Magpie Miscellany Part 20

The Card

The vista above is not the latest council plan for the development of the town centre, it is in fact Maidenhead relocated to the Potteries for a scene in the silver screen adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s Five Towns Edwardian comic novel The Card.

Starring Alec Guinness, the movie was made in 1951, with filming planned at York Road for November 17th, when a Pinewood Studios unit would record match scenes at lunchtime and crowd scenes from the afternoon’s Corinthian League fixture against Maidstone United.  

The film followed the adventures of the ambitious “Card” Denry Machin (Guinness), who whilst winning the affections of Valerie Hobson, Glynis Johns and Petula Clark, also makes his fortune. This enabled him to buy local hero Callear, the greatest centre forward in England, for his failing local football club Bursley (Burslem). 

York Road thus became the home of Bursley for the day. 22 local footballers were paid £2 to act as extras, wearing old style kits. Filming started at 12:30 pm with free entry offered up to 1:30 pm to encourage a sizeable crowd for the cameras. MUFC committee member Pat Hansen and Old Maidonian Cyril Burdett became film stars for a day. 

The fire brigade were called upon to remove a TV aerial from a house in York Road to maintain the period look, and later supplied rain from a hose. A Maidenhead Advertiser hoarding became one for the Staffordshire Advertiser whilst pottery kilns were later painted onto the backdrop. Two extra goals had to be set up for the cameras.

Burley wore blue shirts with shorts down below the knee. Players were provided with side whiskers and moustaches.  Local goalkeeper John Buxton of Social FC was too good, saving balls he was meant to let in. The director reminded him that he was meant to be a “lousy goalie”.

The first scene saw Bursley lose  in the rain in front of a deserted stand. The second, saw new signing Callear make his debut in some style, inspiring his team to a 15-0 win. He had the head of a professional actor and the feet of Hayes inside left Ron Stanton (who has previously played for the Magpies). The York Road crowd were required to perform a pitch invasion to celebrate with the victorious Bursley team.

At 2:30 pm, teenage film star Petula Clark kicked the Corinthian League match off with the assistance of captains Gee (Magpies) and Kinch (Stones). Maidenhead lost 4-2 to Maidstone. This was the Stones first win of the season, and the Magpies fifth defeat in a row. Following rain and a further soaking by the fire brigade, the pitch was in a bad state, turning the game into something of a “mudlark”.

Maidstone adapted best to the conditions “they kicked hard and often, and used the long ball to good effect”. By the end of the game Maidenhead had been “completely outplayed and disheartened”. Pederick had given Maidenhead a lead in the twentieth minute but Hopkins equalised ten minutes later. Marles put Maidstone ahead five minutes into the second half. Werrell levelled the score with half an hour to go only for goals from Mills and Marles to decide the match in the away team’s favour.

The film was released to mixed reviews in 1952 but received an Oscar Nomination for Best Sound Recording. Petula Clark released a version of the theme tune with lyrics written by her long time musical partner Joe “The Piano” Henderson.

63 years later, in a pleasing twist, Burslem’s real football club, Port Vale, drew the Magpies in the FA Cup First Round. After a draw at Vale Park, the replay at York Road was the first match in United’s history to be televised live.

Sources:

IMDB

One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, Mark Smith, 2011

Maidenhead Advertiser

Wikipedia

You Tube: Trailer, Theme song, Full Movie

 Magpie Miscellany Parts 18 & 19

The Desborough Sports Ground

The formal name of Maidenhead United’s home is The Desborough Sports Ground with York Road simply being the address. This name reflects both the individual who sold the ground to the club as well as its heritage as the former home of many sports.

The main club when football arrived in 1871 was Maidenhead Cricket Club. Its origins are shrouded in the midst of time. In 1792 the MCC played a two day match against Berkshire at Bray. The following year a team variously called Oldfield or Maidenhead played the MCC at Lords. This fixture was reversed in 1794 when two England Elevens also played at Bray for a prize of 1,000 guineas. The Maidenhead Cricket Club was recorded as being founded in 1798 at the 1923 AGM. Its York Road base illustrated by the way the Maidenhead Heritage Centre was formerly a pub called The Cricketers

An all England eleven played at Kidwells Park in 1853. Maidenhead FC’s founding member William Nicholson played for the home team with Johns Lillywhite and Wisden selected for the opposition.

Initially MFC were very much tenants of the cricket club which had the patronage of Lord Desborough (then known as WM Grenfell), and engaged the services of a professional cricketer to augment the gentlemen amateurs. The club was the leading one in the area hosting Womens cricket, a House of Commons XI and I Zingari but the reluctance of the Maidenhead public to pay to watch the summer sport meant it was in semi-permanent crisis. 

