Seeing these cropped up in another thread... The first time I saw one of these was as a student in the 'Pool in the late 80's. It wasn't published by the Liverpool Echo (ISTR you couldn't get a "Liverpool one " but Lime Street station would have queue for the delivery of the MEN one) but that my Geordie flatmates always requested when people went back 'home' to bring the two things cans of best Scotch (which was disgusting) and a "Pink". Just looked at wiki and it seems that London never had one (I thought the Standard would have produced one)? That list is quite eye-opening: the number of small towns that produced one well into the 21st century...
Pinks is also a gentleman’s club local to me. Your night has taken a very bad and expensive turn for the worse if you end up in there.
I don’t think it was pink but the London Evening standard did have a football results special In which the reports seem to go up to about 75 minutes of most matches however the results were 95% full time, I was always amazed how in the early 70’s I could get one of these at around 6pm at my local newsagents! Other than that the only way to get the football scores was the teleprinter on the tele (obviously) then Bob Davos Walker reading out the results in the queens English, however I remember for an away game having to wait until the Sunday mornings paper to be delivered to see that “ Wigg scored “ Times were different in those days and people complain today because they are 50 seconds behind the action huh!
I think you are right, my mistake, Bob Davers Walker was the chap with the gong on Take your Pick, with Michael Miles!
In the 70s the Watford Evening Echo produced a Sports Echo which came out about 6 on Saturday evening. It had a write up of the first half of the Watford match and a grainy photo on the front cover plus the scores from the rest of the day's fixtures - otherwise you had to wait till Sunday to check your pools coupon if you'd missed Sports Report at 5 o'clock on Radio 2 I've just read that back and realise I am probably the world's oldest man
I mentioned that on the other thread about getting footy info in the "old days". Remember dashing down to the corner shop to get my copy at 6.05 on Saturday, especially when we'd been away & I hadn't gone.
It was usually down the middle. Both the Evening News and the Evening Standard did a pink although they were more a pale peach colour, and for a month or two I used to sell them together, one sack on each shoulder in all the pubs down Watford High Street on Saturday evenings - there was about 12-15 pubs at that time. The News seemed to be more popular, but they had money problems and closed, merging with the Standard I think.
My experience of these 'pinks' was when I was at Uni in Birmingham in the 70s. Back then the Sports Argus covered all the six West Midlands teams and the later Saturday editions had a 'wraparound' outside page which included a results stop press of all games and reports on the local ones. I sometimes went to Aston Villa and Birmingham games and occasionally Wolves and West Brom too. (All except Wolves were in the old First Division then.) When I got back to New Street Station afterwards I would buy the Argus to get the Watford score. By the time I had walked there from St Andrews the full times would be in, but it was quicker to get back from Villa Park by train so only the half-times would be available.
One of my former girlfriends was from Ponteland. She was an avid Newcastle fan. Always managed to get the Pink Paper printed by The Chronicle from the north east for detailed coverage and that includes all the local sides like Spennymoor and Btyth. Ceased as a publication back in 2005.
I remember being amazed at the pink'uns being sold outside Maine Road when I wen to uni in Manchester. And that I'd never even heard of them before was probably more amazing than their getting printed and to the grounds as the crowd were coming out. I think they must just have been a northern thing. It helped that away fans were usually held back from leaving of course.
As an aside the Gazetto dello Sport is printed on pink paper. Maybe a trad thing? (The pink jersey in the Giro d'Italia is pink because of early newspaper sponsorship, likewise the yellow jersey in the TdF, because of the Auto-Vélo magazine printed on yellow paper)