Jockey Alan Ball was born in Ketley, which is now a suburb of the new town of Telford, in Shropshire, the youngest son of Mr and Mrs Arthur Ball. He came from a sporting family. His two brothers, Arthur and Derek, were both well-known local footballers, while his sister Marlene focused on athletics.
Alan attended the local Ketley school, which was located opposite the post office run by a man named Archie Green. Mr Green had seen young Alan performing in school plays and suggested he either should go on the stage or become a jockey.
Alan was set on the latter option. On leaving school aged 16, he began his apprenticeship with Sir Gordon Richards at Marlborough and had four rides on the Flat in 1960 without success.
He rode his first winner, aged 19, on Sir Gordon’s four-year-old colt Dinzeo, owned by Michael Sobell, in the Brandon Apprentice Handicap at Newmarket on April 12, 1961. The victory was not without incident because his mount threw him on the way to the start and bolted in the direction of Newmarket High Street, leaving the hapless rider with a long chase after him on foot.
Fortunately, the horse was caught by a boy on a hack. A few minutes later his breathless young jockey was on the scene, remounted, and headed towards the start. Undaunted, Alan took the lead at the Bushes and rode with supreme confidence to land his first win. It was also Sir Gordon’s first winner of that season. The Shropshire Star carried an article reporting his victory.
“Ball is very good and should be, for he comes from Shropshire,” said Sir Gordon – who was among Shropshire’s greatest sportsmen – after the Newmarket victory. “He’s a very good boy and a very good boxer as well. Unfortunately, he’ll be too heavy for Flat racing,”
Sir Gordon’s prophecy was proved right. Rising weight meant that very soon the teenager’s future would be over jumps.
Alan rode no more winners as an apprentice and had one season as a fully-fledged professional in 1964 when his apprenticeship ended. He joined National Hunt trainer Alan Rumsey’s stables at Bobbington, near Stourbridge and gained his first success over jumps on Brief Statement in the Cavendish Novices’ Hurdle on the Saturday of Cartmel’s Whitsun fixture on June 5, 1965, beating Terry Biddlecombe on the evens favourite Marieson by a length and a half.
Just two days later, on Whit Monday, Alan rode Brief Statement to finish second in the Lichfield Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at Uttoxeter. He also finished second in the Whitsun Selling Hurdle on the same card aboard another of Rumsey’s horses, Great Gonerby.
Sadly, those were the only two races he won. He eventually left racing behind and worked at a garden centre.
Alan Ball died in his mid-60s in 2006.
