LOOKING BACK: Pizza chief in takeover talks at Posh

Pictured 20 years ago is the high-flying darts team from the Nags Head pub in Whalley Street. They were top of LVA League Division A and are pictured before a 6-1 win over Hand & Heart. That made it seven wins from seven matches and gave them a two-point advantage at the top over Three Horseshoes (Werrington). From the left are Tony Holdsworth, Mick Steels, Sue Dye, Ian Kent, Mick Eldred, Dennis Harbour, Margaret Griffiths, John Cox, John Dye, Tracy Harbour and John Harbour.

Other local sporting highlights this week in years gone by . . .

20 YEARS AGO

SKATING: The British Championships were held on a frozen Whittlesey Wash. Olympian Nicky Gooch from London won the title with Jonathan Cave from Newborough finishing runner-up.

ATHLETICS: Thrower Neil German received a special loyalty award at the Peterborough Athletic Club annual presentation night. He had just completed 20 years unbroken service.

POSH: Pizza Express founder Peter Boizot spent a day in takeover talks with club chairman Roger Terrell and directors Alf Hand and Chris Turner.

FOOTBALL: Scott Kent hit four goals, including a 20-minute hat-trick, to steer Spalding to a 5-2 win over Hucknall Town and into the last 16 of the FA Vase.

POSH: Youth team players James Campbell (collarbone) and Adam Drury (jaw) both ended up in hospital with broken bones as Posh Youths lost 1-0 to Wolves in the Midland Purity League. Chris Cleaver and David Billington both hit the bar for Posh.

POSH: Posh’s Division Two relegation tussle at Wycombe was abandoned after 63 minutes due to frost. Barry Fry’s side were 2-0 down at the time.

30 YEARS AGO

CRICKET: Former Posh striker John Cozens resigned as manager of the Peterborough Indoor Cricket Centre ‘for personal reasons’.

SWIMMING: Sir Harry Smith School pupil Sonia Nicholls was picked to swim for the Scotland junior team in a Gold Cup meeting in Switzerland.

ICE HOCKEY: Peterborough Pirates won 15-3 at Oxford City Stars in the Heineken League. Todd Bidner and Garry Unger both scored five goals.

FOOTBALL: Perkins remained a point clear of Somersham at the top of the Peterborough League Premier Division after beating Parson Drove 4-1. Nicky Papworth hit a hat-trick.

FOOTBALL Giovanni Nespoli scored the goal - from a Jimmy Rogers cross - as Stamford beat UCL Premier Division rivals St Neots 1-0.

RUGBY: Baker Perkins beat March Bears 13-12 with Richard Maryniak and Tony Shaw scoring tries and Phil McQuillen kicking a conversion and penalty.

FOOTBALL: Struggling Stilton pulled off a shock 2-1 win against Alconbury in Division One of the Peterborough League. Clifton Findley and Steve King were the Stilton marksmen.

40 YEARS AGO

POSH: Teenage wingers Mark Heeley (17) and Andy Rogers (19) both played very well but Noel Cantwell’s side lost 1-0 at home to Mansfield. Striker John Cozens was taken to hospital with two broken ribs.

FOOTBALL: A late penalty by Tim Gale (Whittlesey) earned Peterborough Boys a 3-3 draw with West Suffolk in the East Anglia Cup. Willie Franks (Glinton) and Glen Judge (King’s) got the other goals.

RUGBY: Borough lost 21-7 at Old Northamptonians. Keith Higgins (try) and John Williams (penalty) got their points. Borough seconds beat their ONs counterparts 7-6 with a Mick Oliver try and a Billy Hall penalty.

HOCKEY: Dave Remnant scored Peterborough Town’s goal in a 1-1 draw at Leicester.

FOOTBALL: Peterborough League Premier Division rivals Peterborough Rovers and Parson Drove fought out a 2-2 draw in the third round of the FA Vase. Man-of-the-match Dave Snart and Clive Headland scored for Drove with Glyn Tilbrook and Hugh Davies on target for Rovers. Drove’s Gary Scotcher missed a penalty late on.

FOOTBALL: Whittlesey youngster Dennis Ilsley (15) was invited to spend a week on trial with First Division Norwich City.

50 YEARS AGO

POSH: Gordon Clark’s side reached the third round of the FA Cup by winning 3-0 at Colchester through goals by Tommy Watson (2) and John Fairbrother.

POSH: Colin Garwood earned Posh Reserves a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace Reserves.

HOCKEY: Only three matches beat the big freeze. Mark Wildman (2) and Pip Morton (2) earned Young Conservatives a 4-1 win over Lincoln Road Venturers, Mitchells beat Triple S 1-0 with a Cliff Hanks goal and Tony Newell scored for St Johns in a 1-0 win over Odyssians.

FOOTBALL: Colin Day scored two great goals to earn Peterborough Boys a 2-1 win over Nottingham and a place in the last 16 of the English Schools Shield.

SKATING: Brian Naylor of Moulton won the Lincolnshire Skating Championships at Tongue End beating big rival Alan Fisher by 1.2 seconds.

DARTS: Westwood Hotel beat Welsh Harp (Wellington Street) 9-0 in a Phipps League match. Their winners were Jack Neeve, Derek Hinchcliffe, David Hinch, Mick Hammond, Phil Hannon, Johnny Craythorne, Arthur Swain, Johnny Griffiths and Dicky Dawson.