This was resolved in 1892 when MFC took over the assets of the tennis and cricket clubs. Maidenhead Cricket Club reformed with MFC as landlord. A pavilion was built where the tea bar stands now. This was later destroyed by fire but rebuilt in the style of the original building. Looking out onto the pitch today from the main stand it's possible to envisage the cricketers walking down the steps of the pavilion onto the cricket field. It is not known where the playing square would have been but the fact that football was initially played east to west at the Bell Street end of the ground suggests it would have been where the centre circle is today.

The Edwardian period is known as the golden age of cricket and this certainly proved to be the case at York Road. In 1894 the MCC played Maidenhead at the Orkney cottage cricket ground in Taplow to mark the centenary of the 1793 match. This had been delayed by a year whilst the MCC found a gap in their schedule. The MCC then went on to be annual visitors to York Road, fielding a smattering of county professionals. Maidenhead’s professional was Jinny Janes who also starred for the football team.

In 1922 the Maidenhead Advertiser described an afternoon at the cricket with a “splendid stretch of shade by the trees by the railway side”, and a “roped in enclosure fronting the pavilion where afternoon teas are on tap”. However the opening of the football club’s 500 seater grandstand in September 1922  made it unfeasible for a cricket club of Maidenhead’s stature to continue playing at York Road so they moved to Spencers Farm later in the decade. In 1940 they temporarily amalgamated with Bray CC, a move that was made permanent post war.

Cricket did continue at York Road. The Julian Cup evening cricket competition was founded in 1924 in memory of Lord Desborough’s son who had been killed in World War One. In 1931 a crowd of between six and seven hundred gathered at the club to watch the final. “The most striking feature was the palpable cheerfulness which prevailed. There was none of the dour and serious intensity of partisan feeling seen and heard at football matches”. Maidenhead United’s team, captained by Duke Care, and featuring Percy Care, Fred Wooster, George Copas and Gerry Richens, beat Taplow to win the Cup for the first time. 

The final returned to York Road for the next three seasons. It was played in front of growing crowds but in 1935 the ground was deemed “unsafe”. 

In 1933 MUFC won the cup again led by Care, this time against Holyport in front of the “biggest crowd ever seen for a cricket match in Maidenhead”.

The return of war in the 1940s saw St Marys CC play at York Road before moving to Spencers Farm, and having amalgamated with Nomads CC changed their name to North Maidenhead.

Former star footballer Cliff Welford led the MUFC cricket team to more Julian Cup success in the 1950s. They were beaten by Old Maidonians in the 1952 final, winning the cup for the final time in 1954 against BTR (Taplow).

In a footnote to the history of cricket at the club, in 1981 Maidenhead supporters beat Slough supporters by 23 runs at Braywick, local journalist Clive Baskerville taking 4-8 for the Magpies.  

The Desborough Bowling Club opened in 1907 on land formerly used by Maidenhead Cricket Club. The club’s patron Lord Desborough, started the first match by bowling a silver jack. The match against High Wycombe ended in a dead heat, and was followed by a supper in the Rose.

In 1941 Sunday bowling was allowed, and the following year, one of the members, a Maidenhead dentist called T. Campbell-Sykes, was elected President of the English Bowling Association.

In 1951 women were permitted to use the green on Sundays, but only if it was not required by men. This permission was revoked a year later and it wasn’t until 1962 that a women’s section was allowed to be formed. However they were not allowed to wear trousers and it wasn’t until 2001 that they received full membership rights.

The club built one of the country’s first indoor rinks in 1965. This was financed in part by members buying debentures, and a large loan from Farmer Burfitt. 

The new facility meant matches could be played all year round, and the best local bowlers were attracted to join the club which would go on to achieve notable performances in national and international competitions.

Floodlights were installed in 2001 to allow evening play on the outdoor green and in 2006 the club enjoyed their most successful season winning the Kennet League.

As part of the larger York Road site, the club was often mentioned alongside the football club in discussions about relocation, and was part of the abortive Tesco project to move to Stafferton Way twenty years ago.

Six years ago, they took the plunge and sold their site, moving to a brand new purpose-built multi million pound Club situated in Green Lane with indoor and outdoor rinks in 2019. It is now described as Berkshire’s leading indoor bowling complex.

Tennis was played at York Road prior to the arrival of football, but as mentioned above, became tenants of MFC in 1892. Following the sale of York Road by Lord Desborough to the football and bowls club, the tennis club was reformed and became tenants of the latter.

In 1954 the club played a celebrity match against a team of footballers led by Arsenal’s Bernard Joy who was accompanied by Fulham’s Jimmy Hill, Johnny Haynes and Bedford Jezzard.

