The Pink

[Feethams 1966]

Does anyone else remember The Pink? If you're under 50 you can probably switch to another topic now, because you'll be too young. The Pink was a sports newspaper printed in Darlington on a Saturday night immediately after one of Darlo's home games. It was called The Pink because it was printed on horribly pink and poor quality newspaper but it was rushed out - as I recall - within about an hour of the game so if you missed the bus home you could always hang around for the next one and buy a copy while you waited (in my case).
Otherwise it was a proper newspaper in all respects.
In the days before digital photography and electronic communications it must have required a frantic effort to publish the grainy photographs of the game and the minute by minute accounts of what you'd just seen, and get it on to the streets within the short timescales necessary, to make it worthwhile.
I only mention it because I came across some bits of The Pink in an old Darlo scrapbook I'd put together in the 1960s. I don't know what it's real title was, what happened to it or when it disappeared. The Northern Echo and The Evening Despatch also reported on Darlo games but they were separate.

[princes town]

I don't remember the darlington pink but I do recollect a similar paper when I was growing up in NE Lancashire. Takes me back.

Who published it?

[Quakerz]

Does anyone else remember The Pink? If you're under 50 you can probably switch to another topic now, because you'll be too young. The Pink was a sports newspaper printed in Darlington on a Saturday night immediately after one of Darlo's home games. It was called The Pink because it was printed on horribly pink and poor quality newspaper but it was rushed out - as I recall - within about an hour of the game so if you missed the bus home you could always hang around for the next one and buy a copy while you waited (in my case).
Otherwise it was a proper newspaper in all respects.
In the days before digital photography and electronic communications it must have required a frantic effort to publish the grainy photographs of the game and the minute by minute accounts of what you'd just seen, and get it on to the streets within the short timescales necessary, to make it worthwhile.
I only mention it because I came across some bits of The Pink in an old Darlo scrapbook I'd put together in the 1960s. I don't know what it's real title was, what happened to it or when it disappeared. The Northern Echo and The Evening Despatch also reported on Darlo games but they were separate.

Yes I remember "the pink", my grandad used to get it every Saturday tea time, all the tables were updated, it was amazing really.

Think it might have actually been called The Pink or The Sports Pink or something similar?

[TFDM]

I think the evening Gazette were one of the last ones to do a Pink or Green 'un. I think it was bundled in as part of a subscription. I remember when we were still in the league that I occasionally used to provide a report for the Gazette as the game developed.

It would involve a copy taker phoning you up twice in each half and you dictating your report down the phone - all between struggling to make yourself heard and trying to keep an eye on what was happening on the pitch. I think I managed to pick up £25 or £30 for the report. You'd have to obviously provide the teams before kick-off and the scorers and attendance at full time.

For someone who had done everything on a laptop up until that point it was a totally different way of working. I'm not sure how long it lasted for after that but I think I occasionally did the odd match report for the Gazette for a couple of years.

Like Feethams 1966 said, it must have been some effort. I always felt quite lucky as I always got a decent copy taker. I can imagine it would have been an utter ball ache with a copy taker who wasn't on their game.

[johninskopje]

Yes I remember the Pink-the Sports Despatch was its proper name. You could get it from in front of the bus station in the centre of town from 6pm on a Saturday. It also had reports from the local football leagues, my team was Bishopton and Stainton in the Darlington Church and Friendly League. They played on the field in front of our farmhouse in Little Stainton.

[Mr_Tibbs]

I remember it - I also remember the little "Mr Q" picture on the top of the front page was either happy or sad, depending on whether we'd won or lost.

[KCChiefs]

Im well under 50 and remember the pink

Many other regions ran 'the pink' remember vividly going to many away games in the late 80's / early 90's and picking up a copy at the likes of Manchester Victoria and Birmingham New Street frantically trying to grab a copy and not missing the train home...

