Racing

One day I thought I might try my luck by putting a couple of bob on a horse.

I soon found out trying to find a horse that would go first past the post was a mug’s game.

To put your money on a horse in those days you had to find a bookmaker’s runner, who could often be found near the working men’s club in Coxhoe. He was always on the alert watching out for the local village policeman because it was illegal to take bets in the street.

Indeed, he was often in Durham magistrates’ court one day and back on the street the next looking for new clients.

When you placed your bet you wrote the name of a horse on some paper and a nom de plume pen name so you would get your winnings from the bookmaker.

Today’s punter can sit in warm betting shops that are comfortable and sometimes better than sitting in the house with the wife.

I think we were better off in the days of the bookmaker’s runners in the 1950s.

At least you put your bet on and went home with a jingle in your pocket for a bet on a horse the next day. Today gambling is a multi-million pound business.

Jimmy Taylor, Coxhoe.