The 1912-13 cup run, stuttering progress

Town drew away in the Coventry Nursing Cup, but then went down to a surprise defeat in the replay at home. The opponents were Coventry Y.C.M.S., referred to as the ‘Catholics’ who apparently wore a green strip.  

It should be remembered this was a period when many football clubs were started by churches or chapels or had religious affiliations.   The Catholics were the first team to win on the Old Warwick Road ground in the 1912-13 season and the Courier admitted that ‘no question as to which was the superior team’.

There had been something of a problem with Town players turning up on time for the start of matches, but ‘On Saturday the Catholics were the delinquents, their non-arrival causing the game to be 30 minutes late in starting.  The result of this was that semi-darkness had set in before the game ended, and it was only by watching the movements of the dimly-distinguishable players that one could locate the ball’!

The visitors were able to score two goals under cover of darkness: ‘It was during this state of atmospherical gloom that the visitors scored the last two goals of the match.  From the stand, it was difficult to see how these two goals were secured.  We saw the Catholics race up the field; some dim figures flitting about in front of goal; then we saw two or three players shaking hands with each other, and we knew that a goal had been scored.’

The report suggests that Town were worse in the first half than in the second and were lucky to go in 0-0 at half time.   Shortly after half time, they did manage to score, but this was the only time they mounted a real attack and ‘none of the home forwards were up to the mark’.   The scoreline could have been worse if it had not been for the efforts of the midfield, called ‘the intermediate line’ but even they ‘had their work cut out in trying to check the scientific assaults of the Catholics’ forwards.’

More cup heartache

They then suffered a further blow from the same team when they were beaten 3-2 at the Catholics’ ground in the second round of the Telegraph Cup in a match in which the referee seems to have been a ‘homer’. This drop in what up to then had been sparkling form had left supporters of the Magpies ‘flabbergasted’ according to the Courier.   The hopes of fans ‘had been raised high by the splendid strides the local club has made in the Coventry and North Warwickshire league this season.’

The Catholics seemed to save their best performances for cup matches, as their league form was much more indifferent.      A large contingent of Town supporters travelled to Coventry in the hope of a victory for Leamington.  Unfortunately, the team was struck a blow when Jonas failed a late fitness test and hasty changes had to be made in the line-up. 

Back to the Junior Cup

They then had a week without a match, giving them a chance to regain their form before they faced Lord Street at home in the Birmingham Junior Cup.   The Courier reported,   ‘The Town were in the best of form when they did start; in fact, I don’t remember seeing them give a better display.   True, Lord Street are not the formidable team they once were, but they still have a reputation for being good go-getters.  The Town’s victory on Saturday was due to the all-round improvement shown in the combination of the team.   There was a cohesion to the home forward line which was refreshing to the spectators.’   In other words, they were playing together more effectively.

The Courier seemed to be relaxing its normally restrained reporting standards, referring to one player by his nickname of ‘China’ and another as ‘Phil’.  Apparently, the dribbling was one of a high standard, but there were also some fast individual runs with the ball.    The ‘intermediate line’ or midfield ‘would do credit to many a team in higher football circles.’   Unfortunately, the game had to be abandoned some minutes before the end because of bad light with Leamington leading 7-1.  However, they were partly to blame for their plight as once again the players turned up late.

Leamington then had another Saturday without a match, before facing Lord Street again to play the abandoned match.  The ‘Lords’ put out a much stronger team than in the first encounter while Leamington were weakened by the absence of their star player, Gathercole, who was ill.

‘Neither team played a very scientific game, but the muddy state of the ground was not conducive to good football.   Play was of the ding-dong order in the first half, and it was very difficult to say which of the teams had the better of the exchanges.’   It was the visitors who went ahead, but Town responded by piling on the pressure.   They were making headway and had scored an equaliser when the game had to be stopped because of an injury to Checkley.  Although Town were unquestionably the better team, they only scored the winning goal in the last couple of minutes when the bulk of the spectators were already leaving.

The 1912-13 cup run, a good start

As we look forward to the cup final against Stourbridge at Villa Park, this is the first of a series of articles on the 1912-13 season when Leamington Town won the Birmingham Junior Cup at Villa Park.

Cups were also a challenge for Leamington Town in 1912.  In fact it was evident that the obligation to compete in the Birmingham Junior Cup caused some resentment among members of the Coventry and North Warwickshire league.    The Courier noted, ‘Surprising as the results of cup matches often are, one can hardly expect a Coventry and North Warwickshire eleven to obtain much success in a competition open to Birmingham Combination teams.’ 

