Season 2023-24
87TH SEASON
SEASON REPORT
The 87th season for the Club again proved to be a difficult one results-wise but team spirit was good. The weather was wet throughout the winter which had an affect on fixtures with many games being postponed – only two fixtures were played in October and November, but the small division on Saturdays meant fixtures were completed without the need for evening matches.
Both teams finished the season with encouraging victories.
On an extremely positive note, the 1st team were the East Sussex Football League Sportsmanship Cup winners for the third time with an average mark of 90.316 and were awarded £100.
1ST TEAM
Having struggled in Division Two the previous season, the Club asked the East Sussex League if the team could be placed in Division Four for 2023-24 where it was hoped the side would be more competitive. It still proved to be a hard year – several of the teams were of a fairly even standard but other sides were clearly too good for the division which is often the case in the lowest league. The team was also unlucky to come up against opponents who strengthened their side when their higher teams did not have a game.
The opening five league matches were all lost before an improvement saw the first point of the season picked up in an away draw with Robertsbridge United II which started a run of four unbeaten league games including three victories.
1st Team v Hawkhurst United II
Icklesham Recreation Ground – Saturday, 20th January 2024
Some disappointing results then followed which included some heavy defeats but the season ended on a high with a draw at home to Hastings Comets and a 9-1 victory away to Hawkhurst United II in the final game of the season.
The team included some skilful young players including Freddie Novis and Ted Hughes. Freddie was leading goal scorer with 17 goals and a deserved winner of the Players’ Player of the Year award with Ted picking up the Young Player trophy. George Richardson was Manager’s Player of the Year.
Once again, Martin Tytherleigh did an excellent job of organisinging the side and was awarded the Colin McPhail trophy with Wayne Dedman, having a full season as manager and making an extremely valuable contribution to the running of the Club, taking the Bert Glazier Cup.
1ST TEAM PLAYING RECORD
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29/7/2023 | Little Common II | Away | Friendly | 1 – 6 | Tom Cumber |
| 2/8/2023 | Icklesham Casuals Semi-Veterans | Home | Friendly | 7 – 6 | Tom Cumber 4, Solly Cooke, Luke Townsend, Callum Badrock |
| 23/8/2023 | Hastings Comets | Home | Friendly | 1 – 3 | Dave Pugh |
| 2/9/2023 | Westfield III | Home | Sussex Junior Cup 1st Round | 1 – 2 | Dave Pugh |
| 9/9/2023 | Burwash | Away | League | 0 – 5 | |
| 16/9/2023 | Robertsbridge United | Away | League | 1 – 3 | Phil Badrock |
| 23/9/2023 | Hastings Athletic | Home | League | 3 – 4 | Phil Badrock, Tom O’Hara, Dave Pugh |
| 30/9/2023 | Crowhurst III | Away | League | 2 – 4 | Freddie Novis, Dave Pugh |
| 14/10/2023 | The Junior Club Tackleway II | Home | League | 2 – 5 | Dave Pugh 2 |
| 25/11/2023 | Robertsbridge United | Home | League | 2 – 2 | Chris Anderson, Freddie Novis |
| 2/12/2023 | Battle Town Development | Home | League | 4 – 3 | Dave Pugh 2, Freddie Novis 2 |
| 16/12/2023 | Hawkhurst United II | Home | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 1st Round | 7 – 2 | Chris Anderson 2, Tom Cumber, Dave Pugh, Jon Fitton, Freddie Novis, Callum Badrock |
| 13/1/2024 | Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club II | Home | East Sussex League Divisions 4 and 5 Cup 2nd Round | 1 – 3 | George Richardson |
| 20/1/2024 | Hawkhurst United II | Home | League | 3 – 0 | Freddie Novis 2, Mike Amar |
| 3/2/2024 | Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club II | Away | Hastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 2nd Round | 1 – 6 | Tom Cumber |
| 10/2/2024 | Hastings Comets | Away | League | 5 – 2 | Freddie Novis 2, Phil Badrock, Mike Amar, Tom Cumber |
| 9/3/2024 | Battle Town Development | Away | League | 0 – 7 | |
| 16/3/2024 | Hastings Athletic | Away | League | 2 – 2 | Freddie Novis, Mike Amar |
| 23/3/2024 | Crowhurst III | Home | League | 0 – 3 | |
| 30/3/2024 | The Junior Club Tackleway II | Away * | League | 3 – 7 | Freddie Novis 2, Tom Cumber |
| 6/4/2024 | Burwash | Home | League | 1 – 8 | Freddie Novis |
| 13/4/2024 | Hastings Comets | Home | League | 1 – 1 | Sean Baker |
| 20/4/2024 | Hawkhurst United II | Away | League | 9 – 1 | Freddie Novis 4, Phil Badrock 3, Jon Fitton 2 |
VETERANS
The Veterans struggled all season and were affected by the availability of players and not able to put out their strongest team all season.
