Memorable sportsmen and women!

Whether a participant or, dare I say it, a spectator - enjoy.
Post Reply
Message
Author
TheGreenAnger
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 3286
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2022 11:40 pm
Location: Unfashionable end of the Western Spiral

Memorable sportsmen and women!

#1 Post by TheGreenAnger » Sat Aug 20, 2022 4:34 pm

In the spirit of title of this thread I proffer South African rugby player Bill Payn. They don't make them like this anymore.
The running shoe industry spends millions each year developing the most scientifically up-to-date footwear to propel runners as efficiently as possible, and each year when the Comrades army gathers in its featherweight takkies <<plimsolls>>, it reminds me of the Springbok player who ran the 1922 race in his grubby rugby boots.

Bill Payn, an absolute legend of South African sport, was cajoled into running the race on the eve of the event, after having enjoyed some stiff drinks with his mate Arthur Newton who went on to win the “up” race.

Payn lined up at the start in his rugby boots because he thought they would provide a tactical advantage over takkies on the gravel roads of that time, and he needed all the help he could get!

At Hillcrest, as his hangover kicked in, Payn stopped to have bacon and eggs, and later on enjoyed some chicken curry provided by a supporting friend. At Drummond, the halfway mark, he celebrated the milestone by having a pint of beer with a fellow runner. The beers tasted good, but while his drinking partner chose more amber nectar instead of the 40-odd more kilometres to the (then) Natal capital, Payn kicked on.

Somewhere along Harrison Flats, Payn was struggling when a wandering saviour materialised out of the blue and offered him a magic potion disguised as peach brandy.

In Payn’s own words: “I gulped down a tumbler of this brew and realised that I had swallowed a near-lethal dose of raw alcohol. I am convinced that to this fragile little woman with flushed pink cheeks must go full credit for inventing the first liquid fuel for jet engines, and I was propelled to the finish.”

After this rejuvenating refreshment, Payne moved up to fifth place, but outside of Pietermaritzburg he spotted his wife’s family enjoying tea and cake on the veranda of a home. He thought it would be rude not to stop for a cuppa...

Payn eventually finished the 90km in 10:56:00, and in eighth place.

The story does not end there. In Maritzburg, a friend reminded Payn that he was due to play a club rugby match in Durban the next day, and offered him a lift back to Durban on the back of his motorcycle. Off they went, and Payn duly played for his club, but in takkies because his feet were masses of blood blisters.

Dare we mention that today’s rugby players are pampered pros... !

A lesser known but just as compelling a story of this incredible South African is his organisation of an unofficial “Test” series between the “Springboks” and the “All Blacks” while a prisoner of war in Poland during World War 2.

And so you thought the series between the New Zealand Cavaliers and the Boks in 1986 was the first unofficial series between the two countries?

Seriously, though, Payn had played two Tests on the flank for the Boks against Britain in a home series in 1924, with the Boks victorious in those matches. The Maritzburg College old boy did not play again for the Boks, but was a mainstay of Natal teams.

At the age of 46, he volunteered for service in the British army when World War II broke out in 1939. He was among tens of thousands of allied soldiers taken prisoner by the Germans in North Africa, and was a prisoner of war in Stalag XX-A in German-occupied Poland.


There were also hundreds of New Zealanders in that camp, and with the brilliant Springbok series win over the All Blacks in New Zealand in 1937 still fresh in the minds of South Africans and Kiwis, Payn asked the camp commandant if a rugby match could be played between POWS of the two countries.

His wish was granted and the international Red Cross flew in a rugby ball from England. Great care was put into the build-up to the match. Let’s face it... the prisoners had time on their hands.

The South Africans went to painstaking lengths to achieve their green and gold colours — they boiled their white red cross vests together with olive Russian uniforms to obtain green, while for the gold they ingeniously boiled up a solution of anti-malaria tablets.

Payn had two very able assistant coaches in Peter Pienaar, who was the son of Theo Pienaar, the 1921 Springbok captain in the very first series against New Zealand; and Billy Millar Jnr, whose father had captained the Boks on their unbeaten tour of Britain in 1912/13.

The field was marked off on the parade ground with yellow clay. Incidentally, the teams played barefoot in the Polish winter because the Germans decided that army boots were too lethal. Strange that they cared?

The result of the game has been lost in the mists of time, but what we do know is that one of the South African players was a certain Okey Geffin, who went on to become a famous Springbok.

On a sombre note, the Germans were unaware that Geffin was Jewish. Had they known, his future might have taken a tragic turn.

