catsmate
No longer the 1
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2007
- Messages
- 34,767
We used to have a thread for odd events and occurrences from history and I think it's time to resurrect it.
To begin, the story of Spike Milligan's time as a Royal Champion.
First, a brief explanation of the game of Tiddlewinks.
From wiki:
I hope that's clear. But onto the murky, and alcohol fuelled history of the standardisation of the rules of the game, a dark story that involves the UK Royal family, a mysterious inheritance, the university that produced more Soviet spies than any other (outside the USSR), desperation, a public challenge to the Powers-That-Be, the cast of a popular BBC radio show, the colours blue and more.
Intrigued? Read on......
It starts some seventy years ago at the University of Cambridge when a group of students were desperate to acquire 'blues'. These are the blue shirts (not related to the Blueshirts) awarded to those students who's represented the university in sporting events. The story goes that one of said students was left a substantial sub, if he managed to become a blue.
The problem was, they group were crap at anything athletic. Archery, fencing, pistol-shooting, various types of balls on grass, various things involving balls and sticks. They failed at all of them.
Then one of them had a brilliant idea. (For certain values of 'brilliant'). [Alcohol may have been involved]
They'd create a game, write the rules and thus enable their group to beat all opposition.
And the game chosen?
Tiddlywinks. [This should not be a surprise to anyone]
Now while the two universities (Oxford and Cambridge, all others were considered irrelevant) had been playing friendly games for a decade there had been no official societies and matches. And the rules were also unfixed.
These brave stalwarts decide to change this, and created a detailed set of rules and a specific, official, terminology.
[Alcohol may have been involved]
But still recognition, as a legitimate sport, escaped them. So what to do? Stage a spectacular....
In 1957 (18OCT) The Spectator magazine (published a piece entitled, provocatively, 'Does Prince Philip Cheat at Tiddlywinks?'
This was written by the snarky but witty columnist called Peter Fleming (why yes, he was the brother of the better known Ian. The smarter brother. I recommend his book on looking for Percy Fawcett). It was actually intended as a defense of the Royal Family and the vogue for criticising them by various writers, who were safe in the knowledge that retaliation wouldn't be forthcoming.
Meanwhile at Cambridge a Sinister Plot was developing in the bars. The Tiddlewinkers would challenge Prince Phillip. University stationary was acquired and letters sent to the Prince, the Speaker of the House of Commons and various newspapers.
Now the society members probably thought this would go nowhere. After all what could the Prince Consort do? The days of horse-whipping annoying undergraduates was over. And it hasn't likely that he'd turn up at the university to play a game...
But the prince was having a few problems of his own, due to his unpopularty compared to his wife (that'd be Queen Elizabeth II to those unfamiliar with history). And he hatched a plan of his own. This involved Spike Milligan.
Yes, that Spike Milligan. There are no others.
Milligan was contacted at the BBC by one of the Prince's secretaries and,once he was convinced that the approach was genuine, got involved, together with the cast of The Goon Show, of which Prince Phillip was a great fan.
So, much to everyone's surprise, a letter arrived at Christ's College Cambridge, accepting the challenge in his capacity of the president of the NPFA.
Both parties leaked the exchangeto the media and it was revealed that Spike Milligan had been appointed the captain of Philip's team. The comic himself was quoted as saying:
The game was on.
The Cantabrigians practiced, rather harder than at their studies, and endeavoured to actually find a team. A match against the nurses of Addenbrooke's Hospital was used as a trial for winkers.AT least one thesis was written on the geometrical properties of the game.
Meanwhile Milligan was also finding trouble in recruiting a team. So he turned to his fellow Goons.
The big day dawned, rather inclemently, on Saturday 1st March 1958 in 'The Large Hall' of the Guildhall building in Cambridge town centre, close by the market square. The six hundred seats were sold quickly (priced five shillings for matside or three shillings and sixpence for gallery). Eaden Lilley (a department store chain) provided the equipment and cashed in on the sudden surge in popularity.
There were thousands of spectators, gamblers, and ticket touts. Plus film crews from America's CBS network, the BBC TV, the new ITV, Pathe News and British Movietone.
The Royal team had flown in by helicopter, they were in panto at the time, and consisted of Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe, plus lesser lights; Goon Show announcer Wallace Greenslade, harmonica-player Max Geldray, andSellers' unshakeable sidekick Graham Stark, plus the writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson
The BBC's sober-voiced news announcer John Snagge had been appointed as their umpire.
A message from HRH was read and a starting pistol fired.
Eighty minutes later it was all over. Cambridge one handily, 120.5 to 50.5 points. A song was sung, trophies handed out, speeches made and the event ended with a migration to the public houses of Cambridge.
Much publicity was created and a fair sum obtained for the creating of sports grounds.
And that is the story of the Great Tiddlewinks Challenge match of '58.
