Wigan Album

If I remember correctly it was a looooonnng, long coach drive from Alicante in those days to Benidorm!

you know phil i went the year after & it was my 1st holiday abroad . i did everything wrong & got burned in the 1st week .

It was the days when a strict dress code was the norm for travellng as well! No baggy shorts and flip- flops until you hit the beach! You could always spot the Brits abroad with their sore red skin. Definitely more well behaved as I recall. Benidorm was my first foreign holiday, it was a beautiful place and still more of a fishing village than concrete jungle with lovely family owned hotels in the hills.

Oh, what a handsome young man! xx

You've tendered some mighty fine words, there, Irene. My tremendous thanks.

Definitely a handsome young man.

Private jet an all Phil ? You have done well lad ! Must say you do look very cool , calm and collected . Could this be celebrity status or perhaps the return to Blighty of the ‘brain’ behind the team that emptied the bank , the Big One , finally caught after years on the Costas ? Off shot is an awaiting Police car , the officers , in homage ( no handcuffs ) of the genius behind the fabled job and after years eluding them , allow him his last moment of prowess before the surrounding gallery of cameras ...
The unrecovered billions , for now , left for another day ...

Just joking Phillip , no offence . Just liked your calmness of pose in the picture and my imagination took flight .

A young Rick Wakeman..

Thanks for your cheer, Maureen. And I must say 'your gizmo now seems to be going like a symphony orchestra'; not a hiccup during its phrasing.
And perhaps a place on TV for XPat's symphonic scenario, which would be oh so much more enjoyable than discordant garbling played out by certain so-called celeb's.
Here's a little more on our now departed senior journeyman, Albert: Five members (Myself included.) of our mighty Chapel Eender's party had shared the same table at mealtimes throughout the holiday, and on one occasion, when each of the meals were seen to have been overcooked, Albert compounded the general miff with this ' Aye, 'un' this caew's pewd monny 'u' plaew, too'.
And of Young Rick Wakeman, … well, … how could I not, … a pint for Rocker Ron.

Irene needs to put her glasses on or go Specsavers.

I don't think the 'usual' Anne would say anything so 'catty'...thats the difference between them.
Philip is one of life's gentlemen.

was anyone from the chappel end gang i know phil ? .

Thanks Veebs.
Whups, No Dart-players on that journey, I'm afraid, but you might have known our crusty leader and Crown Green bowler of note Ken Middlehurst.
Shame about your blisters, in '75.

let me tell you phil that i suffered with those blisters . i was thinking about our paul or billy cunliffe from holt crescent area ? .

Neither of those had been aboard, Whups. I remember Billy coming into the bookies that stood beside The Eagle' in the Sixties, and then saying 'Lol Lavin's put his house on Tower Walk! It was a very good Miler.

he,s never away from it now phil . he ruined a little club we had at bryn labour club where we went away on a jolly boys outing & everyone dropped off because he kept booking them into benidorm .

Happy belated New Year to all on WW !
Looks like Phil is eager to get unpacked and down to the beach or bar!
The duty-free must be in Phil's left hand ;-)

And a Happy New Year to you too Johnny..xx

Philip looks like he's already drunk the duty free...either that or he's been rudely wakened!.;@))

Ps. Those long night flights were a killer, but we did them in those days, if I remember correctly it was cheaper to 'fly by night' . ( that must be were the saying comes from!

My lack of vim could have been caused by the dreaded Gold Leaf, Veronica, as I remember being onboard 'a plane' once and being asked at the outset 'Would you like a Smoking compartment, or a non-Smoking compartment?', and having chosen the latter; Starboard - Aft. All changed now, of course.

I can only say I'm glad about the smoking ban on 'planes, especially as I am off to Oz this coming year! Although I do feel sympathy for the smokers, being without a smoke for hours must be awful Philip...

I wish you every enjoyment, in Australia, Veronica.

Ta vey much Philip, there's a lot to do before I get there!

dropped on your stef just before xmas outside aldi in haydock phil . he seems to be doing ok & mentioned that i was talking to you on here .

Thanks Whups. He's not too keen on the BDO, preferring the other lot instead. And he still reckons Taylor to have been 'the best'. Take care.

not for me phil . he was fixing times to go on when it suited him & did,nt play an afternoon session in the worlds . that 1st 10yrs there was an awful lot mediocre players in that pdc & even i could have given them a run for my money . no brissy was the best for me when there was a lot of gud players about .

Thanks Whups. No doubt it had been the 'Strike which prevented you from having a prolonged bash at 'em'. Doh!

it did put me back a bit phil but i did come back to play for lancs & my arms started to go . i ended up having a operation on my right arm & decided to pack it in .

I went to a few darts exhibition nights in the early eighties and saw the big 3, Eric, John Lowe and Jocky Wilson. My favorite at the time was John Lowe but found him aloof and rude. Put me off him. He turned up with the intention that nobody was to beat him and that turned out to be the case. Eric was different again, one of the lads, cracking jokes all through, and leaving himself 170 for his finish every game. 2 players beat him that night, one of who was Tony Blundell. He replayed them both at the end of the evening, renamed the Crafty Cockney v the Crafty Copper. Eric won both re matches. Jocky was a different night all together. He'd just been warned off the pop on medical advice and was snatching his darts very badly. He lost as many as he won but hit some awesome finishes. At the interval, me and my mate went to see him in his dressing room for an autograph, we ended up staying the whole interval talking to him. Was like we'd known him for years. Cracking bloke as was Eric. RIP you's 2

By crin, Standisher, you and your mate had done well; A jangle with a Star in his dressing room! And you've also rattled-off the names of 'big guns' in your post.
I remember seeing Leighton Rees Alan Evans and Wigan lad 'Brian' Smart - and a lad from Earlestown, I think, who'd successfully taken-up Rees's 'challenge to all-comers' -, at Goose Green Labour Club back in the day. I think the evening's main attraction had been the Smart v Evans match - it's so long ago. Thanks.

i was there to phil . rees played dave horan from wigan & beat him , evens played smarty & smarty won . the challenge match your on about was ernie sim from golborne . he,s died around 18mths ago .

That was the fella!, Whups; Ernie Sim from 'Golborne'. Thanks.