Sport

Sport It’s all there in black and white: Colin’s

By Steve Keenan

sport@blackmorevale.net Calling all Sherborne Town FC fans! Super fan Colin Goodland needs you to help complete his lockdown project – the entire history of the club. Colin already knows a great deal about the club, having spent 15 years as secretary and his digging has already unearthed a lot more information. For example, did you know that: n In the aftermath of the Titanic disaster of 1912, Sherborne were invited to play a benefit match to raise funds for the wife and child of Harry Spinner, a former player of Yeovil Town, who was a third-class passenger on the ship. His body was never found. n Don Travis, a player/manager in the early 1960s, started his career at West Ham. He scored four goals on his reserve team debut and four more on his first team debut. It is still a record at the Hammers today. “We have lots of team photographs in our clubhouse depicting players who I wanted to find out more about,” says Colin. “Some of the older supporters would talk about certain players who they would describe as the best player to play for Sherborne, or this or that team was the best ever. “This project combines my two passions, football and history. The club has been blessed with hard working individuals who I think we owe a great debt to, and their stories should be remembered.” He specifically mentions Ken Mullins, Bill Slate and

Geoff Hunt, three “stalwarts” who have between them already spent 150 years of service, whether playing, managing or being involved in the administration of the club. Ken is one of three Life Presidents of the club –including Colin himself, who was honoured with the title by the club’s committee in January, 2020. “It was Ken who started the ball rolling with this project, giving me a brief outline of the past and I’ve continued from there. I started last October and found out some amazing things about the club…” Did you also know that: n Rugby football was played at Sherborne School from 1846, introduced by headmaster Charles Thomas Penrose. It wasn’t until about 1880 that the two sports diverged. “I’m convinced the local boys would watch the public schoolboys play this new game and tried to emulate what they saw,” says Colin. n Two brothers from Sherborne were instrumental in the birth of the club: Herbert Seymour and his younger sibling, Walter.

COME ON YOU ZEBRAS: The current Sherborne Town side and, below, the first team line-up after the Second World War, wearing army-issued kit as clothing was rationed. Inset below: Super fan and Life President Colin Goodland

Sport labour of love recording club’s history

MATCH OF THEIR DAY: The first ever team photograph was taken in the 1901/02 season and, below, the trophy-winning team from the 1920-21 season

Both fought in the Boer War (1899-1902). Colin has been combing the archives of the Western Gazette newspaper and one report has thrown up a mystery, that of a match on the Terrace Playing Fields in 1888, the current home of the club. However, the club was only officially founded in 1894. A number of team photos have survived from the last 120 years including one from 1901/02 where the team are wearing half black, half white shirts –hence the team’s nickname of The Zebras. Curiously, half the team wear black on the left side: the others on the right. There is also a team photo from 1946. “These are the lucky lads who returned from the fighting in Europe after the Second World War,” said Colin. “This is a photo of the first Sherborne Town team reformed. I’m sure the kit the team is wearing is an army issue one as clothing was then rationed.” Did you also know that: n Jim Wiltshire from Sherborne was the referee in charge of the 1947 FA Cup Final (Charlton beat Burnley 1-0). “Incidentally, he applied for the £1,500 a year Newcastle United manager’s job!” says Colin. n In the 1960s Sherborne Town produced two lads who played professional football: Len Vallard and Dave Noake, who played for Reading and Luton Town respectively. n The club reached the last 32 in the FA Vase 2007. They were the lowest ranked club still in the competition, losing 2-1 to Mildenhall. Colin feels he still has 25% of the club’s history to cover and collate and is appealing to fans for their help. He said: “I am looking out for any items (newspaper cuttings, team photographs, or stories) from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Anything would be greatly appreciated.” Today, the club has senior teams in the Toolstation Western League First Division and the Cadburys Business Park Dorset Premier League. It also has a strong youth set-up, with teams from under-6s to under-18s, and a ladies’ team. But it’s not just the players that Colin wants to acknowledge: “I`ve uncovered unsung heroes, chairmen and presidents of the club who gave a lifetime of dedication to enable the youth of Sherborne to play football. “Some will say it’s all about the players on the pitch, but there’s a lot of people who play a huge part off the field of play.” n Colin hopes to turn his research into a book in the summer. If anyone has any information, or would like to sponsor a page in the book, you can contact him at colingoodland@live.co.uk