Indeed, in the preceding season Leamington Town had simply refused to turn up for ‘a match at some out-of-the-way place near Birmingham’ – and if the destination was not near a railway station, getting there would have been a real problem.   However, ‘Looker On’ reported that  ‘Leamington Town are going to make a bolder bid for honours this year’.

They got off to a good start by beating Newdigate Colliery 5-2, getting revenge for their recent league defeat.   Admittedly, the Colliers lacked some of their regular players, but ‘they were smart on the ball, and showed any amount of pluck and endurance’, not surprising when your working life was spent down a mine. 

These are extracts from a booklet I produced on the 1912-13 season.   I will be pleased to send anyone interested the complete booklet free of charge.

Parade closure led to row 50 years ago

[Extract from my programme article for the Brackley game]

In a decision that has contemporary relevance, ‘Leamington Town Council  decided [in April 1972] to ring down the curtain on The Parade closure experiment.  Traffic will be allowed to use the central section once again.  The Parade between Warwick Street and Regent Street was closed three months ago to all traffic except buses.   This was an extension of an experiment which was originally introduced on a Saturdays only basis.

The experiment proved controversial and Councillor John Neville said it had created traffic problems in other areas.   Shopping in The Parade had been improved, but at the expense of other areas.   Councillor Williams said that the idea had originally attracted wide support, but many had now changed their views. 

Some members pressed for the closure to continue, including Councillor Mrs. Patricia Redmond who said she was against the chaos, fumes and confusion which would result when The Parade was reopened.  Councillor Hopkins said that in other parts of the town which had to cope with increased traffic, there had been opposition to the scheme.  

Alderman Swain said he thought they were being cowardly in not allowing the experiment to continue to early summer.  The Mayor, Councillor Stanley Birch, said that the borough engineer had been subject to a great deal of abuse.’   The vote to end the scheme was 19 to 10.

Plans to build a £1 million sports complex at Edmondscote were shelved.   The first phase was supposed to be a multi-purpose sports hall, but road access was an issue.    An alternative site at Shrubland Recreation Ground, but the impending reorganisation of local government meant that no one was prepared to commit any money.

'Flu virus and Leamington schools in 1922

[My contribution to the Leamington FC programme for the match against Darlington]

Education was the topic of the week in Leamington at the end of March 1922 and there were complaints that the Education Committee chaired by Alderman Flavel were spending too much money.   Controversy arose over payments to women teachers who had been off work for periods of up to two-and-a-half months with influenza.  [My grandmother died from the ‘flu at this time leaving my father without a mother at the age of twelve]. The amounts involved were around £3,500 each in today’s prices.  

Alderman Davies ‘asked if the teachers were hard up.  Ordinary working men and, in fact, almost everyone had to make provision for illness, so why should teachers, who were receiving good wages, be paid for the time they were ill.  Was it a committee to dispense charities?  He would even go so far to say that the teachers ought to be ashamed of themselves if they took the money.   What would the unemployed think of this?’  

Alderman Flavel  pointed out that the teachers had caught the virus while in school.  ‘Councillor Heatley remarked that he had heard Alderman Davis deliver that speech quite 40 times.   It was not policy to have the reputation of being the meanest committee in the county.   If they had such a reputation they could not get the better class of teachers.’

A cause for civic celebration was the official opening of Leamington College. ‘The buildings are not by any means new, having been used for educational purposes for a number of years.  The old school had been closed many times, and it had seen many days of financial depression, but not, alas, many of prosperity.  During the war the school was used by the Dover boys and called Dover College, but since they left the college at the end of the war the old floors have not responded to the clatter of schoolboys’ feet. ‘

‘What was formerly the chapel is now converted into a dining room for the boys, and if the schemes of the Governors mature, for the girls as well.  Temporarily, until the girls’ school is transferred to Binswood Avenue, the Headmaster’s office will be at the eastern end of the main hall.   The chemical laboratory is situated at the west end of the main hall.  Over the chemical laboratory is the physics laboratory.’  

Leamington Boys’ School had been established for 20 years, at first as a small school.   It had encountered many difficulties, but now had 200 pupils.  The Mayor noted that the school had a football cup and a cricket cup and offered to add a swimming cup. 

Alderman Holloway said that ‘Complaint had been made about the local Education Committee spending too much.  The control was now in the hands of the County Council and he hoped that ratepayers would have no more cause for legitimate complaint than before.  In the future, when secondary education was assessed at its proper value, people would endorse the action which the Leamington authorities were celebrating that day.’

