Newspaper Clipping of the Day

Via Newspapers.com

Introduce me to a ghostly hamster who looks out for her favorite sports team, and you have pretty much made my day.  The “Reading Evening Post,” May 3, 1996:

Forget Uri Geller, Reading Football Club were saved from relegation by a dead hamster buried in the goal mouth. 

Royals fan Vicky Lowe is convinced the spirit of her heroic pet played a part in Reading's 3-0 hammering of Wolverhampton Wanderers at Elm Park on Tuesday night. Vicky, 23, a barmaid at the Royals Rendezvous, was left heartbroken last month when her three-and-a-half-year-old hamster, Miss Effie, died. To add to her grief, Vicky had nowhere to lay her pet to rest--until Reading groundsman Gordon Neate heard of her plight. 

Vicky said: "I haven't really got a back garden, it's more like a yard, so I couldn't bury Miss Effie there.

"I then thought of Prospect Park, but although it is very beautiful it didn't really seem fitting. 

"Gordon then offered to bury her in the goalmouth at Elm Park which was perfect. It was a wonderful gesture and it really means something to know she is buried on the pitch. 

"Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the burial but Gordon said that as he laid her to rest. at noon, the church bells started ringing and the sun came out."

 

And Vicky added that the spirit of Miss Effie lives on.

"I believe her ghost distracted the opposition and helped Reading stay in the First Division."

Groundsman Gordon, a former full-back for the Royals in the 1950s and 1960s, said he was only too happy to save the day after hearing of Vicky's plight. 

He explained: "Vicky was telling me she had nowhere to bury her hamster and certainly didn't want to throw her in the dustbin.

"I thought it would be nice to rest in the goalmouth which Vicky was more than happy with. We put her in the goal in at the Tilehurst Road end." 

Miss Effie is not alone at Elm Park. The ashes of several supporters and an ex-chairman have been buried at Elm Park.

Although the club is expected to be at Elm Park for only another year, Gordon is still receiving requests to bury ashes on the pitch.

He said: "We do stress to relatives that we probably won't be here much longer but as it may be someone's last request we still do it."