Report a comment Thank you for taking the time to report the following comment to the administrator of this site. Please complete this short form and click the submit button to process your report. Name   E-mail   Reason for reporting comment       Comment in question By: Mike Cartwright (Registered IP 212.77.204.150) on 14-02-2008 04:47 It was a pleasant suprise to see your advertised book Ralph and its certainly on my list to get. I do indeed remember the Wolverampton YMCA UKKW boys and had some special years with and around them from 1974 (my 1st fight against ewie campbell) to my migrating departure to Australia in 1980. I was then captain of a reasonably successful Manchester UKKW side and we had become regular opponents on the UKKW and UK open tournaments circuit but at times had collborated with Wolves YMCA as friends to form a joint squad on some occassions especially 'opens' such as the Red Triangle events organised events in Liverpool. I also remember your earlier fights Ralph and always thought that you were a ringer in fighting style to EwwieC. (That wicked mawashi straight after the gyaku had gone in)I onced travelled with Charles Longden Hughes and the rest of my squad to the Wolverampton YMCA on a drissly and cold saturday morning to train with Jerome, Eddie, Ewwie, Chester, Hugo, and the friendly irish guy whos name escapes me.(could it have been Pat?)It was awesome and we were so inspired by Jerome and his 40 foot long gyaku!! I have a longing memory of beating ChesterM by a sneaky wazari with seconds on the clock in a UKKW national event in Burnley about 1978 and paid dearly for it on our every encounter afterwards! Being coached by all of those great guys on the sidelines (as if a squad member)when I was competing as individual in opens etc were proud and inspirational moments that certainly helped get me onto the England UKKW squad in 1978 and 79. I have lots of photo's but oh those afro hairdo's!! my kids laugh at how big my hair do was ha ha! But what memories of great days. Im now in the middle east and actually training in Wado again after retiring on the win of the 1997 Australian Blackbelt veterans championship. My fondest regards to my old mates from great days past. Mike Cartwright UKKW 1973 - 1980   » Report this comment to administrator » Reply to this comment... »  Go back to the article