Local interest in rugby union was peaked when York drew Malton & Norton in the third round of the Yorkshire Cup at Shipton Road.

York triumphed 16-3, with Glover, Finneran and Dixon crossing the whitewash for York and Dukes replying, as York booked a fourth-round tie at Old Leodiensians, which doubled as a Shield semi-final. Selby lost their third-round cup tie 19-12 to Rodillians.

The Sports Writers’ Association Sportsman of the Year award had always gone to an individual in its 20-year history – until now.

This time the award went to Bobby Moore and his ten colleagues who won the Jules Rimet Trophy for England.

Swimmer Linda Ludgrove was the women’s winner.

Tennis player Margaret Smith, who won Wimbledon in 1963 and 1965, the Australian Open from 1960-66 and the French Open and US Open in 1962 and 1964, announced her retirement from the sport.

The 24-year-old said she was “fed up with playing and travelling”.

Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus (some duo) won the Canada Cup (world golf’s team championship) for the United States by five shots with a 24-under-par 548 total in Tokyo, holders South Africa (Gary Player and Harold Henning) finishing second.

80 YEARS AGO

IN A week when the Beckett Football League decided to carry on, despite some teams struggling to raise sides, there was a nasty shock for umpire Scott shortly before the start of play in MCC’s match against South Australia in Adelaide.

Not only had his white coat been stolen, but also his hat, the match ball and the device that he used to count the number of balls in an over.

Fortunately, MCC skipper Gubby Allen agreed to continue with a ball of similar wear to that which was stolen (what would have happened had he not?), and MCC won by 105 runs, with Yorkshire’s Hedley Verity taking 4-35 in South Australia’s second innings and Allen bagging 3-32 for match figures of 9-65.

Young Australian Horace Lindrum broke a world snooker record with a break of 116 against Joe Davis at Nottingham (they had previously shared the record on 114), and it was revealed that York only pocketed £30 10s (£30.50, worth £1,955 now) after wages and other expenses had been deducted, for their Yorkshire County Cup title.

York lost 18-7 at home to Leeds (their fourth straight home defeat) and 31-7 at Hull, making it eight losses in ten matches.

Leeds profited by two interception tries and were gifted a third when York full back Dingsdale let the ball bounce instead of catching it on the full.

The Hull setback was York’s heaviest defeat of the season, and was chiefly down to the backs not tackling.

Ironically, Western’s try for York against Leeds was the best of the match, while Fender crossed in the 75th minute against Hull.

Former Neath and Wales RU front-rower Dai Prosser was sold to Leeds by York for “a substantial fee”.

York City drew 1-1 against Darlington at Feethams to record their first point there at the eighth attempt.

Albert Thompson netted for York in the 56th minute, but they could have won it as Jimmy Hughes hit the bar.

The Minstermen followed that up with their first clean sheet in 11 matches as visitors Gateshead were beaten 2-0, courtesy of goals by Ted Hathway and Thompson at the beginning and end of the match.

Great Britain’s hopes of successfully defending their Davis Cup crown were dealt a severe blow when it was announced that leading player Fred Perry had turned professional, rendering him ineligible.

Cricketer Norman Yardley, formerly a pupil at St Peter’s, York, received his Yorkshire first-team cap, while Brian Sellers would continue as captain for the 1937 season.