100 YEARS AGO: BOOKMAKER COMES A CROPPER AT SALFORD RACECOURSE FOR WELSHING ON BETS

In this story from June 1922 we take a look at the long-gone Salford racecourse or to give it its proper name, Castle Irwell, which stood on Littleton Road and Cromwell Road and closed in November 1963.

The final race there was held on November 9, 1963, when  The Goodbye Consolation Plate was won by Fury Royal, steered across the finishing line by Lester Piggott, no less.

I refuse to call it the Manchester Racecourse as the history books call it, because and let's face facts here, the racecourse was set firmly in Salford, its the same with Salford Docks which was called Manchester Docks in the media, sorry but I refuse to accept that.

The following story from the pages of The Salford City Reporter, June 1922, tells of a bookmaker who rather foolishly tried to flee the racecourse without settling his debts, "Welshing" is the term I believe.

William Brown a bookmaker who gave his address as being, Gloucester Crescent, Regents Park, London, which is incidentally the same Crescent that Allan Bennett lived on when he wrote, The Lady in the Van and also the home of Charles Dickens in the 1850s, but I digress.

He had been on remand for a week and was charged with stealing a sum of £10, one sum of £3, and two sums of £1 by "welshing on the bets, he was defended by Mr Howard Flint.

First in the dock was Joseph Metcalfe who said that he was in the 2/6 ring and made a bet at 7/2 with the accused on a horse called North Waltham, the bet was £9 for a win and £1 for a place, when the horse won he went to collect his winnings and saw a large crowd around the accused who was paying out short, and one of his "confederates was bullying people".

Brown tried to escape in the crowd but was arrested by the police before Metcalfe could get his winnings from him and the shout of "welsher" was heard being shouted around the track.

Constable Noddle (what a great name!) told the Court that he had been keeping observations on Brown because of the odds on the race he was offering, higher than other bookies, and after the big race, The Manchester Cup, a crowd rushed the bookie who was seen to give a large bundle of notes to one of his friends who disappeared into the crowd with it, bottles were thrown and one hit the officer in the back, and an attempt to trip him up was made as he took Brown into custody.

Sergeant Wilkinson, said that he and P.C, Noddle had witnessed Brown counting out a bundle of notes, and when demanded payment he offered one man a £1 for a £5 return and told others to come back after the next race, he then attempted to escape without paying out.

Howard Flint said that his client had told him that he been on the course for two days at Whit and hadn't been offering extravagant odds on the big race, he had laid at 7/2 on a horse that returned at 3/1 and there was nothing suspicious about that, and after the race he had paid out as far as he could, and then finding himself short told the backers he would pay them after the next race, which was not an unusual thing to do.

Flint then stated that an angry mob had rushed Brown and made an attack on his Clerk who was knocked off his stool and man handled by them, and it was perhaps fortunate that the police arrived or he may have sustained personal injury.

William Brown took the stand and told the Magistrates that after the big race he had paid out about £40 and to others he paid them smaller amounts and promised to pay out after the next race, when he was rushed by angry punters and had to be rescued by the police, he stated that he had his satchel with him at all times and denied handing over money to one of his associates.

Constable Noddle asked Brown why had his Clerk not returned his book to him after a weeks absence, and was told that he had expected him to be in Court today, he also denied handing over a large sum of notes to a friend and gave this somewhat hilarious explanation.

"I was simply straightening the notes out, because it is impossible to pay out, unless the notes are counted out and in something like order"

The Magistrates retired for a few minutes to consider their verdict and found him Guilty.

Inspector Mitchell told the Magistrates that Brown had a bad record and had served sentences of three years and five years penal servitude for false pretences.

Howard Flint pointed out that Brown had kept a clean record for the past five years and was making an effort to make an honest living.

He was sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour, also the £67 found in his satchel was confiscated and paid out to those who had come forward to claim their winnings.

Quite a few questions to be asked, how on earth was Brown given a bookmakers licence with that criminal record and would he have been warned off by the relevant authorities/

Also, who absconded with the roll of notes and did he receive it when he got out prison, finally how on earth could he afford to live in such splendour in a huge house in London? always been told no such thing as a poor bookie and so it seems.

Finally there is an oil painting by Isaac Cullin called The Manchester Cup 1922, showing two horses at the finishing post in what looks like a photo finish, which shows how close to pulling off his bold gamble, William Brown came.