Payn spent many hours with Geffin, coaching him on goal kicking, and history records that in 1949, four years after the end of World War II, Geffin kicked the Boks to a 4-0 whitewash of the touring All Blacks.

As for Payn, he returned to Durban after the war and continued his teaching career at Durban High School. He taught there for 40 years; it would have been longer had he not fought in World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945).

Interestingly, English teacher Payn’s great passion was etymology (the study of the origin of words) and he was a much-sought-after public speaker on the subject.

Payn died suddenly in 1959 in a trolley car accident (Durban had a public tram transport system back then), aged 66, and it was speculated that this had been after an evening of frivolity. Payn would have loved the humour of his death being ascribed to him being “off his trolley!”

Typical of this wonderful character, he had made a significant provision in his will for free beer for his mates at his wake. And what a wake it was, by reports. There were not only all his old army comrades, but legions of sporting pals — he had not only played rugby and cricket for Natal, but also represented his province in boxing, athletics and baseball.

Postscript

Bill Payn was much loved for his sense of humour, as illustrated by a wonderful anecdote about the unusual measures he took when his cricket team was suffering poor form in Durban’s premier league. They were particularly bad with the bat, prompting captain Payn to place an advertisement in the Natal Mercury, which read:

“Join Stamford Hill and bat twice on a Saturday afternoon”.

Postscript 2

Bill’s strength of character was such that he looked on prison life under the Germans as a challenge, refusing to be restricted, and to quote him:

“Life is always life if one can laugh and captivity is what your heart makes of it.”

A great leader of men, Bill saw his imprisonment as an opportunity to be of service to his fellow prisoners.

He was in great demand as a speaker, with a range of subjects stretching from discussing the complete works of Shakespeare, a set of which he had with him in camp, to his talk on whales and their habits, which was also a great favourite. He continued to teach, conducting classes for prisoners who were taking correspondence courses.

And then, of course, there was his organisation of cricket and rugby matches, though maybe his toughest achievement was teaching other Allied nations the art of Jukskei

https://www.iol.co.za/sport/the-brandy- ... dc38a01d12
My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

reddo
Capt
Capt
Posts: 888
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 10:27 pm
Location:

Re: Memorable sportsmen and women!

#2 Post by reddo » Sat Aug 20, 2022 8:58 pm

He's a genuinely impressive character. :)

reddo
Capt
Capt
Posts: 888
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 10:27 pm
Location:

Re: Memorable sportsmen and women!

#3 Post by reddo » Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:10 pm


User avatar
Woody
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10244
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
Age: 59

Re: Memorable sportsmen and women!

#4 Post by Woody » Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:22 pm

Bob Paisley not only the most successful English football manager of all time ^:)^
Paisley was twenty when the Second World War began and in October he was called up into the Army who assigned him to the Royal Artillery in which he was a gunner in the 73rd Medium Regiment. This regiment was a war-formed battery unit utilising medium range artillery (field guns) that saw service in the United Kingdom until August 1941, North Africa until 1944 and finally Italy until 1945.[13]

Paisley was stationed at several camps throughout Great Britain including one at Rhyl.[14] For a long time, he was stationed at a camp near Tarporley in Cheshire which was about thirty miles from Anfield. Stan Liversedge describes one occasion when Paisley was given clearance by the Army to play for Liverpool against Everton in the 1940 Liverpool Senior Cup final. To get there, he had to use his bicycle and cycle nearly the whole way. He left the bike in Birkenhead and hitched a lift through the Mersey Tunnel. After the match, he had to do the same journey in reverse to return to camp. Although it was a relatively unimportant match of local interest only, Paisley recalled that "an estimated 30,000 turned up". Everton, the reigning league champions, won the match 4–2.[15][16] That was Paisley's first encounter with Everton. He got his revenge soon afterwards on 1 April 1940 when he played alongside Matt Busby and Billy Liddell in a depleted Liverpool team who "sprang a surprise" by defeating Everton 3–1 at Goodison Park.[17]

John Keith recounts that Paisley's football skills saved him from a posting to the Far East which would inevitably have resulted in his becoming a prisoner of war of the Japanese. He was captain of the 73rd's team and, when his battery was due to be posted, his commanding officer transferred him to another battery so that he could remain in Britain and lead the regimental team. His old unit was subsequently overrun by the Japanese.[14]

