Season 1943-44

7TH SEASON

SEASON REPORT

The seventh season of the Club was the fifth under wartime conditions and was the most difficult and worrying in many respects in the Club’s history to that point. The reduced number of troops in the district in 1943-44 made it harder to get fixtures, while players were not always easy to obtain. No fewer than one hundred and one players appeared at least once for the first team alone, a record for the Club and possibly a record for any club in the country at any time. The under 19 team, which competed in the Hastings Minor League and were winners of the Hastings F A Minor Challenge Cup, also suffered at times from a shortage of players.

1ST TEAM

In these circumstances a special word of praise was due to the small band of regular 1st team players. They arrived knowing that they were likely to lose and probably be short of a full team unless players could be picked up on the ground, but they never allowed these factors to affect their enjoyment of the game, their good temper or their keenness. Frequent tributes were paid to them by Service opponents.

In such difficult circumstances, it is obvious that almost everything depends on the leadership of ever-changing and unfamiliar teams. The Club was extremely fortunate in having Reg Carter as captain in the majority of games, and Dick Merricks and Stan Huggins to lead the side in his absence. The Club has had better players than Reg Carter, more outstanding tacticians and more brilliant personalities, but it is difficult to think of anyone who could have done as well as captain in 1943-44 when his personal example was a main factor in keeping the side going as well as it did.

Reg Carter and Tony Gibson (22 each) made most appearances for the first team, followed by Stan Huggins and Tom Jones (17 each) and Albert Baker, Frank Crisford and Bob Horton (16 each). Ray Dowd, a soldier serving in the area, who had played for Sheffield Wednesday Reserves appeared 5 times for the 1st XI during the season.

The leading goal scorers for the first team were Tony Gibson and Tom Jones with eight goals each and Frank Crisford with seven.

1ST TEAM PLAYING RECORD

DATEOPPONENTSVENUECOMPETITIONRESULTGOAL SCORERS
11/9/194310 Platoon ‘B’ Company 30th Queen’s Regiment (Pett)HomeFriendly7 – 2Peter Moon 3, Tom Maxwell 3, Denis Breeds
18/9/1943Artillery (Pett Level) II (Winchelsea, Rye, Pett)HomeFriendly2 – 11Bob Rich, Frank Crisford
25/9/1943‘E’ 30th Queen’s Regiment (Winchelsea)HomeFriendly3 – 1Ray Dowd 2, Bill Payne
2/10/1943374 Battery Royal Artillery (Pett Level) IIHomeFriendly1 – 2Robin Edwards
9/10/1943Company 30th Queen’s Regiment (Rye)HomeFriendly0 – 1
16/10/1943374 Battery Royal Artillery (Pett Level) IIHomeFriendly1 – 2H Cliffe
23/10/1943‘E’ 30th Queen’s Regiment (Winchelsea)HomeFriendly4 – 2A Dalgarno 2, Frank Crisford, Bob Horton
30/10/1943Royal Army Medical Corps (Rye Grammar School)HomeFriendly1 – 3Phil Webber
6/11/1943Troop Searchlight Battery (Royal Artillery) (Icklesham)HomeFriendly1 – 5D Davies
13/11/1943Pett Troop 432 Light Anti-Aircraft Royal Artillery HomeFriendly13 – 0Tony Gibson 5, Dick Merricks 4, H Cliffe 2, Tom Elliot, Frank Crisford
20/11/1943374 Battery Royal Artillery (Pett Level) IIHomeFriendly3 – 2Frank Crisford, Tony Gibson, L Kitney
27/11/1943‘E’ 30th Queen’s Regiment (Winchelsea)HomeFriendly1 – 1John Archer
4/12/1943‘B’ Company 4th Wiltshires (Icklesham)HomeFriendly4 – 6Tom Derbyshire 2, Tom Elliot, Frank Crisford
11/12/1943374 Battery Royal Artillery (Pett Level) IIHomeFriendly1 – 4Tom Jones
18/12/1943Searchlight and 374 Service XIHomeFriendly2 – 0George Roberts, Ernie Philcox
27/12/1943Rye Grammar SchoolHomeFriendly2 – 9Richard Pettitt 2
1/1/1944Icklesham and Winchelsea Home GuardHomeFriendly1 – 1Gordon Hargrove
8/1/1944Cameron’s (Pett)AwayFriendly2 – 1Tom Jones, Tom Derbyshire
15/1/1944Royal Army Medical Corps (Westfield)HomeFriendly2 – 5K Brooks, Frank Crisford
22/1/1944Light Anti-Aircraft Royal Artillery (Broomham, Guestling)HomeFriendly3 – 1A Dalgarno 2, John Archer
29/1/1944Troop Searchlight Battery (Royal Artillery) (Icklesham)HomeFriendly2 – 4Dick Merricks, Frank Crisford
5/2/1944Icklesham and Winchelsea Home GuardHomeFriendly1 – 1J Cheal
12/2/1944M T Section H Q Company 4th Wiltshires (Rye)HomeFriendly2 – 3Stan Huggins 2
26/2/1944Rye JuniorsHomeFriendly5 – 5Tony Gibson 2, Ernie Philcox, Reg Carter, Cyril Jeffery
4/3/1944R A F Regiment (Rye)HomeFriendly2 – 5Bob Horton, Nick Francis
11/3/1944‘B’ Company 4th Wiltshires (Icklesham)HomeFriendly1 – 3Ray Dowd
18/3/1944Light Anti-Aircraft Royal Artillery (Broomham, Guestling)HomeFriendly5 – 1Tom Jones 3, Jim Bate, Stan Huggins
1/4/1944Royal Army Medical Corps (Rye Grammar School)HomeFriendly1 – 2Tom Jones
8/1/1944R A F Regiment (Rye)HomeFriendly0 – 3
10/1/1944Rye Grammar SchoolHomeFriendly3 – 0Arthur Baker, Richard Pettitt, Eric Wicken
29/4/1944Icklesham Home Guard and SearchlightHomeFriendly2 – 3Richard Pettitt, Bill Playford
6/5/1944Bucks 6th North Staffords (Rye)AwayFriendly3 – 14Tom Jones 2, A Dalgarno

2ND TEAM

The 2nd team played only three friendly matches during the season, winning two and losing one.

