The Pools

My Grandfather was a believer in the saying that children should be seen and not heard, especially at mealtimes. By contrast, Mum and Dad had a more relaxed attitude to mealtimes and used them as an opportunity for us to share our news. There was however one time of the week where speaking was definitely not encouraged – during the reading out of the football results as Dad made notes to see if he’d got those eight score draws that would make him rich.

Several different companies such as Littlewoods, Vernons, Zetters and Brittens organised the pools, the most famous of which was historically known as Treble Chance. Littlewoods football pools was founded in 1923 by Sir John Moores, Vernons in 1925, Zetters in 1933, and Brittens in 1946. By the 1930s, playing The Pools was a national pastime with millions soon taking part. Competitors were given a list of football matches set to take place over the coming week, and attempted to pick a line of eight of them whose results would be worth most points by the scoring scheme, traditionally by crossing specific boxes on a printed coupon. A proportion of the players' combined entry fees was distributed among the competitors whose entries were worth the highest scores. In its heyday over a third of the population played every week with dreams of financial gain hinging on those Saturday teatime football results. The original Millionaire Maker, the Football Pools has literally given billions to millions.

The coupons would be distributed and collected each week by an agent or they could be posted direct. Dad used an agent most of the time and always played Littlewoods Pools as they were reckoned top pay out more. Originally Dad would listen to the results on the radio but then, latterly, on TV. The BBC television programme Grandstand used to broadcast the winning match numbers and any Pools Panel verdicts as part of its "Final Score" segment in the late afternoon. Remarkably, only two people have so far announced the classified football results on the programme since its inception in 1958 - Len Martin until his death in 1995 and, since then, Tim Gudgin. Pools news was also given out on the BBC radio programme Sports Report until May 2007.



One of the most notorious and well remembered characters associated with the Pools was Viv Nicholson - the Castleford miner's wife who vowed to "spend, spend, spend" after her husband Keith scooped the Littlewoods jackpot in 1961. And spend she did, blowing almost half their £152,000 fortune (£2.2 million by today's standards) in just four years on all-night partying, new hairdos, cars and clothes!

On 26 January 1963, the panel of former players and referees provided expert opinion on 52 of the 55 postponed games that week.The panel continues to sit every week with World Cup winners Gordon Banks and Roger Hunt and Scotland international Tony Green making the decisions that could make someone a fortune. As the business developed so did the games and in 1973 Spot the Ball launched as a weekly game, quickly becoming another favourite of the British public.

In 1994, Littlewoods Football Pools became the first company to sponsor the FA Cup competition. This followed the company's sponsorship of the League Cup which began in 1986.



The biggest ever pools winners had to wait 10 days to get their hands on the money because the head of the syndicate was on holiday on the Costa Blanca and refused to come home early! Terry Wilson was on holiday with fellow syndicate members Brian and Doreen Froggat when news of the record-breaking win of £2,924,622 came through. It was left to Harold Hampson, syndicate member and former landlord of the Yew Tree Inn in Worsley, Greater Manchester, to break the news to his fellow winners.

Harold said, "I was doing a bit of gardening when one of the syndicate members arrived with Stan Roberts from Littlewoods. He told me that we'd have to wait for confirmation of the win and we spent a nervous couple of hours - and the best part of a bottle of whiskey - waiting for the call. How do you describe that feeling of finding out you've won the pools - you just can't.

The Pools record was set in November 1994 on the same weekend of the first-ever National Lottery. In recent years the Lottery, or Lotto as it is now called, has taken over as the quick way to become a millionaire. The Pools went quickly into decline. Littlewoods Football Pools launched its own Lotto game in 2001 - now played by over 80,000. But now the New Football Pools have been launched.

The New Football Pools, owned and operated by Sportech PLC, brings together the UK's three biggest football pools companies - Littlewoods, Vernons and Zetters for the very first time. The New Football Pools continues to support and develop sportsand good causes in the UK through grants awarded by its Football Pools Trust. Over its 85-year history, The Pools has contributed over £1.1 billion to football, other sports, the arts and good causes.

