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

The team recorded a 3-0 victory over Hawkhurst United II at Icklesham Recreation Ground in January with Freddie Novis hitting two goals and Mike Amar completing the scoring.

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

DATEOPPONENTSVENUECOMPETITIONRESULTGOAL SCORERS
29/7/2023Little Common IIAwayFriendly1 – 6Tom Cumber
2/8/2023Icklesham Casuals Semi-VeteransHomeFriendly7 – 6Tom Cumber 4, Solly Cooke, Luke Townsend, Callum Badrock
23/8/2023Hastings CometsHomeFriendly1 – 3Dave Pugh
2/9/2023Westfield IIIHomeSussex Junior Cup 1st Round1 – 2Dave Pugh
9/9/2023BurwashAwayLeague0 – 5
16/9/2023Robertsbridge UnitedAwayLeague1 – 3Phil Badrock
23/9/2023Hastings AthleticHomeLeague3 – 4Phil Badrock, Tom O’Hara, Dave Pugh
30/9/2023Crowhurst IIIAwayLeague2 – 4Freddie Novis, Dave Pugh
14/10/2023The Junior Club Tackleway IIHomeLeague2 – 5Dave Pugh 2
25/11/2023Robertsbridge UnitedHomeLeague2 – 2Chris Anderson, Freddie Novis
2/12/2023Battle Town DevelopmentHomeLeague4 – 3Dave Pugh 2, Freddie Novis 2
16/12/2023Hawkhurst United IIHomeHastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 1st Round7 – 2Chris Anderson 2, Tom Cumber, Dave Pugh, Jon Fitton, Freddie Novis, Callum Badrock
13/1/2024Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club IIHomeEast Sussex League Divisions 4 and 5 Cup 2nd Round1 – 3George Richardson
20/1/2024Hawkhurst United IIHomeLeague3 – 0Freddie Novis 2, Mike Amar
3/2/2024Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club IIAwayHastings F A Lower Divisions Cup 2nd Round1 – 6Tom Cumber
10/2/2024Hastings CometsAwayLeague5 – 2Freddie Novis 2, Phil Badrock, Mike Amar, Tom Cumber
9/3/2024Battle Town DevelopmentAwayLeague0 – 7
16/3/2024Hastings AthleticAwayLeague2 – 2Freddie Novis, Mike Amar
23/3/2024Crowhurst IIIHomeLeague0 – 3
30/3/2024The Junior Club Tackleway IIAway*League3 – 7Freddie Novis 2, Tom Cumber
6/4/2024BurwashHomeLeague1 – 8Freddie Novis
13/4/2024Hastings CometsHomeLeague1 – 1Sean Baker
20/4/2024Hawkhurst United IIAwayLeague9 – 1Freddie 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.

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

DATEOPPONENTSVENUECOMPETITIONRESULTGOAL SCORER
17/9/2023Battle Town VeteransHomeLeague2 – 4Val Newman, Steve Bellhouse
15/10/2023Hooe VeteransHomeLeague2 – 7Dave Pugh 2
5/11/2023Sidley United VeteransAwayLeague3 – 8Matthew Elphick, Dave Pugh, David Duley
7/1/2024Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club VeteransAwayLeague1 – 2Alistair Adams
28/1/2024Hollington United VeteransAwayLeague1 – 3Phil Badrock
31/3/2024Sedlescombe Rangers VeteransAwayLeague2 – 3Mike Beaumont 2
12/5/2024Robertsbridge United VeteransAwayLeague3 – 1Mike 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

DATEOPPONENTSVENUECOMPETITIONRESULTGOAL SCORERS
2/8/2023Icklesham CasualsAwayFriendly6 – 7David Duley 3, Rob Levett, Charlie Cornford, Dave Pugh

SEASON AWARDS

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.

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 was 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 when David Mayne was presented with a silver salver to mark 500 appearances for the club.

CLUB OFFICIALS