THIS week (April 25-30) in 1955, Radcliffe hosted one of the more unusual sporting events,

Around 400 people paid their two shilling admission at the Radcliffe Ambulance Drill Hall, Mellor Street, to see a team from St Dunstan's darts and dominos league take on a team from St Dunstan's home for the blind.

The league team were the champions of the North West Darts Association in this year but at least one of the blind team members managed to beat his sighted opponent.

At the close of the match, which the sighted team won by three games to one, two members of the womens section of the league played an impromptu match with two of the blind team and were defeated.

Among the team from the home was 38-year-old Dicky Brett who lost both his hands and his sight in the Second World War. Dicky refused to give up what had always been his favourite game, so had an artificial limb made so he could continue playing.

The blind team threw under the direction of a sighted guide who set him square to the board, and "sights" along the dart. Audience members cheered loudly when he made scoring shots and the event raised funds for St Dunstans.