: Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:07 pm  

I'll always remember the 7's competition they used to hold before the start of a season!! They were fantastic days!!

Also the home coming after the cup final

: Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:28 pm  

Sunday afternoon games, watching the Academy team rip the opposition to pieces before the start of the main event. It was the way the atmosphere would build up from about 2 dozen speccies at the beginning.

: Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:33 pm  

Could go on for hours but here's 3;
Watching Billy Boston score tries in the early 60's: there always seemed to be half a dozen blokes lying dazed on the floor after trying to stop him

Watching the hopeless teams of the 70's with the odd real hero like George Fairbairn

As a kid taking a bugle with me (I couldn't play it) when Wigan beat the Aussies 12-6 in 1967 and wondering why the entire crowd had moved as far away as they could get

: Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:06 pm  

I started watching Wigan when I was about 7 and I would go with my Dad. We would stand right in fromt of the bar in the Popular stand. Coz I was only little my Dad would bring to every match a red milk crate that I would stand on. And coz we stood at the back every time we scored everyone would push forward and I would get squished on the barriers!!! It was great!

In 1999 I was at Winstanley College studying A Level Media and for my video project did a 3 minute tribute to Central Park. After the Final Match there, later on in the week I got to go in Central Park when there was no one there. It was really eerie and I remeber crying a bit. Has to be one of the worst things I have ever seen, the day that te bulldozers moved in.

At least we have our memories of a great Rugby League Home.

: Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:27 pm  

ah memories -

the game where we had the ball for about 15 mins without the opposition touching it, and scored about 5 tries

when a try was scored, and you ended up hugging anyone and everyone, jumping up and down in a seathing mass of arms, bodies and plastic beer glasses

the last game - i cried, and im not ashamed about it.

i have my seat from the popular stand in my front room, (all wrought iron, wood, and pie juice and beer stains), so i think about CP nearly every day

: Fri Jul 28, 2006 6:15 pm  

Ah, the memories...............

Being crammed in like sardines when we played Australia and again when we played in the first world club challenge......
Watching Greame west come running out on his debut and thinking he was a giant..........
Watching Nicky Du-toit dive headfirst over a line of defenders to score a try.............
The crappy shed where they used to sell player profile cards ( I think they were cards? ) and souveneirs etc.............
The pies................Fighting my way back from the bar with a dozen meyt n prater pies for my older brother and all his mates.........
The beer................
Some fine fellow once shouting at Gerry Kershaw " you couldn't referee a rice puddin'" - I never understood that one!
Ian Roberts' debut and then seeing him cry at the press conference when he left...............
The "boo boys" having a go at Shaun Edwards when he was having a shocker.............

I could go on all night....
Ah the memories...........

: Fri Jul 28, 2006 6:27 pm  

Like many of you, I have too many to put down on paper. The Wigan/Saints derby matches were always special. I will never forget the last game at CP, what a day.
If I had to choose one then the World Club Championship in October 1987 against Manly. 38,000 crammed into CP and no room to move. I went with my dad and granddad, midway through the 2nd half I needed to got to the luxury toilet facilities, a monster of a guy in front of me turned round and said "now then lad, were does tha think you're gooin?", to the toilet I replied, "not a bloody chance, tha will have to go were thee stand". I looked at my granddad who just shrugged his shoulders at me. Needless to say the guy in front of me wasn't too impressed with me when he felt his wet leg Oh happy memories

: Fri Jul 28, 2006 7:19 pm  

Paying 6d to go in the "hen pen", the smell of wintergreen when the players ran out of the tunnel, steam rising off the forwards when they packed down for a scrum ( the winter years ),Bostons tries,the power of McTigue,Barton,Collier later Tuigamala,Platt and Skerrett,the shear guts and determination of Fairbairn,Bell,Farrell and Edwards,the speed of Offiah,Gill,Lake and Ferguson,the wizadry of Gregory,Bolton,Miles and Kenny,Australian touring sides in dark blue shorts !,seeing the floodlights in the distance whilst walking to the ground for night games,going in through the turnstiles at the Kop end and using the wall as an unofficial toilet ( I even saw women using it when a big crowd was on ),plants growing out of the roof of the Kop,god I could go on forever,I miss the place now as much as ever,no other rugby ground had the same atmosphere as Central Park and none ever will.

: Fri Jul 28, 2006 10:21 pm  

twosevenzero wrote:

Paying 6d to go in the "hen pen", the smell of wintergreen when the players ran out of the tunnel, steam rising off the forwards when they packed down for a scrum ( the winter years ),Bostons tries,the power of McTigue,Barton,Collier later Tuigamala,Platt and Skerrett,the shear guts and determination of Fairbairn,Bell,Farrell and Edwards,the speed of Offiah,Gill,Lake and Ferguson,the wizadry of Gregory,Bolton,Miles and Kenny,Australian touring sides in dark blue shorts !,seeing the floodlights in the distance whilst walking to the ground for night games,going in through the turnstiles at the Kop end and using the wall as an unofficial toilet ( I even saw women using it when a big crowd was on ),plants growing out of the roof of the Kop,god I could go on forever,I miss the place now as much as ever,no other rugby ground had the same atmosphere as Central Park and none ever will.

: Sat Jul 29, 2006 4:01 am  

Lots of Saints fans loved the old place"if your going to beat the pies do it at there place" the derby matches were stunning-A question(not trolling!!)
When you lot had to sell the ground, did anybody protest and try and stop the move?. Such a shame much better than that aircraft hanger you play in now!!!!