Recalling mystery of ’78 as World Cup coverage now runneth over

THE old cricket verse, At Lord’s, puts it better than we ever could: O my Hornby and my Barlow long ago.

With the tournament that’s in it below in South Africa, we might substitute a couple of other names, maybe Rep and Luque, though it’s not so long ago.

The first World Cup that impinged on this column was the 1974 edition, when the irresistible name of Dutch winger Johnny Rep burned itself on our little mind.