I enjoyed four excellent years as a student in Leeds, which was initially a bit of a culture shock, having grown up in a sleepy, small town in Hertfordshire. I recall it being foggy for over a month on arrival in 1966. Early on in term one, I was admitted to Leeds General Infirmary with appendicitis, which prevented my taking part practically until after Christmas. It gave me a break from Olympic Gymnastics and my tutor, George Whitely, who had told me that, “If I could not master the pommel horse, I could always get a job at Christmas delivering the mail.”
In year two, with seven other students, I was billeted with Mr and Mrs Broadbent in West Park. Three of the eight were Carnegie students. The Broadbents were regulars at the Olde Time Musical at the City Varieties.
Year three and we were in the Carnegie Hall of Residence. It was a good football year, as we had an outstanding college first team with local Peter Hardcastle, who went on to play for Blackpool, Welsh amateur international Geoff Anthony and Scottish junior international Kenny Richmond in the team. These were ably supported by Malcolm Hird, who had played for Farsley Celtic. We were ‘allowed’ to play against Loughborough Colleges that year, beating them 3-0 and 6-1, and enjoyed an excellent run in the FA Amateur Cup, beating Bellingham Synthonia 2-1 in the first round proper and losing 5-2 in round two to the eventual finalists, Sutton United. As a goalkeeper, I gifted the first goal and Don Curry, our tutor/coach never forgave me! At the end of that season the team went to Berlin and stayed at Spandau prison, where Rudolf Hess was an inmate. We listened to the final on the radio and Don said to me, “This could have been us.”
Our year group has met regularly since leaving. Our next gathering will be in Leeds in April 2026, sixty years since we got together.
1969
2025
