Tag: Sports

Harold Larwood – From Cricket to Sweets & Tobacco

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Harold Larwood, a celebrated English cricketer, had a connection to Blackpool after his first-class cricket career with Nottinghamshire ended. He played for Blackpool Cricket Club in 1939. On the outbreak of war, Larwood left the game altogether, to work away from the public eye as a market gardener. In 1946 he used his savings to buy a sweet shop on Caunce Street in Blackpool. A park in Victory Road, Blackpool, was renamed in his honour. Although he generally kept away from organised cricket and avoided all personal publicity, he was persuaded to attend a farewell luncheon for Don Bradman at… Read more »

Duncan Bannatyne Opens His Health Club in Blackpool

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Bannatyne Health Club in Blackpool opened in early August 2017, coinciding with the launch of a new spa facility that enhanced the club’s offering. The spa includes treatment rooms, manicure and pedicure stations, as well as access to the club’s sauna and other amenities. The health club combines state-of-the-art gym equipment and a broad selection of exercise classes with luxurious swimming pools and spa facilities, creating a balanced environment for both fitness and relaxation. The club is committed to continual investment, ensuring it remains at the forefront of industry trends while providing excellent facilities, modern equipment, and great value to… Read more »

The Opening of Palatine Leisure Centre & South Family Hub

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The Palatine Leisure Centre in Blackpool opened on 11 August 2005 after six years of planning and development. Located on St Anne’s Road in the South Shore area, it is operated by Blackpool Council and shares its site with the Palatine Library and South Shore Academy. The centre offers a wide range of facilities including a 25-meter, 8-lane competition swimming pool with a moveable floor, allowing for swimming competitions, water polo, and sub-aqua diving. There is also a family learner pool designed for swimming lessons and recreational use. The centre includes a well-equipped gym with cardiovascular and resistance machines, functional… Read more »

David Durie Makes His FA Cup Debut Against Manchester City

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David George Durie (13 August 1931 – 30 August 2016) was an English professional footballer widely admired for his prolific scoring ability and exemplary conduct, spending the majority of his career at Blackpool Football Club. Born and raised in Blackpool, Durie attended Revoe School and signed with his hometown club in 1952. Initially brought in as cover for Allan Brown, he gradually carved out his own place in the team. He made his league debut on 23 February 1953 in a 2–0 defeat to Charlton Athletic and scored his first goal later that season in a 5–1 loss at Middlesbrough…. Read more »

Blackpool Loses Footballing Giant Bill Parr in Tragic Plane Crash

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William (Bill) Wilfred Parr (23 April 1915 – 8 March 1942) was an accomplished England amateur international footballer and wartime RAF pilot, whose promising sporting career was tragically cut short during the Second World War. Born in Revoe, Blackpool, Parr attended Revoe School and began playing football locally with Grasmere Road Methodists, all while working at Blackpool Town Hall. Despite his amateur status, he broke into Blackpool FC’s first team, making 18 appearances. His natural pace and talent on the right wing caught wider attention, and by the late 1930s he had established himself as an England amateur international, earning… Read more »

Revoe School and its Football Heritage Become Revoe Learning Academy

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Revoe Learning Academy, previously known as Revoe Primary School, has a rich history that reflects both the development of Blackpool as a town and the evolution of education within the community. The school’s roots can be traced back to the late 19th century when the Revoe area began transitioning from rural farmland to a more…

Stanley Mortensen Signs with Blackpool Football Club

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Stanley Harding Mortensen (26 May 1921 – 22 May 1991) was a distinguished English professional footballer, best remembered for his remarkable performance in the 1953 FA Cup final, commonly referred to as the “Matthews Final.” During this match, he made history by becoming the only player to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup final. Mortensen was also the first player to score for England in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match and later became the first England player to find the net in the World Cup itself. Wartime career Born in South Shields, Mortensen enlisted in the armed… Read more »

Frank Swift Signs with Manchester City

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Frank Victor Swift (26 December 1913 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for both Manchester City and the England national team. He began his football career at Fleetwood Town, close to his hometown of Blackpool, before joining First Division club Manchester City in 1932, where he spent the entirety of his professional playing career. Tragically, Swift passed away at the age of 44 in the Munich air disaster while reporting on Manchester United’s European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, for the News of the World. On 6 February 1958,… Read more »

Roy Calley’s Blackpool: A Complete Record is Published

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Roy Calley is a journalist who works for the BBC in Salford but was brought up in Blackpool, but now lives full-time in Nice, France. He joined the BBC in 1990 at Radio Lancashire, working as a sports journalist. Three years later he joined BBC GMR in Manchester and was the morning sports reporter on the breakfast programme, as well as presenting his own sports preview show every Friday night. He then moved to BBC Radio Leeds, where, despite being a Lancastrian, he reported on the fortunes of Yorkshire County Cricket Club for the local stations. That was followed by… Read more »

First swing on Fleetwood Golf Course

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The history of Fleetwood Golf Club has been positively traced back to the year 1861 when as a garrison town, officers at the Euston Barracks were instrumental in the laying out of the links course, organising a golf competition, and presenting prizes to the winners. The first recorded Golf Club was disbanded when the School of Musketry was relocated to Hythe in Kent some five years later. In 1893, townsfolk with an obvious passion for the game, instituted a Golf Club which had the boundary of the course running alongside the very edge of the sea. This is the accepted… Read more »