{"id":459,"date":"2019-12-20T16:38:19","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T16:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gonbys.com\/?p=459"},"modified":"2019-12-20T16:38:19","modified_gmt":"2019-12-20T16:38:19","slug":"norwich-city-1965","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/?p=459","title":{"rendered":"Norwich City, 1965"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was a glorious St Martin\u2019s summer that year, and it seemed to me, pedalling under the near-cloudless sky, with insects still buzzing and only the relative breeze of the still air hitting my freewheeling hands and face, that there could be nowhere better to enjoy such weather than Norfolk. As the patchwork of arable fields passed beside me, it was almost as though the ride were an end in itself, as if the football were incidental to the true pleasures of the open road and the countryside. But there was nothing quite like visiting a new ground, and the thought of our arrival at Carrow Road began to fill me with excitement too. And then I felt thirsty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen\u2019s the next pint due, Sid?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot for a good forty minutes, Gonby,\u201d answered the chairman of the Chapel Ash Non-Motorized Mechanical Touring Party (CANMMTP), Sidney Dawes. \u201cI\u2019ll let you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019ll let you know right now,\u201d said Tom McClarty, of Rupert Street, \u201cThat I\u2019m thirsty, and so are the rest of \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWon\u2019t be long, Tommy,\u201d said the balding chairman. I was impressed at his stamina, able as he was to out-pedal younger and much slimmer men, but I was as annoyed as the others about his timetable. Licensing laws were pretty effective at limiting your intake in those days, even without Sid\u2019s restrictive scheduling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The previous day\u2019s ride had been pretty dry, too, but there was some logic to that, as we needed to get to Shouldham Thorpe in time to pick up the the key to the windmill whose grainstore we would be sleeping in. Now we were making comfortable time and as a pub came into view on the horizon, the clamour for refreshment intensified, but the calls went unacknowledged but for a shake of Sid\u2019s bald head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I continued pedalling, though the beauty of the day, if beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, was quickly waning. Why had I chosen to come with the CANMMTP? It wasn\u2019t as though Sid Dawes\u2019 autocratic leadership came as any surprise: at the start of the season he had banned tandems from the Touring Party an hour into a ride to Ninian Park, insisting that the ban take immediate effect and forcing Peter and Erasmus Bowers to take a different route (the Bowers got lost and ended up watching a random match at Penydarren Park, Merthyr Tydfill while Wolves thrashed Cardiff 4-1). He had also tried to enforce a \u201chorns-only, no-bells\u201d policy (ultimately failing but expelling ten members in the attempt) and forwarded a motion to replace the modern CANMMTP rock\u2019n\u2019roll anthem, \u201cFree-wheelin\u2019\u201d, with a waltz. \u201cFree-wheelin\u2019\u201d had persisted, though, and these days was, sung, more often than not, as a call to resistance, a protest against Dawes\u2019 dictatorial style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"


\u2020<\/sup> Change as appropriate <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I had originally planned to travel with the Flying Squadron, but the still weather forced them to cancel. The train was just too expensive. And so I\u2019d accepted Tom McClarty\u2019s invitation over dominos at the Noah\u2019s Ark that Wednesay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McClarty, incidentally, had formed the CANMMTP after becoming frustrated with the lack of organization within the Gallant and Admirable Pedallers, whose end-of-season forays had turned into interminable pub-crawls leading in some cases to emigration and disappearance. He\u2019d approved, at first, of Sid\u2019s desire to put furlongs ahead of firkins, but, as he himself put it, \u201ceven moderation has to be taken in moderation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alas, Sid was not one to listen to advice. His quest to reach the horizon was uncompromising,. He insisted on being the only map-carrier, and, after slow progress on a trip to Nottingham in \u201863, caused by the CANMMTP stopping at one pub only to decide that a previous one looked better, he brought in a \u201cno U-turns\u201d rule by which turning back for any reason would result in immediate expulsion from the group. \u201cWhatever you do,\u201d McClarty had said to me that Wednesday evening, between mushroom clouds of Woodbine smoke, \u201cDon\u2019t look back \u2013 not even to talk. It simply isn\u2019t worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One more, and then we’ll stay…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grumbling continued, and the renditions of \u201cFree Wheelin\u2019\u201d got more biting, until finally, on our way out of Briston, Sid finally gave a \u201cslowing down or stopping\u201d hand signal and we turned into a place called the Green Man. Following the sound of fifty cycles being all but hurled to the ground, the clamour to the bar gave the barmaid, a pretty young red-head (and the landlord\u2019s daughter, as we were soon sternly advised) quite a start, and she was still shaking as she poured the first pint, which was passed along to Tom, who finished it before another could be pulled. Halfway down his next one, he pulled me to one side, as a group at the bar argued over the team\u2019s change to gold shorts. \u201cFinish that, get another one, and get Sid one an\u2019all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSid\u2019s got a full pint.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGet him another one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did what Tom had told me and joined him at a window seat where he offered me a Woodbine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to know how to do it,\u201d he said, taking a long draw on his cigarette, \u201cAfter a pint, he\u2019d be nagging us to get on. Get him a second, and we\u2019re all right for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so it was. We got onto our machines again at around half past one, feeling fine but also aware that we needed to make good progress to see the kick-off. Surprisingly, it was Sid Dawes that began belting out \u201cFree-wheelin\u2019\u201d, and we followed him in a rather serpentine pattern along the pretty country lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A clearly-signalled, but nevertheless surprising left turn took us up a smaller lane some fifteen minutes later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you sure about this, Sid? It said \u2018Heydon\u2019 on the sign…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho\u2019s the map-carrier, Tom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you think we should look at the map?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo need, Tommy, no need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within a few minutes, the hedges gave out onto a picturesque village, with a well-house , an impressive church, the inevitable pub, and\u2026 a gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonny Farnebrook of Clifton Street tried it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s locked, he said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A middle-aged man in Wellington boots emerged from the Earle Arms and approached us. \u201cThar\u2019s no through road, I\u2019m afraid, gentlemarn,\u201d he explained, \u201cThat\u2019s the path to Heydon Hall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo through road at all?\u201d asked Tom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNone. You\u2019ll have to turn back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut we don\u2019t turn back,\u201d said Sid Dawes, a little flushed. \u201cThere must be some path out of this place?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is: the warn you came in on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome on, Sid,\u201d said McClarty, \u201cWe ought to get a move on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo U-turns, that\u2019s the rule!\u201d shouted Sid, impatiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo U-turns, that\u2019s the rule!\u201d shouted Sid, impatiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve no choice, this time!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t turn back!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do!\u201d said Tom, emphasizing the first word, \u201cIf you want to stay here there rest of your life, well, it\u2019s not a bad little place…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with that, we mounted our cycles and pedalled away; by the time we hit Norwich there was already a new song, courtesy of Alfie Shears of Larches Lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And so the Swinging Pedals were born, bringing a fresh, young outlook to cycling to Wolves\u2019 away games. It was assumed that the line about \u201cRonnie Allen\u2019s stars\u201d would have to be changed in time, but in fact by the time Bill McGarry took the helm, Tom McClarty had left to form the more conservative Lady Wulfrun\u2019s Devoted Mounters, and the Swinging Pedals withered on their once-bountiful Norfolk bush. Sid Dawes stayed overnight at the Earle Arms and left in the morning (which didn\u2019t count as turning back, apparently), and rejoined the ranks of the Gallant and Admirable Pedallers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the Wolves, they secured the first of five consecutive victories against the Canaries, with a comfortable 3-0 victory. Come on me babbies!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When one gate closes, another opens…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gonbys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}