To begin, the story of Spike Milligan's time as a Royal Champion.
First, a brief explanation of the game of Tiddlewinks.
From wiki:
I hope that's clear. But onto the murky, and alcohol fuelled history of the standardisation of the rules of the game, a dark story that involves the UK Royal family, a mysterious inheritance, the university that produced more Soviet spies than any other (outside the USSR), desperation, a public challenge to the Powers-That-Be, the cast of a popular BBC radio show, the colours blue and more.
Intrigued? Read on......
It starts some seventy years ago at the University of Cambridge when a group of students were desperate to acquire 'blues'. These are the blue shirts (not related to the Blueshirts) awarded to those students who's represented the university in sporting events. The story goes that one of said students was left a substantial sub, if he managed to become a blue.
The problem was, they group were crap at anything athletic. Archery, fencing, pistol-shooting, various types of balls on grass, various things involving balls and sticks. They failed at all of them.
Then one of them had a brilliant idea. (For certain values of 'brilliant'). [Alcohol may have been involved]
They'd create a game, write the rules and thus enable their group to beat all opposition.
And the game chosen?
Tiddlywinks. [This should not be a surprise to anyone]
Now while the two universities (Oxford and Cambridge, all others were considered irrelevant) had been playing friendly games for a decade there had been no official societies and matches. And the rules were also unfixed.
These brave stalwarts decide to change this, and created a detailed set of rules and a specific, official, terminology.
[Alcohol may have been involved]
But still recognition, as a legitimate sport, escaped them. So what to do? Stage a spectacular....
In 1957 (18OCT) The Spectator magazine (published a piece entitled, provocatively, 'Does Prince Philip Cheat at Tiddlywinks?'
This was written by the snarky but witty columnist called Peter Fleming (why yes, he was the brother of the better known Ian. The smarter brother. I recommend his book on looking for Percy Fawcett). It was actually intended as a defense of the Royal Family and the vogue for criticising them by various writers, who were safe in the knowledge that retaliation wouldn't be forthcoming.
Meanwhile at Cambridge a Sinister Plot was developing in the bars. The Tiddlewinkers would challenge Prince Phillip. University stationary was acquired and letters sent to the Prince, the Speaker of the House of Commons and various newspapers.
Now the society members probably thought this would go nowhere. After all what could the Prince Consort do? The days of horse-whipping annoying undergraduates was over. And it hasn't likely that he'd turn up at the university to play a game...
But the prince was having a few problems of his own, due to his unpopularty compared to his wife (that'd be Queen Elizabeth II to those unfamiliar with history). And he hatched a plan of his own. This involved Spike Milligan.
Yes, that Spike Milligan. There are no others.
Milligan was contacted at the BBC by one of the Prince's secretaries and,once he was convinced that the approach was genuine, got involved, together with the cast of The Goon Show, of which Prince Phillip was a great fan.
So, much to everyone's surprise, a letter arrived at Christ's College Cambridge, accepting the challenge in his capacity of the president of the NPFA.
- That'd the National playing Fields Association, a charity in which the prince was heavily involved.
Both parties leaked the exchangeto the media and it was revealed that Spike Milligan had been appointed the captain of Philip's team. The comic himself was quoted as saying:
The students responded with a calligraphied scroll, tied in light blue ribbon, sent to the BBC.
The game was on.
The Cantabrigians practiced, rather harder than at their studies, and endeavoured to actually find a team. A match against the nurses of Addenbrooke's Hospital was used as a trial for winkers.AT least one thesis was written on the geometrical properties of the game.
Meanwhile Milligan was also finding trouble in recruiting a team. So he turned to his fellow Goons.
The big day dawned, rather inclemently, on Saturday 1st March 1958 in 'The Large Hall' of the Guildhall building in Cambridge town centre, close by the market square. The six hundred seats were sold quickly (priced five shillings for matside or three shillings and sixpence for gallery). Eaden Lilley (a department store chain) provided the equipment and cashed in on the sudden surge in popularity.
There were thousands of spectators, gamblers, and ticket touts. Plus film crews from America's CBS network, the BBC TV, the new ITV, Pathe News and British Movietone.
The Royal team had flown in by helicopter, they were in panto at the time, and consisted of Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe, plus lesser lights; Goon Show announcer Wallace Greenslade, harmonica-player Max Geldray, andSellers' unshakeable sidekick Graham Stark, plus the writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson
The BBC's sober-voiced news announcer John Snagge had been appointed as their umpire.
A message from HRH was read and a starting pistol fired.
Eighty minutes later it was all over. Cambridge one handily, 120.5 to 50.5 points. A song was sung, trophies handed out, speeches made and the event ended with a migration to the public houses of Cambridge.
Much publicity was created and a fair sum obtained for the creating of sports grounds.
And that is the story of the Great Tiddlewinks Challenge match of '58.
