Bobby Moore, a dog called Pickles, and England's greatest sporting triumph

ENGLAND captain, the late Bobby Charlton, is lifted by teammates as he hoists high the 1966 Fifa World Cup trophy.

My first World Cup memories were gleaned from the colourful pages of the sports comics that were so popular in the 1970s, an era in which there was no television in South Africa until 1976, while the internet and PlayStations might have been futuristic inventions in George Orwell's novels.

Many a South African household, especially mine — where there were four sports-mad brothers — would look forward to our weekly dose of comics such as Tiger and Scorcher, which were flown in from the UK and sold at the local CNA.

1970's comic

There were also the comics that appealed to the (still rising) testosterone levels of boys, with Valiant and Hotspur bursting with tales of war and adventure, but Tiger and Scorcher was my favourite. It had much-adored heroes such as Roy of the Rovers, Nipper, and Hot Shot Hamish, who each week were involved in footballing intrigue and derring-do.