Back in the 1950s, the legendary Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, renowned the world over for their skilful play, trick shots and comedic routines, wowed the crowds at a packed Murrayfield on their European tour.
More than just a sports team, the Globetrotters dazzled fans the world over with their jaw-dropping showmanship, gravity-defying feats and all-conquering ability to floor their opponents. They were also cultural icons and goodwill ambassadors who helped break down racial barriers - particularly in their native America.
The iconic team visited a converted Murrayfield Ice Rink in Edinburgh on May 20, 1956 as part of their tour of Scotland, which also took in Glasgow, Ayr and Falkirk, where they faced off against the Texas Cowboys.
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The Globetrotters, who were the most highly paid and most travelled sports team on the planet at the time, with top earners pulling in more than £10,000 a year (a fortune in 1956), proved a huge draw.
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The Edinburgh crowd were left spellbound as top stars, such as 6ft2 20-year-old Meadowlark Lemon, strutted their stuff on the court.
"One of the most remarkable features of the Globetrotters," one Edinburgh sports journalist wrote, "was the way the players could grasp the ball in one hand. This feat obviously impressed Chief Constable John R. Inch, who unsuccessfully attempted to lift the ball with one hand, and commented: 'And I've got a big hand, too'."
Founded in 1927 by Abe Saperstein, the basketball legends were globetrotters by name and nature. By the time of their Edinburgh exhibition match, which raised money for the Roosevelt Memorial Fund, they had played in 52 countries on every continent in the world and had used "every means of conveyance, from a dog sled in Alaska to a jet plane in India."
They were also fiercely dominant in the basketball realm, having won more than 6,000 matches and only tasted defeat 300 times.
The Harlem Globetrotters match in Edinburgh was recently the subject of a post on the Lost Edinburgh group on Facebook.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Maureen Ritson, who grew up in Roseburn, but now lives in Northumberland, said: "I saw them at Murrayfield, they were fabulous.
"I would have been about 10. My mum took me. We lived in Roseburn at the time so was easy to walk there. The guys were amazing players. Meadowlark Lemon was so funny and so clever.
"To play the way they did called for so much skill. I was so thrilled to see them live! It was the first time I had seen them and started looking out for them on TV after that."
Pat Watson added: "I remember them, especially Meadowlark Lemon, they were brilliant."
Today, the Harlem Globetrotters are very much still active and remain one of the most iconic and loved sports franchises in the world, continuing to stun fans with their on-court magic.
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