In 1998 the competition would run weekly on page 20.
Great-grandparents Harry and Ivy Lawson won the £1,000 prize on January 14 – more than 30 years after first entering.
The couple, of Ravenswood Drive in Woodingdean, had not missed a competition in its three decades.
Mr Ravenswood, 67, said “We’ve won odd tenners on the lottery, but they don’t really count and I just packed in the football pools after years last week because we never win on it.
“But they say good things come in threes, we’ll keep on entering Cross the Ball, and who knows – it could be the lottery jackpot next.”
In March another Cross the Ball winner, Joyce Lower, was ironing when she was told she won.
Mrs Lower, 76, of Portslade said: “When the phone rang I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“I would have danced around the room but the arthritis stopped me.
“I’ve been playing the game for 20 years and I’ve won £200 and £250 before.
This win was a total surprise.
“I managed to finish the ironing, though.”
Mrs Lower had seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren at the time of her win.
“She continued: “I’d like to treat my family with my winnings.
“I haven’t told them about it yet – they’ll probably read about it in The Argus first.”
A father and son’s poignant Cross the Ball win was clouded with sadness in March 1998.
For years Martin Parsons and his dad, Gordon, entered The Argus competition together never winning.
Sadly Gordon, 91, died just hours before his son was informed they had won the top prize.
Martin, from Nevill Avenue in Hove, said: “The call that we had won came as a bolt from the blue. It is a very pleasant surprise, but it is tinged with sadness.
“My father would have loved it. He so much wanted to win, but he never did.
“I always marked the crosses and we shared the entry fee and always said we would share the prize.”
Gordon, a retired sales executive, also from Nevill Avenue, was suffering from pneumonia after a fall and died at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.
Keith and Janet King were twice as lucky as other winners. They won the competition for a second time in October 1998 after winning previously in April.
The couple, of Edith Avenue in Peacehaven, said they would use the money to visit their son, who had moved to Scotland two years before.
ON THIS DAY
1888: Charles Turner becomes the first bowler to take 250 wickets in an English season
1939: South Africa declares war on Germany.
1955: Istanbul’s Greek and Armenian minority are the target of a government-sponsored pogrom.
1962: Archaeologist Peter Marsden discovers the first of the Blackfriars Ships dating back to the 2nd Century
AD in the Blackfriars area of the banks of the River Thames in London.
1997: Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales takes place in London. Over a million people lined the streets and 2.5 billion watched around the world on television.
The Argus’ popular “Looking Back” feature has been compiled into an A4, soft back book which catalogues the events that have made their mark on the people of Sussex. The fascinating archive of “Looking Back” images dates back to the 1930s when The Argus first started to print photographs. The book costs £6.99 including postage and packing. To order please visit theargus.co.uk/store
See the latest news headlines from The Argus:
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel