Scales of time hold no fears for Sylvia

As the matriarch of a family of Fylde Coast professional sport people, you would expect Sylvia Moore to be fit and healthy.
Sylvia Moore with her 15lb salmonSylvia Moore with her 15lb salmon
Sylvia Moore with her 15lb salmon

Howwever, few could guess that at the age of 86, she was still more than capable of regularly catching 15lb salmon on Scotland’s River Tay.

But that’s how Mrs Moore, mother of ex-Blackpool winger Kevin, likes to spend her regular Spring and Summer holidays north of the border.

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Not content with a comfy chair and a cuppa, Mrs Moore can’t wait to get her fishing tackle ready to spend a day on the fast flowing river.

Danny RoweDanny Rowe
Danny Rowe

Kevin, who now runs Thistleton Lodge Care Home, near Kirkham, said: “My dad Lionel was a great sportsman and so are all the family, so I don’t think mum has had much of a choice over the years.

GAMES

“Dad was president of Blackpool in the 70s so mum had to go to all the games and my brother Greg was a junior showjumper. My uncle, Bill Wright; also played for Blackpool during the Stanley Matthews era, before signing for Newcastle.

“Mum and dad bought a bungalow on the River Tay about 40 years ago, and that’s when mum discovered she had a talent for catching salmon.

Danny RoweDanny Rowe
Danny Rowe
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“She doesn’t fish anywhere else, but when she is on the Tay, she catches fish when other people go home empty handed.

“On her latest visit, she caught two 10 lb fish and a 15lb salmon.

“They were both caught by rod and it is quite some achievement for a woman of her age to fight and bring in a salmon of that size. We are very proud of her.”

During the rest of the year, Mrs Moore lives in a house in the grounds of the care home, which was built by her husband’s building firm in 1966.

The Moore family sporting dynasty continues to this day.

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Mr Moore’s daughter Louise was a British and European wake board champion.

She took up the sport after many happy hours water skiing on Lake Windermere with her dad.

His nephew Charles Hough plays rugby for Fylde as did his son Oliver.

His other nephew Danny Rowe is already a fans’ favourite for his goal scoring prowess at AFC Fylde.

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Mr Moore, 60, said: “It’s great that mum is so active and enjoying life.”

Kevin’s journey from Bloomfield Road to a legend in South Wales

• Kevin Moore made 38 Football League appearances for Blackpool between 1974 and 1977, scoring three goals in the process, followed by a loan spell at Bury, he joined Newport County in 1978.

• Between 1978 and 1983 Moore made 148 appearances for Newport, scoring 14 goals during the most successful period in the club’s long history.

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• Moore was part of the team that won promotion and the Welsh Cup, and in the subsequent season reached the quarter-final of the 1981 European Cup Winners Cup.

• In 1983 he had a brief loan spell at Swindon Town, but only made one appearance before joining Swansea City.