Our eldest, now in her fifties, was a pupil in the sixth form of what was by the early 1980s Binswood Hall of North Leamington school.   The buildings now form part of an up market retirement complex.

Leamington made short work of a Coventry City ‘A’ team which visited the town for a friendly at the end of March 1922.   The visitors ‘put up a very mediocre display and deservedly lost 5-1.    From practically the start to the finish, Leamington Town pressed the City defence, and with their forwards combining in delightful style they gave their visitors an object lesson in the art of shooting.’

 

How to help the unemployed in March 1922

[Reproduced from my 'Way Back Then' contribution to the Leamington FC programme]

In March 1922 it was reported that ‘an ambitious scheme for the adaptation of Welch’s Meadow as a park and recreation ground is being contemplated by Leamington Town Council.  Alderman W. Davis has offered a sum of money, running into four figures, as a practical contribution to the schemes in which he is a prime mover.  If the project matures, it will mean that ornamental and pleasure grounds will extend from the west to east boundaries of the borough with attractive open spaces as the “lungs” of the town.   

One of the designs is to provide a nice walk for the residents of the Spa, this to run along the river side and to wend its way into Radford Road.  The river would also be widened, thus opening up a sheet of water admirably suited for carnivals and regattas.  The park would cover an area of from 24 to 25 acres, a site large enough to accommodate an agricultural show, and to allow of cricket and football pitches, together with tennis courts.’

Outdoor relief

The comparative cost of ‘outdoor relief’ in Leamington, Kenilworth and Warwick preoccupied the Board of Guardians at a long and acrimonious meeting.    Captain Percy told the Board that they were in arrears which could imply a considerable addition to the poor rate.   At present the rate was 11d in the pound [of rateable value] and ratepayers had considerable difficulty in meeting the demands.  In the last week for which figures were available £136 was spent on this in Leamington, in Warwick it was £13 and in Kenilworth £3.   This implied an annual figure of £7,124 for Leamington (£431,000 in today’s prices), £700 for Warwick (£42k) and for Kenilworth only £170 (just over £10k).

A range of views were expressed by the members.  Mr Gardiner said ‘Look at the difference in numbers. In Leamington there are 700 unemployed, and in Warwick there are only 400.   These people are unemployed through no fault of their own, and until we in Leamington can find them employment near home, there will always be unemployment.    The Reverend Broadway took a less generous view: ‘It looks as if something very extraordinary is happening in the amount given.   Something is wrong somewhere.  I have heard that cases are being dealt with very generously in Leamington.’ 

Mr Duffield took a contrary view: ‘If there are 400 people unemployed in Warwick and 700 in Leamington, surely we in Warwick are not treating our unemployed in a proper manner.  I consider that the relief in Warwick is inadequate.   It does not seem a case of decreasing the relief in Leamington, but increasing it in Warwick.’  It was suggested that a committee be formed to look into the matter, but Mr Canning pointed out that this would make no difference.  ‘”I take this as an attack on the Leamington Committee”, he declared, “and we at Leamington are doing our duty”’.

The supply of free bread

The committee then fell out over the question of supplying bread.   ‘The Leamington Out-relief Committee recommended that no tenders should be invited for the supply of bread and that bakers should be treated the same way as grocers and provision dealers.   Mr Albert England said that under the present system of contract, some of the people receiving bread in out-relief had to walk a considerable distance to the shop of the contracting baker.’  

Alderman Baker spoke about the virtues of competition and said that its absence might lead bakers to increase their prices.  Challenged by Mr Ballinger, Alderman Davis accused him of abusing his position as a businessman. An eventual compromise was that there should be no tenders for six months.

 

Referees called for early form of VAR in 1922

I have been unable to get to the Your Co-op Community Stadium for several weeks because of a minor but persistent problem that has impaired my mobility, although I am now on the road to recovery.

In the meantime, I am reproducing my contribution to yesterday's programme:

As I have noted in earlier articles, tensions between football crowds and referees were on the increase in 1922.  In the Leamington area the police had to be called on more than one occasion to evict spectators who had abused the referee.  It was also claimed that crowds had started chants which questioned the capacity of the referee to officiate.   

The Football Association was so concerned that they launched an overall review, but as a first step they decided to ban referees who wore glasses, following a number of complaints about the poor eyesight of some officials.   This caused some confusion at the meeting of the Birmingham FA. Should all referees who had been seen wearing spectacles be struck off the list?  It was eventually decided that it should only apply to new officials.