[bigfatpete]

There are two Saturday evening/Sunday morning Sports papers left in Britain, in Norwich and Southampton. The last one in this region, The Football Echo from Sunderland ceased last year as an internet only entity. No need for them nowadays, but they are missed. A friend of mine who was a sports journalist tells a lovely tale of going with Merthyr Tydfil (he covered them for the South Wales Echo) to Barrow and collecting 15 different titles on the journey home.
The Durham Amateur Football Trust has digitised copies of the Sports Pinks from the 1950's. You may be able to access them from their website - google them.

[onewayup]

Yep,I used to deliver the sports dispatch or the pink as it was commonly known,it was a must for the football results especially for the pools punters.
Blokes often on the doorstep waiting for it to check their coupons .

[Twintowers]

Remember it well,mainly because it meant a double paper round an a Saturday,first the Despatch then the Pink.Think I got an extra bob (5p) for it.Think the Cronicle in Newcastle only stopped printing one a few years back.

[AlanSprouts]

Yep Sports Despatch it was. Always looked forward to the footy season starting. It was an extra two shillings and sixpence on top of my fifteen bob a week pay packet for my paper round delivering the Despatch and then going out again to do the "Pink". All done so quickly and delivered to the customer without bloody computers. Happy days.

[My opinion]

Yes. Happy days.
I remember waiting outside of the bus station with my brother (after a game)for the PINK to arrive.
We then caught the bus home and spent the journey reading up on the league tables and match reports.

[Kentquaker]

I remember dashing to the paper shop after the game to see where we were in t he league table. Certainly in the early seventies it was near the bottom. I too remember the usual pained expression on Quentin Quakers face after we had lost... again!!

[Darlo_Pete]

I remember buying it, but only if we had won that day, so I didn't seem to buy it so much in those days, haha.

[spen666]

The Pink ( in any town) used to be great if result changed late in game.

Say for example team a are losing 1-0 to an early goal and get 2 late goals/ The whole match report, save the opening paragraph is doom and gloom and written on basis team A lost.


Having said that it was a magnificent effort to get paper with all results, tables etc printed, especially in days of manual typesetting etc.

Many a night reading the pink/green/ whatever colour at railway stations cross England.

Its a sadly missed effect of the IT age

[footifan]

Yes I remember the Pink-the Sports Despatch was its proper name. You could get it from in front of the bus station in the centre of town from 6pm on a Saturday. It also had reports from the local football leagues, my team was Bishopton and Stainton in the Darlington Church and Friendly League. They played on the field in front of our farmhouse in Little Stainton.

I bet that picture of Jeff Astle is a bit faded now ... In the changing rooms... or was a chicken house lol

[m62exile]

I can remember the Sports gazette going until at least the early 90's. I could play an away game in the Northern league and pick one up when i got back in to town and the scores and scorers were already in. Amazing.

[johninskopje]

Yes I remember the Pink-the Sports Despatch was its proper name. You could get it from in front of the bus station in the centre of town from 6pm on a Saturday. It also had reports from the local football leagues, my team was Bishopton and Stainton in the Darlington Church and Friendly League. They played on the field in front of our farmhouse in Little Stainton.

I bet that picture of Jeff Astle is a bit faded now ... In the changing rooms... or was a chicken house lol

Sorry about that we didn't spoil the players in those days, not to mention the cow muck on the pitch when they had been grazing the field during the week. The changing room is now renovated and is a house, believe it or not!

[HurworthMan]

Slightly off topic..but people who remember the Pink will also recall it was impossible in those low tech days pre Twitter days to get any news of latest scores or results in midweek games until a late sports desk on the Light Programme (predecessor of Radio 2). Television was even worse.. You were lucky if the midweek scores were mentioned after News at Ten..certainly never before then, by which time the games had been finished an hour or so earlier.
As someone who was not prepared to wait to find out our result in a midweek away match, in the 60s I got in the habit of phoning the Echo/Despatch sports desk staff in Priestgate. They had all the latest scores in front of them through the news wires. Never once did any of them fail to oblige a cold caller. They were always happy to help..and I recall getting some thrilling results off them in the famous 66/67 promotion season.

Happy days indeed!

[Quakers1883]

I remember buying the Pink but stopped when I discovered the world of Teletext

[bga]

HurworthMan

I recall Radio Luxombourg always gave the full English League mid week results on their 10 o'clock news, but my radio was so poor I often only heard half the score so often didn't know the result till the next day!

