History of the Club
THE HISTORY OF ICKLESHAM CASUALS FOOTBALL CLUB
Icklesham Casuals Football Club was formally founded on Saturday, 3rd April 1937 at a meeting held at Thompson’s Tea Rooms in Rye. William Dunlop had left Rye Old Grammarians after being involved in forming them the previous year and the meeting was arranged to consider the forming of a football club whose headquarters would be at Icklesham. Those present were Percy Allen, Les Beeney, Frank Crisford, William Dunlop, Jack Munn, Geoff Smith and Robert Woolley.
The first match was played on the 11th September 1937, a friendly against Rye Old Grammarians which resulted in a 3-2 victory with 2 goals from S Apps and a 35 yard free kick from Les Beeney. The line-up for the first game was:- Bob Huxstep, Percy Allen, Jack Munn, Bob Rich, Les Beeney, Peter Grummitt, Cyril Barden, Les Barden, S Apps, Frank Crisford and Les Jeffery.
The first competitive fixture was on the 25th September, a league game versus Observer Athletic in Division Three of the Hastings League. This also produced a 3-2 win courtesy of a S Apps hat-trick. The playing record for the first season was:- played 26, won 10, drew 4 and lost 12, goals scored 63, goals conceded 97 and 19 league points were gained. A creditable league position of 7th out of 11 teams was achieved. A second team also started in October, playing 17 friendly matches.
The club began in the Hastings League and transferred to the Eastbourne and Hastings League when the two leagues amalgamated in 1971. In 1987 the club moved to the East Sussex League where it plays today. During the Second World War, when local leagues were suspended, the club continued to play friendly matches, many against local service teams in the area.
The first trophy won by the club was in the 1941-42 season when the Minor team lifted the Hastings Minor Challenge Cup and it was in 1947-48 that the 1st team gained their first silverware with success in the Robertsbridge Charity Cup.
The highest point in the club’s history to date was in the 1963-64 season when the first team won the Sussex Junior Cup from an original entry of 168 teams. The final against Longleys Crawley was played at the Saffrons in Eastbourne and goals from David Ades and Bill Burt gave the club a 2-0 victory. The team in the final was:- Jim Brunger, Mike Hills, George Potter, Derek Perkins, Jack Brown, Bryan Butler, George Noakes, Colin Relf, Chris Ades, David Ades and Bill Burt.
The first team has won the Hastings League Division One on four occasions, Division One of the East Sussex League in their first season in the League in 1987-88 without losing a game and Division Two in 2005-06. As well as the Sussex Junior Cup success, other cup competitions won are the Eastbourne and Hastings League Division One Cup in 1986-87, the Robertsbridge Charity Cup three times and the East Sussex League Wisdens Sports Challenge Cup in 2017-18.
The second team won the Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup in 1957-58 and again on exactly the same date 40 years later in 1997-98 and the Ashburnham Charity Cup in 1961-62.
Between the three teams, the Hastings F A Sportsmanship Cup has been won on no less than 10 occasions. The first team won the East Sussex Football League Sportsmanship Trophy in both 2008-09 and 2009-10 with the 2nd team also achieving this feat in the 2014-15 season.
The Veterans side won the Hastings F A Veterans Invitation Cup in 2002-03, 2007-08 and 2015-14 and were also champions of the Hastings F A Veterans League in 2014-15.
The club plays it’s home games on the original pitch at the Recreation Ground in Icklesham. This venue has been used throughout it’s history with the exception of a brief break during the war and a couple of more recent seasons when improvements were carried out to the pitch and the drainage when grounds at Pannel Lane in Pett and at Guestling were used. The club still continues to play in it’s original colours of green and white quartered shirts. The continuity can also be seen as the club has had only three secretaries in it’s first seventy four year history – Will Dunlop holding the position for the first fifty of those, followed by David Mayne and then Keith Swallow carried out the role for fifteen seasons. Keith relinquished the position at the end of the 2010-11 season but is now back as club secretary. A presentation was made to Will Dunlop by the Football Association in recognition of his fifty years continuous service as club secretary.
The contribution made to the club by both Will Dunlop and his brother Andrew, who managed the second team, can never be underestimated and is greatly appreciated by all those who have enjoyed playing for the club. They will both always have a special place in the history of Icklesham Casuals as will Bert Glazier for his work with both the third and minor teams.
Will is still warmly remembered by those who knew him and anecdotes regarding his commitment abound. He rarely missed a first team game either home or away in his lifetime – often running the line wearing his mackintosh and waving his white handkerchief! More irreverent tales are also told not least because of the legibility of his handwriting – despite receiving postcards with match details players still had to wait for the delivery of the local paper on Friday to be sure where they were playing.
When Will Dunlop stood down as secretary after fifty years at the end of the 1986-87 season, there were rightly fears for the future of the club, but Icklesham Casuals is still going as the club approaches the ninetieth year. This is due to the commitment of so many people but it would be wrong not to mention just a few names – Martin Tytherleigh, Bob Baker, Keith Swallow, Mike Beaumont, David Mayne and Michael Hambridge – whose unwavering hard work has ensured the continuation of the club.
The enjoyment of players from playing for Icklesham Casuals during the first 80 plus years can be seen by their loyalty. Martin Tytherleigh has now played over 1000 games which is an amazing achievement, George Potter and Bob Baker have both made over 800 appearances and Paul Milton more than 700 with Bob Baker scoring over 500 goals. Jack Brown and Mike Beaumont have both appeared in over 600 matches while Robert Glazier, Richard Forrest, Robin Shearer, David Mayne and current players Jon Fitton and Phil Badrock all have 500 plus appearances to their names. Phil Badrock has also scored over 450 goals.
Like many clubs, the last few years have understandably been a struggle and the decision at the start of the 2019-20 season to run just one Saturday team was an extremely difficult one with the club looking to rebuild.
Icklesham Casuals Football Club has a history and reputation of which it can be proud and we hope this will continue for many years to come.