Ushaw Moor school football team 1946/7

Posted on behalf of Peter Clarke

Can anyone identify any teachers or members of the football team.

This photograph came to me by way of a distant relative Ray Wilkinson who I am sure will be on the photographs somewhere.

Cheers Peter Clarke

Ushaw Moor Junior School Football Team 1981

Back Row
Stephen Guy. Adrian Traylen. Nathan Brown. Wayne Kilbourne.

…Second Row
Philip Jackson. Kevin Stangroom. Stewart Anderson. Neil Watson. Neil Miley.

Front Row
Gary Toase. Richard Whittaker. Paul Robson. Glynne Hall. Stephen Scott.

Thanks
Jim Whittaker

 

 

 

 

 

Alcohol Free Football Team 1906-07

My my – you wait ages for a bus and two turn up at once er… I meant football teams. It is interesting to note that two of the players are wearing ties and one is sporting a cap – all of that would be curious to see in modern teams. One of the supporters is smoking so … a ban on drink but not on fags! Does anyone recognise a long lost relative? Do you reckon the picture was taken at Broadgate?

I wish to thank that splendid chap Keith Belton, of the Durham Amateur Football Trust, for this photograph – it formed page three of the Christmas card he sent me. And what an interesting page 3!
If there are any other appropriate acknowledgements to make in respect of the photograph I will gladly arrange it: please contact me if that applies.
WB

Durham Boys v Crook – Ferrens Park circa 1959

Here we have a photograph of the Durham Boys football team with their captain Norman Ferguson of Ushaw Moor, his best friend the late Les Gleghorn to his right ( both Johnstonians ) and then Vic Meredith of Pittington School.

On the top row we have identified Brian Crampton, Ian Pattison ( South Hetton ) and Robert Hancock. Can W.B. identify himself please and anyone else he is able to.

Posted on Behalf of Peter Clarke

Sammy And Freda Crooks

Sammy was the most famous professional footballer to come out of the Deerness Valley. He was born in Bearpark on the 16th of January 1908 and my understanding is that he was one of seventeen children. He had a spell with Tow Law, as well as Durham City, but in  1927  he signed for Derby County. His first game for Derby – known as  the Rams – was in a 2-1 win over Leicester City.

He became one of the very best outside rights in the English game and in 1930 he got his reward with a debut for England against Scotland. For the record the score in that game was England 5 Scotland 2. In the following year he scored twice against Spain in a 7-1 victory! The first serious challenge to Sammy’s place in the England team came from a man called Stanley Matthews – have you heard of him? Mind you I understand that once a judge stated that he had never heard of the Beatles so there is no absolute certainty that you have heard of Stan Matthews, or Sammy for that matter.

Sammy Crooks and Raich Carter formed a very good partnership in the Derby team but very unfortunately Sammy sustained an injury and missed out on playing in the very first FA Cup Final after WW2 – in which Derby beat Charlton Athletic 4-1, after extra time.

All in all Sammy scored 101 goals for Derby in 408 games. After hanging up his boots he had several spells as a manager  ie with Retford Town, Shrewsbury Town, Gresley Rovers, Burton Albion and Heanor Town. Sammy was at one time Chief Scout for Derby and also spent many years serving as Secretary of the  Football Players Union. Sammy is sadly no longer with us having died at the age of seventy three.

Sammy’s wife, Freda, dedicated a huge part of her life to teaching children and many others to swim. Although she had retired as a swimming teacher at Derbyshire County Council, when 64, she then went on to teach at a sports centre. She really was dedicated to teaching swimming and did it with great distinction!

Freda was an avid Derby fan right up to her death at the grand old age of 96. Yes –  she had good taste.

I did actually ring her about 12 or more years ago because of a what seemed to be a horror story in my family. I was encouraged by one of them to believe that my great grandfather possessed one of Sammy’s football caps. I later found out that Sammy had one of his caps stolen. I panicked a bit at the thought that my great grandfather had possible secured one of Sammy’s caps in doubtful circumstances. I  telephoned Freda and she confirmed that a cap had been stolen but she assured me that it could not have been my great grandfather that had done the dastardly deed! Family honour was saved and I felt guilty to even doubt my great grandfather; afterall he  was a fine man himself – a gentleman infact!

WB

Pre-War Cricket and Football

There  are various references to local cricket on Paul’s two ‘memories’ facilities but none of them, as far as I am aware, have mentioned Broompark Cricket Club; lets’s give it a mention! In late June 1935 Broompark entertained Oakenshaw. The available scorecard details were as follows:

Broompark Innings – G Glasgow 17 R Stewart 8 G Brown 23 J McGovern ?  R Moses 16 J Mawson 0  W Moore ? J Burn 28 Joe Storey 4 E Thompson 0  John Storey not out 5   Extras 6 Total 129.

It follows from the above part details that J McGovern and W Moore must have scored 28 between them.

Could Oakenshaw make a fight of it? The answer is no. They were all out for 39. McGovern took five of their wickets – including that of opener Danby [who scored four]. Moore destroyed the middle order and in doing so took four wickets. The remaining wicket was taken by Moses who dismissed Oakenshaw opener J Lomax.

Switching from cricket to football, and going seven or so years further back in the process, we had the almighty ‘Crook Affair’ of 1927/8. Mike Amos has written a very detailed and well researched article about it – it was supplied to me by Keith Belton of the Durham Amateur Football Trust. There is also some reference to the affair  on the Crook Town Internet site if you are interested.

Sticking with football and the 1920s it is interesting to see that in season 1926/7 Newcastle United won the First Division [now called The Premiership] and Middlesborough won the Second Division [now called The Championship]. Sunderland finished third in the First Division so it was a highly successful season for big North Eastern clubs. Darlington finished second off bottom in the Second Division and Durham City finished third off bottom in the Third Division North.

John Vasey mentioned to me recently that Soccer Gleghorn might have played for York City. Having done some research I can confirm that he did not play for York’s first team within the Football League. Perhaps he played for their reserves. Can anyone help with this point?