The New Football Pools can be played on-line and a wide variety of games are available – including the Classic Pools which could net a lucky winner (with 8 high-scoring score draws) jackpot of £2.5m.

Want to play? Visit - http://www.footballpools.com/cust

My Liverpool FC Top Players

On Sunday’s ‘Something for the Weekend’ John Barnes – one of chef Simon Rimmer’s top five Liverpool players – was a guest. He is (broadly speaking) a neighbour of ours and one of a few famous faces that can occasionally be seen around Heswall. When you come across him shopping his public persona is not different to that seen on television – a homely, pleasant, polite and affable chap. Like Simon Rimmer I would immediately name him as one of my top five Liverpool players of all-time.
My top five Liverpool players would be Steven Gerrard, Billy Liddell, Roger Hunt, John Barnes, Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush, Paul Ince, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher and Kevin Keegan. O.K. that is ten but I was never very good at decisions (I’m a Libran!). After a little bit more thought I’ll knock out the last four and leave myself with Gerrard, Liddell, Hunt, Barnes, Fowler and Rush.



Billy Liddell’s sons were in the year below me at prep school and so he was my firsts ever Liverpool hero. He was also Liverpool’s oldest goal scorer being 38 years and 55 days when he scored his last goal for the team on 5th March 1960. He played for Liverpool from 1938-1961.



Roger Hunt was the attractive goal scoring hero of my school days and still holds the record for the most league goals – 245 – and most hat-tricks in a season – 5. He was Liverpool’s top scorer for eight straight seasons and a key, goalscoring member of the 1966 England World Cup-winning team.. He played for Liverpool from 1958-1969.



Ian Rush could not really be left out of any Liverpool top five. His scoring records include - most first-team goals - 346; most goals in a season - 47 (during the 1983–84 season); most FA Cup goals - 39; and most League Cup goals - 48. He played for Liverpool from 1980–1996.



John Barnes, like Gerrard, was the key player in the team for a number of years and while he doesn’t appear on the top of many statistics it should be noted that in the 1990 title winning side he scored an amazing 22 league goals from the left wing. Liverpool striking legend, and colleague, Ian Rush also had a great season but managed 4 fewer league goals than Barnes which puts the feat into context. An England International, Barnes gained a total of 79 full caps scoring 11 goals. Barnes's England performances will be remembered most for his fantastic individual goal against Brazil in June 1984 despite being targeted by the National Front who booed his every touch of the ball. He played for Liverpool from 1987-1997.



Robbie Fowler is another striker who does not appear on the top of many statistical charts apart from scoring the fastest hat-trick for the team - 4 minutes, 32 seconds, against Arsenal. Nevertheless, his prolific goalscoring and the fact that he was born and bred in Toxteth were bound to make him any Liverpool supporter’s favourite. He scored when he made his first-team debut in Liverpool's win in a Coca Cola Cup tie at Fulham on 22 September 1993. Two week's later he scored all five goals in the second leg at Anfield, making him the fourth player in Liverpool's history to score five in a senior fixture. He played for Liverpool from 1993–2001 and again from 2006–2007.



Steven Gerrard has been the linchpin of the team’s success for many seasons. Gerrard is another Merseysider born and bred, coming from Knowsley. He wears the number 8 shirt. He is Liverpool’s leading European goalscorer, During his career he has won the PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Player of the Year, European Midfielder of the year, Premier League Most Valuable Player (twice), and UEFA Most Valuable Player. He has also been awarded the MBE for his contributions in both the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2006 FA Cup Final in which he inspired his team's comeback. He was voted by fans as the Nationwide England Player of the Year for 2007. He has played for Liverpool since 1998.



I hate leaving out Kevin Keegan who scored two of the goals in the 1974 F A Cup Final win (3-0) against Newcastle United – the only Final to which I have been. He wore the Liverpool No 7 shirt from 1971-1977.

