Last night I had the pleasure of attending the annual Bobby Moore Sports Quiz in Central London. The great and the good of sport and sports broadcasting turned out to raise money for bowel cancer research in the name of one of London and England's greatest sporting ambassadors. On hand to help - everyone from West Ham and England star, Matthew Upson to Fulham manager, Roy Hodgson. Loads of fun and loads of cash raised, but for me the night was noteworthy for two main reasons.
As a former sports presenter at both ITV and Setanta, the pressure was on for me to contribute to the team from Ladbrokes I was in. I wasn't called upon to answer very often, the bookies being pretty encyclopedic on their sport. During dinner, someone asked me which football team I support. "Hereford United, my hometown club", I replied proudly. They nodded their respectful approval.
Then came the next quiz question: "Who scored the first goal in the first leg of Hereford United's famous 1972 FA Cup clash with Newcastle United at St. James's Park?
A) Malcolm Macdonald
B) Brian Owen
C) Ronnie Radford
D) Ricky George
For anyone who doesn't know their football, Hereford's clash with Newcastle is the stuff of legend. Non-League Hereford drawn against the might of top-flight Newcastle United in the third round of the FA Cup. I knew the story well - my dad tells it at least twice a year: Hereford drew 2-2 at Newcastle, which was an astonishing result in itself. Before the replay at Edgar Street, Newcastle star, Malcolm 'Supermac' Macdonald had claimed he would put ten past Hereford and break the all time record. He scored first, but with eight minutes of the game left and with Hereford on the verge of crashing out, part-time carpenter Ronnie Radford booked his place in football folklore with a stunning thirty yarder (which gets further out every time my dad tells the story). Ricky George got Hereford's winner in extra time and the Edgar Street pitch was swamped with most of the county's inhabitants, including my dad and uncles, whose lamb chop sideburns are clearly visible on the 'Match of The Day' coverage, which was John Motson's first commentary, incidentally.
So, "Who scored the first goal in the first leg of Hereford United's famous 1972 FA Cup clash with Newcastle United at St. James's Park?
They stared at me hopefully...and I had absolutely no idea. I should have listened more intently to my dad.
It was B) Brian Owen...after 17 seconds.
And the second noteworthy part of the evening? Me gesturing to a waiter and accidentally bidding £1,300 on a signed picture of the 2009 Ashes winning squad!!!! Thankfully, someone else bid more!
Tonight - news, movies and Bill Bailey in the studio. Should be good.
Matt and Nina
