Late 1940s - Jeff Tite ('Jeff') the Boxer
Born in 1926, Jeff was working in farming on 16th June 1942. His job that day was to turn a field of hay using a horse hitched to a 'turner'. During the afternoon - the job complete - the right hand side of the turner caught a gate post, and Jeff fell off. His leg got caught as he fell and he was dragged for 100 yards down the road, before managing to get clear. By then his leg was broken in three places. Convalescence took a year before he was able to return to work.
In 1946, Jeff married a Spratton girl and came to live with her parents for a few months before buying Yew Tree Cottage, one of the cottages that stood on the site of the Millennium Rose Garden. It was a thatched cottage with an outside toilet on the other side of the road - the main danger in crossing was from a herd of cows going down the road!
Jeff met Roy Davis, who had started boxing a few years before, and was determined that Spratton Youth Club would get their revenge over Brixworth Youth Club 'in the ring'. Roy asked Jeff to spar with him, and realised at once that he was a natural fighter. Jeff had his first fight on September 15th 1947.
In all he had 85 contests over five years, and he won 67 of these.
After he retired, he was publican of the Kings Head (a Phipps house) for three years from 1st December 1953, taking over from Fred Turnell.
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