2ND TEAM PLAYING RECORD

DATEOPPONENTSVENUECOMPETITIONRESULTGOAL SCORERS
4/9/1943Rye Army Training CorpsHomeFriendly4 – 1John Archer 2, Cyril Barden, Frank Baker
30/10/1943374 Battery Royal Artillery (Pett Level) IIHomeFriendly0 – 3
8/1/1944Rye Grammar SchoolHomeFriendly3 – 1Richard Pettitt 2, Eric Wicken

MINOR TEAM

The Minor team competed in the Hastings Minor League and finished in third place out of five teams, just three points behind champions Boys’ Brigade. Teams played each other four times during the season.

The side won the Hastings F A Minor Challenge Cup defeating League winners Boys’ Brigade in the semi-final before beating Silverhill Young Men’s Club 2-1 in the final with Claude Smith getting the two goals. Both matches were played at the Pilot Field.

For the Minor team, Jim Bedwell played in every one of the twenty-one matches, while Richard Pettitt (20), Bob Hobbs and Claud Smith (17 each), Eric Wicken (15), Len Fuggle (14), John Archer, Robin Edwards and Ernie Philcox (13 each), were also regular players. The team suffered both from a playing point of view, and otherwise, by the illness of the captain, Alan Burton and injury to the vice-captain, Harry Kennard.

Richard Pettitt was leading scorer with twenty-five goals.

MINOR TEAM PLAYING RECORD

DATEOPPONENTSVENUECOMPETITIONRESULTGOAL SCORERS
11/9/1943Hastings Air Training CorpsAwayFriendly4 – 3Richard Pettitt 3, Joe Southerden
18/9/1943Ore United MinorsAwayFriendly6 – 4Richard Pettitt 4, John Archer, Ted Mann
25/9/1943Battery Royal Artillery (Roughters)HomeFriendly0 – 6
2/10/1943Silverhill Young Men’s ClubAwayLeague2 – 7Richard Pettitt, Claude Smith
9/10/1943Hastings Air Training CorpsHomeLeague3 – 0Richard Pettitt, Robin Edwards, Albert Cane
16/10/1943Boys’ BrigadeHomeLeague2 – 1John Archer, Alan Burton (pen)
23/10/1943Ore UnitedAwayLeague4 – 4Richard Pettitt 4
6/11/1943Hastings Air Training CorpsAwayLeague4 – 0John Archer 2, Peter Shearer, Eric Wicken
20/11/1943Ore United MinorsHomeLeague1 – 2Peter Dee
11/12/1943Boys’ BrigadeAwayLeague2 – 3Richard Pettitt, Eric Wicken
1/1/1944Hastings Air Training CorpsAwayLeague5 – 0Richard Pettitt 4, Don Boreham
15/1/1944Silverhill Young Men’s ClubAwayLeague0 – 5
12/2/1944Ore United MinorsAwayLeague4 – 3Richard Pettitt 2, John Archer 2
11/3/1944Silverhill Young Men’s ClubHomeLeague1 – 1
18/3/1944Boys’ BrigadeAwayLeague0 – 4
25/3/1944Silverhill Young Men’s ClubHomeLeague5 – 0Brian Dawson 2, Les Fuggle 2, Richard Pettitt
8/4/1944Ore United MinorsHomeLeague5 – 2Peter Shearer 2, Ernie Philcox, Brian Dawson, Gordon Hargrove
12/4/1944Boys’ BrigadeNeutral<Hastings F A Minor Challenge Cup Semi-Final5 – 2Eric Wicken 3, Richard Pettitt, Peter Shearer
15/4/1944Boys’ BrigadeHomeLeague1 – 4Richard Pettitt
22/4/1944Hastings Air Training CorpsHomeLeague11 – 0Ernie Philcox 3, Richard Pettitt 2, John Arnold, Peter Dee,
26/4/1944Silverhill Young Men’s ClubNeutral<Hastings F A Minor Challenge Cup Final2 – 1Claude Smith 2

GENERAL MATTERS

Once again, much bother and unpleasantness was caused by players failing to turn up without giving previous warning.

The Club again enjoyed the use of the additional pitch in the Church Field through the kindness of Messrs W Merricks and Sons. The thanks of the Club were again due to Mr and Mrs Morris of the Royal Oak, Pett for taking and giving so many telephone calls, Len Rich for maintaining the balls, Icklesham School for the use of the Recreation Ground goalposts and to Dick Merricks for having them repaired. Special thanks went to Stan Huggins and Bert Baker for marking out the pitches so often, and to all those people, too numerous to mention, who assisted in collecting teams. The chairman, Frank Crisford, when he remembered, and treasurer, Harry Kennard, did much good work in this connection. The Club also owed a debt of gratitude to B S M Elloway and others for refereeing.

During the season, the Club learnt with deep regret of the death in Italy of a former playing member of the Club – Bob Packman from Icklesham. Both Tom Lonsdale and Harry Barnes, who had previously been reported missing were now known to have been killed in air operations.

The Annual General Meeting was held at Icklesham Recreation Ground on Tuesday, 4th July 1944 starting at 8 pm.

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