: Sun Dec 06, 2009 10:54 pm  

Very good thread and it's interesting to read the comments. Having just returned from my local pub (the Ivy House) I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with the legendary Johnny Freeman.

Couldn't believe it when I walked in and he was stood at the bar on his own. He's up for the weekend and went to the dinner on Friday night.

Can honestly say I would have paid money to listen to the stories I got told. From his duels with his good friend Billy Boston to the battles with Tom Van Vollenhoven. He spoke of the hard men and Jack Wilkinson was prominent in his stories as well as Ken Roberts.

He spoke about Odsal and the Boulevard and how intimidating it was. Really funny listening to his stories of players getting sent off at Odsal and getting hit with umbrellas as they walked up the stand on the way back to the dressing rooms!

What a legend!

: Sun Dec 06, 2009 10:58 pm  

SID SCOOP wrote:

Very good thread and it's interesting to read the comments. Having just returned from my local pub (the Ivy House) I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with the legendary Johnny Freeman.

Couldn't believe it when I walked in and he was stood at the bar on his own. He's up for the weekend and went to the dinner on Friday night.

Can honestly say I would have paid money to listen to the stories I got told. From his duels with his good friend Billy Boston to the battles with Tom Van Vollenhoven. He spoke of the hard men and Jack Wilkinson was prominent in his stories as well as Ken Roberts.

He spoke about Odsal and the Boulevard and how intimidating it was. Really funny listening to his stories of players getting sent off at Odsal and getting hit with umbrellas as they walked up the stand on the way back to the dressing rooms!

What a legend!

You see! Good old Johnny knows where to sup!!!

: Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:13 am  

I called into the Ivy House when i visited on the 94 Kangaroo tour. I was wearing my Canberra Raiders jumper and walked out with a Batley jumper that was about six sizes too small.

: Mon Dec 07, 2009 7:16 am  

faxlad66 wrote:

You see! Good old Johnny knows where to sup!!!

He must be loaded

[triran]

: Mon Dec 07, 2009 7:47 am  

Nutter - Kelvin Skerrett!

: Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:54 am  

SID SCOOP wrote:

Very good thread and it's interesting to read the comments. Having just returned from my local pub (the Ivy House) I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with the legendary Johnny Freeman.

Couldn't believe it when I walked in and he was stood at the bar on his own. He's up for the weekend and went to the dinner on Friday night.

Can honestly say I would have paid money to listen to the stories I got told. From his duels with his good friend Billy Boston to the battles with Tom Van Vollenhoven. He spoke of the hard men and Jack Wilkinson was prominent in his stories as well as Ken Roberts.

He spoke about Odsal and the Boulevard and how intimidating it was. Really funny listening to his stories of players getting sent off at Odsal and getting hit with umbrellas as they walked up the stand on the way back to the dressing rooms!

What a legend!

I had the pleasure of sitting at the same table as Jonnie, Ronnie James and my old dad at the dinner on friday and it was brilliant, as always. Ronnie's son showed them a printed copy of the 1-13 that I'd selected in that interview the other week, which aroused much discussion as you can imagine, but Jonnie very calmly folded up the piece of paper, handed it back and in his soft toned Welsh accent announced "I wouldn't have picked any of those" to much laughter around the table, Ronnie replied "what do you mean, I'm on there", cue much more laughter !

: Mon Dec 07, 2009 12:13 pm  

I remember the time that we had five graduates on the register:
Jason Carroll, Henry Sharp, Colin Atkinson, Simon Heslop and Mick Keebles.

Isn't Miles Greenwood lecturing in Sports Science or something similar ay Hopwood Hall College now that he's graduated?

As for "nutters" how no-one has mentioned Jamie Thackray......? Or Ryan MacDonald?

: Mon Dec 07, 2009 12:33 pm  

Piston Broke wrote:

I remember the time that we had five graduates on the register:
Jason Carroll, Henry Sharp, Colin Atkinson, Simon Heslop and Mick Keebles.

Isn't Miles Greenwood lecturing in Sports Science or something similar ay Hopwood Hall College now that he's graduated?

As for "nutters" how no-one has mentioned Jamie Thackray......? Or Ryan MacDonald?

Not surprised, they are still within (fist) I mean arms reach!!

: Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:11 pm  

colg wrote:

I called into the Ivy House when i visited on the 94 Kangaroo tour. I was wearing my Canberra Raiders jumper and walked out with a Batley jumper that was about six sizes too small.

Yes i know!!!! It was me who swapped it with you

: Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:12 am  

Any Fax fans recall the on-field antics of Jimmy Irvine?
We signed him from you in 1992, and had four or five years of his madness.
Tremendous player, and one of my favourite every Batley players, but definitely had a screw loose on the pitch.
High tackles galore!