50 YEARS AGO

MONEY may have been at the heart of much of what was happening this week but at St Annes, pride was at stake in the English Amateur Golf Championship.

West Bowling's Billy Smith claimed a big fish in the first round, the 24-year-old defeating holder (he had won it three times in four years) Michael Bonallack 4&3 in the first round.

Smith's clubmate Bernard Cawthray, a semi-finalist the previous year, saw off Northumberland champion and international Keith Tate (Alnmouth) 8&7 – but 29-year-old Jack Emmott (Keighley) could not make it a hat-trick of Bradford successes, losing 6&5 to T Shingler (Glen Gorse).

There were, however, triple victories in the second round for Rodney Foster (Bradford), Roger Mitchell (Keighley) and Cawthray over Dick Martindale 3&2, John Inman 4&3 and R Kirkby 3&2 respectively, Walker Cup player Foster losing in the quarter-finals to eventual champion Michael Lunt (Moseley) 2&1.

Bradford City were offering life membership for 100 guineas (£105 then or £1,833 today) – that guaranteed a tip-up seat in the centre stand for life, plus membership of the patrons' club.

Bradford Northern signed Lancashire and Great Britain under-24 prop Peter Birchall for just under £3,500, while Bradford Rugby Club were given a £2,000 loan from Twickenham with which they planned to buy freehold land and build two more pitches near their Lidget Green headquarters.

In a delayed Priestley Cup semi-final, Bradford (68-9) won by one wicket against Bingley (67) at Park Avenue to earn the right to go back there and face Laisterdyke in the final on Monday, August 1. Mike Fearnley took 6-26 for Bradford and Ken Standring 6-25 for Bingley.

Saltaire finally notched their first Bradford League victory of the season, winning by two wickets after Yeadon had made 145.

American Jim Ryun broke the world mile record by 2.3 seconds with his run of 3min 51.3sec in an all-American track meeting at the University of California at Berkeley, despite having a blistered right foot.

25 YEARS AGO

IT WAS a momentous week for Yorkshire and world cricket.

South Africa were readmitted into the global fold after a 21-year absence, while Yorkshire – who were facing bankruptcy (they were expected to lose £100,000 in the financial year) – jettisoned decades of tradition by opting for an overseas player, which caused strife at committee level.

Initially it looked as if Australian pace bowler Craig McDermott would have the honour in a three-year deal financed by Yorkshire Television, yet others within the county preferred Aussie batsman Dean Jones or West Indies quick Malcolm Marshall.

There were also calls for a new pavilion at Park Avenue, who, it was hoped, would stage county cricket again in 1992.

Bradford Northern legend Trevor Foster wanted the 'primitive' conditions at Odsal upgraded, with more covered accommodation and an improvement to the existing stand.

Valley Parade was looking forward to hosting group matches in the World Student Games, featuring Russia, Romania, Nigeria, Australia, Germany, Uruguay and Algeria.

David Byas received his county cap prior to Yorkshire's match against Gloucestershire in the Refuge Assurance League at his home ground of Scarborough – but the white rose county lost by ten runs, despite 64 off 57 balls by Phil Robinson.

Former Yorkshire and England wicketkeeper David Bairstow was given the captaincy at Undercliffe. They were striving to avoid relegation in the Bradford League, whose Priestley Cup final would be between Yorkshire Bank and East Bierley.

Bradley Parker (70) and Collis King (73) spurred Bierley to 242-2 and that was just too much for Bradford & Bingley, who fell six runs short despite a quickfire 53 by Richard McCarthy.

The other semi-final was a complete contrast, with Bank making 110 (Mick Fletcher 4-24) before Baildon were toppled for just 40, Mark Abbott taking 6-17 in 11 overs.

Sean Wilson, on loan from Coventry, expressed his desire to stay with Bradford Coalite Dukes after scoring 12 points and helping them win their BSPA Cup speedway tie 59-31 at home to Reading, while 21-year-old Gary Henderson won the Sellers Huddersfield Open tennis title, spoiling Simon Ickringill's 34th birthday by defeating him 6-4, 6-4 in the final.

Henderson pocketed £200 and Ilkley professional Ickringill, who had won the title seven times previously, £100, but women's singles winner Jacqui Holden only got £80 for her 6-2 6-1 defeat of Brighouse player Karen McLoughlin.

TEN YEARS AGO

LEEDS Rhinos coach Tony Smith admitted the better team lost after Rob Burrow landed a last-gasp touchline conversion to give them a 26-24 home win over Bradford Bulls in front of 17,700.

In a game where 17-year-old Sam Burgess made his debut for the visitors, the Bulls had been 18-4 ahead but not even three tries from man of the match Karl Pryce and another by Marcus St Hilaire was enough for victory.

Keighley Cougars failed to deal with a succession of kicks in losing 36-12 at home to Dewsbury Rams, who had only led 10-0 at half-time.

There was controversy in the Yorkshire Senior Leagues' Knockout semi-final at Pudsey St Lawrence after the Bradford League had made 335 (Alex Stead 129, James Smith 78) off their 50 overs and the Huddersfield League 177-7 off 32.2 overs when it rained.

The Huddersfield League thought they should go through as, on a comparison of scores after 32 completed overs, the Bradford League were only 158-3.

But the Bradford League and, more importantly, the umpires thought that the calculations should be made based on their full 50 overs, with the Bradford League advancing to face the Yorkshire League at Elland on August 20 thanks to an average of 6.7 runs per over compared to the Huddersfield League's 5.53.

Former Woodhouse Grove pupil Katie O'Brien led 6-2 3-1 but lost her first-round match in the women's singles at Wimbledon 2-6 7-6 6-2 to world No 68 Tathiana Garbin (Italy), with the world No 235 admitting: "Nerves got the better of me."