Sheffield's equivalent of the Pink was called "The Green un" cause was printed on green paper. Reminds me of some of my primary school class mates!

[footifan]

Yes I remember the Pink-the Sports Despatch was its proper name. You could get it from in front of the bus station in the centre of town from 6pm on a Saturday. It also had reports from the local football leagues, my team was Bishopton and Stainton in the Darlington Church and Friendly League. They played on the field in front of our farmhouse in Little Stainton.

I bet that picture of Jeff Astle is a bit faded now ... In the changing rooms... or was a chicken house lol

Sorry about that we didn't spoil the players in those days, not to mention the cow muck on the pitch when they had been grazing the field during the week. The changing room is now renovated and is a house, believe it or not!

No worries John...it brought back happy memories... A house now... I hoped they framed the Jeff Astle picture... it was there for years ...

[fozzovmurton]

I used to goto Roker Park as a kid to see Sunderland with my old granddad(now no longer with us), we would park in Sunderland and walk the mile or so to Roker Park, on the way back we would getting to my nearest shop just as the Sports Echo was being delivered, in time to get my copy.

I read the Sports Echo for years, when I lived in a Durham Childrens I got the Sports Echo and Newcastle Pink and regularly read a one from either Hartlepool or Middlesbrough(through one of my carers).

The Newcastle Pink was lost in the late 90's and has been already mentioned The Sports Echo in Sunderland was lost last year, it went through an extreme increase in price and I stopped reading it when it got to about 75p

[Sussex07]

I remember 'Wing Nut' the bloke with huge ears who sold papers on High Row in the 70's..

[Feethams 1966]

Well it seems I started something here; I was surprised by how many people remembered The Pink (Sports Despatch I mean, how could I have forgotten), and yes, I bought mine outside the Feethams bus station too. Never knew it was a national concept either, so there you go.
I suppose the thing is, they used the technology available at the time to bring us match reports, match photos, scores and updated league tables within an hour of full time, and we still admire them for it. I've just watched the highlights of the Darlington/Bishop Auckland game via this website, with slow motion replays and behind the net views of goals scored. I can tell you that back in 1966 we'd have thought that was pretty fantastic too.
It seems to me that whether it was The Pink or You Tube; both mechanisms provided us with a means to savour the best of what we'd just been to see, and prolong our enjoyment (hopefully about the most memorable bits).
But that's all after the event when the outcomes are known. To me, there's one thing that hasn't changed over the years, which is that there's no substitute for watching a Darlo match in real time. Not knowing what will happen next, with all the attendant excitement, thrills, (and sometimes nail-biting stomach turning stuff) that we pay to see in real time, not as highlights.
Which is just another way of saying that we can't wait for the new season to start, and we can't wait for when Saturday comes.

[Neil Johnson]

Does anyone else remember The Pink? If you're under 50 you can probably switch to another topic now, because you'll be too young. The Pink was a sports newspaper printed in Darlington on a Saturday night immediately after one of Darlo's home games. It was called The Pink because it was printed on horribly pink and poor quality newspaper but it was rushed out - as I recall - within about an hour of the game so if you missed the bus home you could always hang around for the next one and buy a copy while you waited (in my case).
Otherwise it was a proper newspaper in all respects.
In the days before digital photography and electronic communications it must have required a frantic effort to publish the grainy photographs of the game and the minute by minute accounts of what you'd just seen, and get it on to the streets within the short timescales necessary, to make it worthwhile.
I only mention it because I came across some bits of The Pink in an old Darlo scrapbook I'd put together in the 1960s. I don't know what it's real title was, what happened to it or when it disappeared. The Northern Echo and The Evening Despatch also reported on Darlo games but they were separate.

Sports Despatch. distributed to newsagent shops within an hour of the game finishing. Had great match reports with full details of who shot and how.

[grytters]

- and don't forget if you went to another town or city and bought their local version of the sports paper you could amuse yourselves by seeing how many different and inventive ways they could misspell the names of your players.