MOHAMMED Ali, beat Joe Frazier on points by a unanimous decision over 12 rounds at New York's Madison Square Garden last night, and then said: 'I didn't have to dance. I had to do a lot of slugging. I did it because I had to. I'm a slugger, but I'm a successful slugger.'

From the Evening News, January 27, 1949

SIR, - I note with delight that the Parks Committee has decided to construct two tennis courts in Tonge Park, but my pleasure is marred by the fact that these are to be asphalt courts. Shale is far superior to asphalt as a playing surface, and is less expensive in balls and shoes to the player, but as all-year tennis is our object, shale is out of the question.

The next best thing to shale is concrete. The majority of courts in the USA are concrete, and as they have produced eight out of the last 13 Wimbledon champions, may I say that what is good enough for the USA is good enough for us. I appeal to the Parks Committee to give us a decent 'run back', 21 feet if possible, but at least 16 feet. - Yours, etc., M. O'Brien, Secretary, Bolton and District Welfare and Parks' Tennis League.

125 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News, January 29, 1874

LAST evening, at a few minutes to six o'clock, the greatest consternation was caused in Market-street and the immediate neighbourhood by the alarm of fire, which had broken out in the window of Miss Platt and Miss Horrock's millinery shop. The articles displayed in the window were ignited by one of the gas jets, and in the briefest space of time the devouring element had set ablaze the whole of the contents of the front of the shop. The employees on the ground floor speedily effected their escape, rushing into the front and back streets in the utmost alarm; several of them well-nigh fainting. Hundreds of persons were soon congregated in the vicinity of the shop, and a cry was raised that some of the females engaged on the premises were in the upper rooms, and this was immediately confirmed by the appearance of one of them at the window of the upper storey. The young lady managed to clamber on to the window sill, to which she clung, apparently terror-stricken. Fortunately a ladder was speedily procured, which one of the bystanders ascended and happily succeeded in rescuing the young lady from her perilous position. In the meantime, information was conveyed to the Fire Brigade Station. The services of the brigade, however, were not required, as the flames had been extinguished by means of buckets of water, quickly obtained by the neighbours.

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