| Billy
was playing for Wolves in a 1950s cricket match against
Coseley Cricket Club, watched by my friend, Alan, who was
then five years old. My friend was at the time aware of
the names of only two footballers, Billy Wright and
Stanley Matthews. His father took him over to meet Billy
and said, 'Who's this Alan?' Gazing up at Billy, Alan
replied: 'It's Stanley Mathews!'. At that, his father
gave him a slap around the head, and said, 'You daft
little bugger. This is Billy Wright.' Billy laughed and
ruffled Alan's hair. ' Don't you worry, young man,' he
said. 'It's an honour to be mixed up with such a great
player.' He turned an embarrassing moment into one with
which everybody was happy! ROB STOKES Stourbridge I have been a Wolves supporter from the age of 8 (1946) and saw most of the home games until 1978, when I moved to Dorset. I was also lucky enough to attend every round of the FA Cup run in 1949, including the final; my parents, sister and I appeared in a cinema newsreel shot outside Wembley, being chosen, I think, because of our Old Gold and Black clothes and rattles! One of my outstanding memories is of the day the goalposts collapsed during the 1957 FA Cup tie at Molineux when Bournemouth scored a shock 1-0 victory. The Cherries have since become my second team since I moved to the Bournemouth area - I don't bear grudges! My strongest memory of Billy is, oddly, of listening to him sing 'Jerusalem' at the Fighting Cocks Hotel (recently demolished) one Saturday evening following a game at Molineux, probably around 1950/51. I was there with my parents and I think that he sang there quite often. I was about 12 at the time, and sitting about six feet from him. I can remember that he had an excellent voice. I used to often see him queuing for the one-and-nines at the Gaumont cinema at Wolverhampton. Amazingly, he would sign autographs while patiently waiting to get into the cinema. CLIVE GREEN Poole, Dorset My story is not so much about Billy as about Mr. and Mrs. Wright, and of how they would give their time so generously for the pleasure of others. I was a young lad of eight or nine years old in 1959/60 attending the Trosnant Junior school in Havant, Hampshire. The then headmaster was a Mr. J. Hunt, who was also an England football referee. He invited Billy and his wife Joy to present the prizes at the school awards ceremony. Even for one so young I felt the excitement and there was a tremendous buzz throughout the school that day. They had only recenly got married and they were like royalty, a truly 'golden couple.' What an honour it was to have shaken hands with the England captain and his wife of Beverley Sisters fame. They both made a little boy's day very special and more than forty years on I still mention that I shook hands with the 'England captain Billy Wright.' BOB HOUSE Farnborough, Hants My big wish was granted in January 1994 when I got to meet my hero Billy Wright in person. It was the day Wolves beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Molineux., and I was fortunate enough to be a guest in the directors' box. Behind me sat Stan Cullis and in front of me Billy Wright! During half-time I had my photograph taken with Billy, Stan Cullis and, another former Wolves manager, Bill McGarry. I was so excited about it that I hugged Billy, and he took it in good part. I now have an enlarged print of the photograph hanging in my study at home reminding me of that great moment in my life. I work as a sports editor with a local Maltese daily and a Sunday sister paper, and I still keep a close watch on Wolves, the team I have been proud to support all these years. ALFRED CAMILLERI Sliema, Malta |