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10 years ago – April 17, 2014
Royal day out
One of horse racing’s most avid and knowledgeable fans chose Newbury to enjoy the first day of this year’s Flat racing season.
The Queen spent a sunny afternoon at the West Berkshire course, in a private capacity, on Saturday, but was not rewarded with a winner.
The racecourse has been under the cosh recently, but for all the bad publicity it’s still a fabulous track attracting the best horses and jockeys.
With its long straight and top-quality turf management it’s the place of choice for the best horses.
Regular visitor John Gosden has his horses in wonderful form and he now houses the new 2,000 Guineas favourite after Kingman smashed his rivals to pieces in Saturday’s Aon Greenham stakes.
25 years ago – April 15, 1999
Holy goals
A Newbury vicar is swapping his dog collar for a football shirt this weekend at a special church service on the theme of ‘the beautiful game’.
Newbury Baptist Church is kicking off its ‘Six O’clock Show’, a new kind of service designed to widen the appeal of the church, with an afternoon of music, drama and fun with a football theme.
There will be contemporary songs, including football chants, a short drama called “The one where Beckham got sent off”, based around last year’s controversial World Cup incident and a penalty shoot-out in the church car park.
There will be free refreshments at half-time and people are being encouraged to wear their favourite team’s shirt to the service.
The Rev Jim Mc Naughton, who is a football fan himself and will be sporting Newcastle United’s colours on Sunday, insisted the day was not about ‘dumbing down’ religion.
“I’m just excited about it because the opportunity is there to enjoy being in church,” he said.
50 years ago – April 18, 1974
Worms’ turn
As I drove into Great Shefford on Tuesday, it was clear that something was wrong, writes NWN reporter Nick Harris.
I had come to attend the inaugural meeting of a new and important fixture on the international calendar of major sporting events.
Berkshire had beaten the world in being the first to stage such a contest.
But the motoring organisations had failed to provide their customary signs pointing the way to the village hall – the venue of the Great Shefford Worm Race Challenge competition.
Inside, race organiser Tony Houghton, who is president-elect of the Athletic Worms Association, was explaining the rules to members of the Reading and Great Shefford Young Farmers’ Clubs.
The 21 worms were all first-class racing material – the rules said they had to be British earthworms; imports were forbidden.
Red Rum, QE2, Streaker, Eatmoreclay, V1, Charlie Farlie and Percy (not forgetting Archibald, Thin Thing and Big Ed) were a few of the names that made history on that April evening.
