MEMORIES came flooding back for two of Culcheth's most famous sons when Roger Hunt and Tommy Lawrence attended a Liverpool Football Club players' reunion.
They mingled with all fellow members of the club's first FA Cup final victory in 1965 when they beat Leeds 2-l at Wembley with Roger scoring a goal and Tommy in goal.
Both aspired to international level. Roger made his England debut in 1961-2 season and went on to make 34 appearances, including England's 1966 World Cup final triumph over Germany. Tommy gained three Scottish caps after making his debut in 1962-3 season. The players were educated at Culcheth Secondary School, now the High School, and Roger later went to Leigh Grammar School. On leaving school, he played with Glazebury Church, was rejected on a trial with Bury, was signed by Stockton Heath (later Warrington Town) in the Mid-Cheshire League and played with them in a Cheshire Amateur Cup final.
Swindon Town wanted to sign him when he was on National Service at Devizes, but Liverpool scout' Bill Jones made no hesitation in recommending him to Anfield and the rest is history. He became a record-holding scorer and was so revered by the Spion Kop that they nicknamed him Sir Roger' and for many seasons paraded banners to that effect.
Roger, who became a partner in his family's Culcheth-based haulage company which now operates from Earlestown, lives at Holly Court, Croft, while Tommy lives in the Warrington area.
