article: They made it together into the same Cardiff schoolboy rugby team of the late 1940s and then they went their separate ways. The boy at number four - the late Joe Erskine - became heavyweight champion of Britain and the Empire, a stylist whose ring career included victories over three world title contenders - Willie Pastrano, Henry Cooper, George Chuvalo. And what became of the boy at number seven Angelina Street? Well, how long have you got because we are talking about the greatest try-scorer in rugby history - union and league - 571 touchdowns in 562 matches. His name is Billy Boston. His mother, Nellie, was Cardiff-Irish, his father, John all five feet four inches of him, was a merchant seaman from Sierra Leone. They had 11 children and Billy came smack in the middle. Media playback is not supported on this device He went to South Church Street School in Butetown and by the time he left his ambition was to play rugby for Cardiff at the Arms Park. He started with the multi-national Cardiff International Athletic Club - the CIACS - in the city's docklands and played for Wales in three boys clubs' internationals and in three more at Youth level. Everyone had heard of him but still nobody at the Arms Park asked him along. Neath did, and they showed their gratitude, according to Billy, by slipping him a white five pound note under the table after every match. Then he went to the north of England to do his National Service and all the Rugby League clubs could hardly believe their luck. Wigan moved quickest of all. They sent chairman Joe Taylor and vice-chairman Billy Gore to Angelina Street on Friday, 13 March 1953. Billy was home on leave. The Wigan bounty hunters offered him £1,000, a fortune 63 years ago. When Mrs Boston rejected the offer, Taylor and Gore upped the offer to £1,500. For effect they spread the white fivers all over the table. Billy had never seen so much money in all his life but he didn't want to go. At this point he and his mother asked to be excused for a moment. Nellie took charge as mother-cum-agent. "Don't worry son, I'll get rid of them for you. I'll ask them for so much that they'll go home." So when they went back into the little front room, Nellie said: "Right pay him £3,000 and he'll sign." Billy thought to himself: "That's a really smart way of getting rid of them. Three grand? Nobody's worth that much." What they had no way of knowing was that before leaving for Cardiff, the Wigan delegation had drawn £3,000 out of the bank. They put their heads together for less than a minute and said: "OK, Mrs Boston we will pay you three thousand pounds. All Billy has to do is sign this contract" Boston didn't want to sign it and his mother had to remind him - Wigan had come up with the money, now they had to keep their word. He signed and years
summary: Once upon a time long ago, two boys born in the same city in the same year grew up as neighbours - one at number four Angelina Street in the old Tiger Bay area of Cardiff, the other at number seven.