The side suffered two heavy defeats in the opening three matches against Hooe Veterans and Sidley United Veterans. Improvement was shown with narrow defeats against Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club Veterans, Hollington United Veterans and Sedlescombe Rangers Veterans, all games that could have been won but disappointingly the Veterans were unable to raise a side for the home fixture with Westfield Veterans although it didn’t help with the game being played on Easter Sunday.
Points were awarded for the match with Bexhill Town Veterans when Bexhill Town withdrew from the League near the end of the season and a victory was finally achieved in an enjoyable final game away to Robertsbridge United Veterans.
Stuart Adams, with the assistance of Martin Tytherleigh, did a good job as manager in difficult circumstances. Alistair Adams was named Veterans Player of the Year.
VETERANS PLAYING RECORD
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17/9/2023 | Battle Town Veterans | Home | League | 2 – 4 | Val Newman, Steve Bellhouse |
| 15/10/2023 | Hooe Veterans | Home | League | 2 – 7 | Dave Pugh 2 |
| 5/11/2023 | Sidley United Veterans | Away | League | 3 – 8 | Matthew Elphick, Dave Pugh, David Duley |
| 7/1/2024 | Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club Veterans | Away | League | 1 – 2 | Alistair Adams |
| 28/1/2024 | Hollington United Veterans | Away | League | 1 – 3 | Phil Badrock |
| 31/3/2024 | Sedlescombe Rangers Veterans | Away | League | 2 – 3 | Mike Beaumont 2 |
| 12/5/2024 | Robertsbridge United Veterans | Away | League | 3 – 1 | Mike Beaumont, Martin Tytherleigh, Jude McDonald |
SEMI-VETERANS
What was almost a veterans side, Charlie Cornford being the only non-veteran, took on the 1st team in a high scoring pre-season friendly in preparation for the Hastings F A Veterans League matches to follow.
SEMI-VETERANS PLAYING RECORD
| DATE | OPPONENTS | VENUE | COMPETITION | RESULT | GOAL SCORERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/8/2023 | Icklesham Casuals | Away | Friendly | 6 – 7 | David Duley 3, Rob Levett, Charlie Cornford, Dave Pugh |
SEASON AWARDS
GENERAL MATTERS
It was a sad season off the pitch with the passing shortly before Christmas of three stalwarts of Icklesham Casuals Football Club in Jack Brown, David French and Eric Hollingsworth.
Jack Brown lived in Icklesham and made 640 appearances scoring 131 goals, his first game was a friendly against 30th Company Queen’s Regiment (Rye) on 9th October 1943 and his final match was against Westfield Veterans in the local veterans competition on 25th April 1979.
He was a member of the 1st team that won the Sussex Junior Cup in the 1963-64 season and was part of the 1st team that were Hastings League champions in 1960-61 and 1962-63 and the 2nd team that won the Ashburnham Charity Cup in 1961-62. Jack qualified as a referee and was a well-known figure in local football for many years.
David French was also from Icklesham and was a right-half who made 279 appearances between 1947 and 1962 scoring 37 goals. His final match was at home to Pagham in the semi-final of the Sussex Junior Cup when he suffered a serious knee injury and did not play again.
David captained the 3rd team in the 1948-49 season and was 1st team captain from 1956-57 to 1961-62 leading the side to the Hastings League Division One championship in both 1957-58 and 1960-61 as well as being runners-up in 1956-57 and 1961-62. Under David’s leadership, the side also reached the final of both the Robertsbridge Charity Cup and Hastings Midweek Cup. He also played in the Hastings League winning team of 1951-52.
Eric Hollingsworth was from Fairlight and made his first appearance for the Club on 7th April 1945 in a friendly for the 1st team against ‘C’ Company, 2nd Royal West Kent Regiment (Hastings). He went on to play 404 games scoring 31 goals with his final game being for the 2nd team at home to Hollington United II in April 1965.
He was 2nd team captain from 1952-53 to 1957-58 leading the side that won the Hastings League Lower Divisions Cup in the 1957-58 season and was runners-up in the Hastings League Division Three Cup in 1952-53. Eric was 3rd team captain in 1959-60 and 1960-61 and for part of the 1962-63 season.
It was not until the 1997-98 season – forty years to the day – before the 2nd team again won the Lower Divisions Cup and Eric was there to support the team.
Eric was vice-chairman of the Club in 1975-76 and 1976-77 and chairman from 1977-78 to 1987-88.
The Club is still in need of off-field assistance to help with the running of the Club with the last few seasons being difficult ones but with Wayne Dedman joining and the enthusiasm he shows it is hoped the Club has turned a corner and can move forward and regain the position previously held in local football.
The 16th Icklesham Casuals Golf Tournament, once more organised by Bob Baker, took place at Seaford Head Golf Course on Friday, 1st September. There was a reduced field this year with Andy Vickers taking the trophy for the second time, having also won in 2014.
The Annual General Meeting was held at the Queen’s Head, Icklesham on Tuesday, 2nd July 2024.
PRESENTATION EVENING
Pissarro’s, Hastings – Friday, 26th April 2024
An enjoyable and well-attended presentation evening was held at Pissarro’s in Hastings where the 2023-24 season awards were handed out as well as awards still outstanding from recent seasons.