Writing in one newspaper, referee ‘Solo Whistle’ argued that some sort of X-ray machine might help to resolve disputes on the field of play, clearly anticipating VAR.    What was needed was some scientific means of determining what was intentional and what was accidental.  

Among the incidents where an authoritative decision was needed was ‘when a ball goes to hand, when a player kicks an opponent in playing the ball, and when a player goes down apparently injured, or may be only pretending to be hurt so as to give his side an advantage by temporarily stopping the game.  There is a wide margin of contrast in the attitude of different officials in cases of injury, or supposed injury.  One spectator writes describing an incident in which two opponents went for the ball together, one clearing the ball, and, as he drew his foot back, accidentally kicking the other man in the wind [sic], placing him hors de combat.   The referee’s attention was called, but he ordered play to proceed.  The ball went out of play, whereupon he called the trainer and had the player carried off.  

  I am reminded of another case in which a referee ordered play to proceed to the extent of the ball being worked up and down the field, passing the prostate body of the injured man three times before he called a halt after the ball passed over the line.’   Solo Whistle’s conclusion was that ‘Accidents are inseparable from the game of football, and are all in the game.’

In some cases referees were attacked by spectators.   At a game in Scotland between Tullibody and Tulliallan football clubs ‘the referee had an exciting experience.  Attacked by a spectator at the interval, he collapsed in the second half at the game and had to be carried off the field.’   The spectator appeared at Alloa Sheriff Court.  ‘It appeared that he was a supporter of the Tulliallan club, and was evidently dissatisfied with the ruling of the referee.   When the interval came he took the referee by surprise, butted him with his head, broke his artificial teeth and lacerated his mouth.’  It is no surprise that when the referee tried to carry on he collapsed.   The Sheriff told the defendant that he lacked a sporting instinct and fined him £5 or 30 days in prison.   This is £300 in today’s prices, beyond the pocket of a labourer.

The big game in Herefordshire in March 1922 was between Bromyard Town and Hereford Thistle, founded in 1885 and described as a ‘crack Hereford team’.   There was a large crowd which it was hoped would boost Bromyard’s ‘Shilling Fund’.   The home team played uphill in the first half and went 1-0 behind, the Hereford team winning 2-1

Was the Leamington accent 'appalling'?

Local accents were the subject of discussion in the Leamington Courier in February 1922 with local residents seemingly impervious to received pronunciation.    The Courier acidly remarked, ‘It has been said that the Leamington Education Committee never discusses education.   The members got within range of that subject, however, on Tuesday when they considered how to best improve the pronunciation of the schoolchildren.   “Appalling” was the description applied by Capt. H.P. Smith to the boys’ pronunciation of their mother tongue.   We certainly dislike the local account which converts “saw” into “sore”; but we must not forget that Warwickshire people not only “speak the tongue that Shakespeare spake” but that probably his accents are theirs.    It has been said of the great dramatist, “The Warwickshire burr is like an afterwards of thunder when he’s angry in his speech.”’

A deputation of the local unemployed had a meeting with the Out-Relief Committee.    The chairman of the deputation ‘frankly expressed disappointment at what had occurred.   The deputation asked the committee to state a single case where adequate relief was being given, but no answer was provided.   The Committee also refused to consider the adoption of any scale of relief.  Mr Allonby declared that the Guardians appeared to base their relief on the wages of agricultural workers, which in the district amounted to 31 shillings a week [approximately £90 a week in current prices], but the unemployed of Leamington had a right to be treated as industrial workers.  It was impossible to live as cheaply in Leamington as in the country.   “This only confirms the suspicion that the Farmers’ Union are behind this affair, they are trying to treat us like they did the farm labourer,” said the speaker.   Mr Allonby also said they got to very high words in places.  “I was told they weren’t deaf,” he said, “but I couldn’t help it.   I had got my back up.”’

The Society of Warwickshire Folk in London held its annual dinner.    Mr L S Amery said that the society was doing a great work in keeping friends together and keeping alive the old county feeling even in a great city like London.   It was a wonderful thing in this country how we were able to have many patriotisms, the patriotism of the county feeling, the patriotism of England and of the British Empire.   The Mayor of Leamington invited the Warwickshire folk ‘who are making their fortunes in London’ to spend their retirement in Leamington.

[Written for the Leamington FC programme]