It Was a Not-at-All-Instant Replay

Two English school soccer teams, whose members had dispersed as far as New Zealand and Kuwait, have replayed the cup final that ended in a dispute 19 years ago.

Hayes Road Primary and Ellacombe Junior School in the Devon resort of Torquay always argued over their 2-2 overtime tie in the 1966 Bewley Cup Final. Each team of 11-year-olds held the cup for six months.

“But nobody was satisfied, and as we got older, there were bitter arguments whenever we met up, about who should have won,” said Hayes Road captain Tony Bickford.

So he tracked down all those who had played, among them Steve Willacott from his own school, who was in Kuwait, and Alan Savage from the other team, who was living in New Zealand. Bickford hired a Torquay stadium, booked an English League referee and provided a replica trophy for the winners.

Before 750 spectators, the teams of 30-year-olds--some of whom hadn’t kicked a ball in 10 years--had a replay this week. Hayes Road won, 2-1, on a penalty.

“It was worth every minute,” Bickford said. “Now, we reckon to get into the Guinness Book of Records for the longest delay in playing a cup final replay.”

Joan Kroc, owner of the San Diego Padres and a supporter of Peter Ueberroth’s crusade against drugs, told Milton Richman of United Press International how she instituted Operation Cork in 1976 to promote awareness of chemical dependency in sports.

She said the response to her appeal was negligible.

“I did get a letter from the coach of one of the best-known football teams in the country,” she said. “He told me to mind my own business and not create any problems where none really existed. Three days later, he was picked up for drunk driving.”

Charles Alexander, author of the book, “Ty Cobb,” doesn’t think the Georgia Peach would have been rooting for Pete Rose this year.

“He was very jealous of his records,” Alexander said. “I don’t think he would give you that cliche that records were meant to be broken. I’ve got a feeling Cobb wouldn’t be all that gracious.”

Maybe he would have mellowed. He would have been 98 this year.

Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, N.J., the site of Jackie Robinson’s first game in organized baseball in 1946, was torn down this week.

Robinson was playing for the Montreal Royals against the Jersey City Giants, and there was concern in the Dodger organization that the pressure would get to him in the International League opener.

No chance.

Recalling the day, former Jersey City mayor Thomas F. X. Smith told Joe Gergen of Newsday: “Jackie went 4 for 5 and hit a home run. He scored four runs, knocked in four runs and stole two bases. He did everything but take the stadium with him. The guy was fantastic.”

Robinson wound up leading the International League in hitting at .349. The next year, he was playing first base for the Dodgers.

Quotebook

Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale, on the skyrocketing salaries in baseball: “When we played, World Series checks meant something. Now, all they do is foul up your taxes.”