GOLDEN RETRIEVERS

My friend Briagha is a Golden Retriever so I thought I would do a blog posting about them. Apart from the picture of Endal, at the ATM machine, the photos are of Briagha.




The Golden Retriever is a large breed of dog, historically developed as a gundog to retrieve shot waterfowl and upland game during hunting. As such they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and an instinctive love of water. Their versatility sees them employed in a variety of roles including illegal drug detection, search and rescue, as hunting dogs and as guide dogs. The Golden Retriever's friendly, eager-to-please nature and patient demeanor has also made it one of the most popular family dogs (by registration) in the world today.



The Golden Retriever breed was originally developed in Scotland at "Guisachan" near Glen Affric, the highland estate of Sir Dudley Marjoribanks (pronounced "Marjebanks"), later Baron Tweedmouth. For many years, there was controversy over which breeds were originally crossed. In 1952, the publication of Majoribanks' breeding records from 1835 to 1890 dispelled the myth concerning the purchase of a whole troupe of Russian sheepdogs from a visiting circus.



A Golden Retriever of British breeding can have a coat colour of any shade of gold or cream, however, red or mahogany are not permissible colours. Originally cream was not an acceptable colour in the UK standard, however, by 1936 the standard was revised to include cream. The coat is dense and waterproof, and may be straight or moderately wavy. It usually lies flat against the belly. As a Golden grows older, its coat can become darker or lighter, along with a noticeable whitening of the fur on and around the muzzle. Puppy coats are usually much lighter than their adult coats, but a darker colouration at the tips of the ears may indicate a darker adult color. A golden's coat should never be too long, as this may prove to be a disservice to them in the field- especially when retrieving game. Like other dogs, Golden Retrievers will shed their hair throughout the year and more in the spring - no matter how many times you brush them a day.



The Golden Retriever is described in the standard as "kindly, friendly and confident", and a very smart dog. They are not "one man dogs" and are generally equally friendly with strangers and those familiar to them. Their trusting, gentle disposition therefore makes them a poor guard dog. Goldens are also noted for their intelligence, and can learn up to roughly 240 commands, words and phrases. These dogs are also renowned for their patience with children. They also are affectionate and like to give wet kisses - which is hard luck on GB who prefers his wet kisses from something less canine.




The typical Golden Retriever is calm, naturally intelligent and biddable, with an exceptional eagerness to please. As the name suggests, the Golden Retriever loves to retrieve. Whether the object is a thrown stick, tennis ball, or flying disc, retrieving can keep a dog of this breed occupied and entertained for hours, particularly if water is also involved. Goldens might also pick up and "retrieve" any object that is near to them upon their masters' arrival, all of this lending to their retriever name.




They also like to be in and near the water, similar to Labs. If you have any type of water on or near your property, your Golden Retriever will be in it, and tend to be either wet or muddy quite a bit...




Who Me? Muddy? Never!





In a dog's world, Golden Retrievers are simply the fatal attraction. They are a very popular dog breed, making great pets, hunting dogs, obedience competitors, show dogs, and even a combination of all these traits. No matter what your intent may be to own a Golden Retriever, you'll have an excellent dog that will live up to it's potential and then some.



Initially I confused Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers and mentioned in this posting one of many famous Labradors - Endal, a service dog in England. Among other distinctions, "the most decorated dog in the world" (including "Dog of the Millennium" and the PDSA’s Gold Medal for Animal Gallantry and Devotion to Duty), the first dog to ride on the London Eye and the first dog known to work a 'chip and pin' ATM card. As of 2007 some three hundred camera crews from several countries have interviewed Endal and his owner/handler Allen Parton, and a film of a year in his life is in production. Since I got such a super comment from Endal and Allen I have left this reference in.

Briagha is quite happy without fame, so long as she has humans to wait on her hand and foot (and a big stick with which to play)...