50 YEARS ago

Extracts from the Barry & District News of July 1, 1966:

Opportunity will be knocking for a well-known group of Barry men and women today (Friday) when they travel to Manchester to take part in a famous television programme.

Many proprietors of fish and chip shops in Barry this week reported that they had had to cut down on the number of chips per bag.

But it was not only the strike which had affected the mighty chip industry. Wet weather has held up the new potato harvest in Pembrokeshire over the past week and fish and chip merchants have had to pay more for their "spuds".

It was decided at the meeting of the Public Works Committee of the Barry District Council on Monday evening last, to spend £20 upon benches of hard wood, without backs, at the Buttrills Recreation Grounds.

Although the rain never stopped falling on Saturday, The Friends of Sully Hospital expected to raise about £400 at the annual fete held at the hospital grounds.

The members of the Dinas Powys Methodist Youth Club spent Friday evening at the Sports Centre, Colcot, where they met members of Crossways Methodist Youth Club and had a most enjoyable game of rounders.

The visit to the Centurions' home ground at Sully of the Gloucester side of Churchdown did not bring the expected fine weather and the stage was set for an exciting finish when rain stopped play.

Barry visited old rivals Newport on Saturday and both teams were lucky to be able to complete the game, for although light drizzle fell throughout the afternoon, only one break of some 30 minutes was necessary for heavier rain.

Furtive glances out of their classroom windows by Barry schoolchildren on Wednesday week confirmed that the secondary school sports, to take place in the afternoon at Jenner Park, were doubtful because of the heavy rain which was falling.

But at the same time, at the ground, council workmen were taking advantage of the breaks in the rain to get the track ready and when the rain did eventually cease, the scene was set for the 26th annual inter-schools championship meeting - and how those previously disappointed faces lit up.