At the end of August 1941, on the bank holiday, Paisley was posted overseas and did not return to England until 1945. He went in a troopship to Egypt, the voyage lasting ten weeks because they had to sail around South Africa. He spent Christmas in Egypt and then received his first mail from England which turned out to be a postcard from George Kay asking him if he would be available to play for Liverpool against Preston North End (Bill Shankly's team) in the season opener three months earlier.[18] While he was in Egypt, Paisley became interested in horse racing through friendship with jockey Reg Stretton and trainer Frank Carr. Paisley learned to ride himself and he retained this interest after the war, often studying form in his spare moments.[19]

He was stationed south of Cairo and learned to drive a 15 cwt. truck. More importantly, he had a month's training on firing anti-tank guns, a skill he needed in the desert as a member of the Eighth Army in Operation Crusader which relieved the Siege of Tobruk. During periods of leave from the conflict, Paisley returned to Cairo where he was mostly involved in team sports, not only football but also cricket and hockey. He represented the Combined Services football team as well as playing for his regiment. Paisley was involved in the Second Battle of El Alamein and subsequently fought his way across North Africa until the final defeat of the Afrika Korps in 1943. He only suffered an injury once when he was temporarily blinded by sand sprayed into his face by explosive bullets fired from an aircraft during a Luftwaffe attack on his unit.[20]

In 1943, Paisley went with the Eighth Army into Sicily and then into Italy. Whilst he was on active service in Italy he received the news that his younger brother Alan, aged fifteen, had died at home from scarlet fever and diphtheria. In June 1944, Paisley took part in the liberation of Rome and rode into the city on top of a tank, an event he recalled 33 years later when Liverpool won the 1977 European Cup Final in Rome's Stadio Olimpico. Paisley's regiment moved on to Florence where they encamped at ACF Fiorentina's Stadio Artemio Franchi. In Florence, Paisley saw boxing exhibitions by Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson which generated another sporting interest and one for which he and Bill Shankly shared a passion while they worked together.[21]

Paisley finally returned to England in 1945 and was stationed at Woolwich Arsenal until he was demobbed. Shortly before that, he met his future wife Jessie, a schoolteacher, on a train at Maghull. She recalled her father being unimpressed that she had met a soldier who was a professional footballer in civilian life so she added that Paisley had worked as a bricklayer too. Her father said: "Oh, that's a proper job so that's alright then". On 17 July 1946, Bob and Jessie were married in Liverpool at All Souls Church, Springwood. They raised a family of two sons and one daughter: Robert, Graham and Christine.
When all else fails, read the instructions.

User avatar
Fox3WheresMyBanana
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 12979
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2015 9:51 pm
Location: Great White North
Gender:
Age: 61

Re: Memorable sportsmen and women!

#5 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Sun Aug 21, 2022 12:20 am

Ulrike Meyfarth.
Won the Olympic women's high jump Gold twice, and I remember watching both events. She was the youngest ever winner the first time (1972), and the oldest ever winner the second time (1984). In both events she beat the current World Record Holder, and equalled that World Record.
Has to be the ultimate in performing On The Day. She wasn't given much of a chance on either occasion before the event. I particularly remember her body language for both events, in the way she was moving around generally not just the jumps. She knew she was going to win, and so did I.

And we must likewise include Ellen MacArthur. Breaks the singlehanded Round-The-World sailing record. Also gets the fastest time in Top Gear's 'Star In a Reasonably-Priced Car', despite obviously doing naff all driving for years, and indeed ever.

TheGreenAnger
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 3286
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2022 11:40 pm
Location: Unfashionable end of the Western Spiral

Re: Memorable sportsmen and women!

#6 Post by TheGreenAnger » Sun Aug 21, 2022 4:07 am

Some really interesting and worthy sporting folks being showcased here.

One memorable sportsman who I actually got to meet and whose hand I had the the pleasure of shaking was black American boxer and legend Archie Moore. I purposely add the adjective "black" because the fact that a 12 year old white South African boy got to meet Archie Moore, let alone have the honour of shaking his hand, in Apartheid riven South Africa in the 1970's seems more like the stuff of fantasy, but it happened thanks to the fighting Toweel family one of whose sons was in my class at school. Mr Moore was one of the most impressive people I have ever met and he made more of an impression on me in the hour that he talked to the boys in my class than some teachers made in 10 years of trying. He was a tremendously modest, well spoken man who spoke more about life, and trying, and not giving up and his ethos struck a chord in me. The one piece of sporting advice he gave us was "warm up properly" before a fight, the only time he felt that he had been "hurt" in the ring was when he neglected a proper warm up session. That hour rushed by but I still remember it today, some 48 years later, like it was yesterday!

My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

Post Reply