Sport On your marks: Get set for big reopening

Sport is returning to the region with a swathe of differing venues able to open from the end of the month, with more in April. From March 29, the following can re-open: outdoor sport facilities for gyms, swimming pools, sports courts (such as tennis and basketball courts), golf courses, water sports venues, climbing walls, driving and shooting ranges, riding arenas at riding centres and archery venues. And no sooner than April 12, many of the same sporting facilities can open indoors –gyms and leisure centres, sports courts, swimming pools, dance studios and fitness centres, driving and shooting ranges, riding arenas, archery venues, climbing wall centres. Venues must only be attended/used in line with the wider social contact limits –as a single household or bubble indoors; or in a group of six people or two households outdoors.

FORE-MIDABLE: Golf is to resume from March 29 and ground staff at Sherborne GC have been busy. “After what has seemed like an eternity, it was finally dry enough to cut, spray and feed the greens this week,” the club wrote on Twitter.

Gills hoping to join rivals in upper tier

By Steve Keenan

newsdesk@blackmorevale.net Gillingham Town FC are hoping to hear this month whether they will be playing in a higher league next season with near neighbours Sherborne and Wincanton. The Gills currently play in the Dorset Premier League, one level below their two rivals who play in the Toolstation Western Division One. All clubs were forced to finish their season early, with lockdowns and bad weather meaning there was not enough time to complete fixtures. The absence of fans, and income, was another important factor. But the Football Association is thought to be pressing ahead with plans for reorganisation of non-league football, first mooted to happen last season and now being revived. With no automatic promotion possible, the FA is expected to base any decisions on how teams have fared in their two partseasons. Gillingham were lying fifth when this season was called off, and third last season. “The FA is trying to do the restructuring this season regardless of what happened in the leagues. We’ve been led to believe they will make a decision in three or four weeks’ time,” said manager Paul Down. Gillingham, along with Hamworthy Rec and Dorchester Sports, have all applied to be promoted from the Dorset Premier League –but the other two want to join the Wessex League. It’s all to do with making leagues more localised, and saving players and officials travel time and costs. Playing Sherborne, Wincanton – and Warminster – locally and at a higher level could also encourage more fans, says Gills chairman Pat Fricker. “We want to get the crowds back up to 100, and we are good to go,” he said. The pitch and stadium are up to standard, and the club would only need to add floodlights, which Fricker believes would be feasible by August and the start of the next season. But Pat is kicking on, with plans to convert a standing area into a seated stand for 150, and drive crowd capacity up to 300. A new clubhouse is also in the pipeline, with work hoped to begin this summer. The chairman’s ambitions for the ground are also matched by his ambitions for the team – up to the Western League Premier division, and then on the Southern League, where both Salisbury and Wimborne play.

Teams up for the cup after abandonment

Quickfire cup competitions are planned for later in spring after lockdowns and the weather forced the regular season in non-league football to be abandoned. The Dorset Premier League has written to all clubs suggesting a cup competition in April and May. It is up to each club if they want to participate. The format is to be decided but is hoped to start on May 3 –four days after the government roadmap allows spectators at outdoor sports. With outdoor hospitality also allowed, it will bring some income to clubs as well as giving players the opportunity to play. “The lads are desperate to play,” said Gillingham Town manager Paul Down. But the Toolstation Western League, which includes Wincanton and Sherborne, had not announced a cup competition as we went to press, to the anger of Wincanton manager Chris Wise. Referring to the Dorset Premier League plans, he tweeted: “Another cup competition made by another league. “Pleeeeeeeeeeaaassse @TSWesternLeague announce a tournament for April/May. “The silence is deafening!”