Despite being a prominent member of Berkshire LTA, the York Road Lawn Tennis Club lost its home in 1963, when their Bowls Club landlords decided not to renew their lease. This provided the land for the construction of the Indoor rinks.

The photo below from the mid 20th century, shows a football match in progress with the bowling green behind the old stand and the tennis club to its right.

   

Sources:

A History of the Julian Cup, David Evans, 2004

Desborough Bowling Club

Maidenhead Advertiser

One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, Mark Smith, 2011

 Magpie Miscellany Part 17

York Road Shaken not Stirred

This afternoon’s match is inextricably linked to the world of celebrity thanks to our visitors Wrexham. This will have played a part in attracting BT Sport’s cameras to York Road,  although I’m not sure whether guitarist Andy Scott, last surviving member of 70s glamrockers The Sweet, whom I met at the Magpies first visit to Y Cae Ras in December 2017, will be here today.

Maidenhead United is not a stranger to celebrities, and I don’t just mean staunch supporters Timmy Mallett and Chris Stark. In the 1970s proprietor of the Walton Cottage Hotel, Len Keable, played a lead role in the running of the club, having a spell as chairman. His show business connections led to the likes of Diana Dors and Jack Douglas coming down to the club. Furthermore there were arguably bigger names who graced the York Road pitch in the name of charity.

In September 1962, Tommy Steele, was amongst the biggest names in the country, making the transition from teen pop idol in the 1950s to film star. He led out a show business eleven in a match which marked the full installation of floodlights at York Road. As described in the last episode of Magpie Miscellany, they had been switched on the previous season, but the purchase of ten extra lights to bring the total up to 32 meant that full power was now available.

Steele’s team also included Des O’Connor and Sean Connery, whose first James Bond movie Dr No would receive its premiere in October. Their opponents were the Berkshire Press XI. Steele’s team won 4-1, with Connery demonstrating his new deathly 007 license with a brace of goals. Sadly a lack of publicity led to a poor crowd of 300. 

In 1974, ardent Fulham fan and national radio disc jockey David “Diddy” Hamilton did rather better in raising money for the St. John’s Ambulance. His show business team attracted a crowd of over a thousand to play the newly formed Cookham Boys FC. Youth won the day 9-5 with Hamilton admitting “we were slightly outclassed”. He ended up in the collection blanket, held up by the programme sellers, actors Richard O’Sullivan and George Layton, and singer Dave Dee.

Source:

Maidenhead Advertiser

 Magpie Miscellany Part 16

Bad Light Stops Play

A wonder of the modern game is the ability to play at night using floodlights at no detriment to the quality of the play. The availability and cost of lighting technology means that this is now universal, even down to five a side football, yet it is a relatively recent phenomenon.

The Magpies were early adopters, buying a set from Yiewsley for £1,000 in 1961. The lights were inaugurated with a match against Reading on November 20th. The Biscuitmen sent an team “almost up to league strength”, attracting a crowd of 2,150 to what was described as “the best game York Road has seen this season”. The match was drawn with a goal either side of half time. Reading’s Ralph Norton gave them the lead before Peter Lowen equalised for the Magpies. 

The general lack of lights in non league football meant leagues remained small in size until the mid seventies. This allowed a full campaign to be completed on Saturdays and public holidays, weather permitting. To make commercial use of the lights, competitions were created for those clubs able to enter such as the Wycombe Floodlit League Cup, the Premier Midweek Floodlight League, and the Mithras Cup named after the Persian God, (later adopted by the Greeks and Romans), of “the shining light that beholds everything”.

The advent of ground grading as the pyramid took shape in the 70s and 80s made it harder for clubs to put off installing floodlights, but there were still many without lights competing in the early rounds of the FA Cup from the lower level county leagues.

This led to a fortuitous escape from a cup shock for the Magpies in December 1991, thirty years later after they had installed the first set at York Road. The season had promised much following the record breaking promotion from the Isthmian League Division Two South in May. However the sudden departure of manager Martyn Spong on the eve of the new campaign had led to the hasty appointment of Gary Goodwin. By the end of November, United had sunk to second bottom of the Isthmian League Division One with just three wins, although they had several games in hand thanks to some decent Cup results, especially in the FA Cup. One such result was a 7-0 thrashing of Beaconsfield United in the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup, which had set up a second qualifying round tie on the first Saturday of December at Abingdon United.

The County FA had clung onto their status by insisting ties took precedence over league fixtures. This enabled clubs without floodlights such as Abingdon United to enter the competition, although the time of year meant the match would kick off at 2 pm. Goodwin warned that “it's not going to be an easy game as they’re no mugs when it comes to cup games”.

His caution proved to be wise as Abingdon soaked up the pressure of Maidenhead attacks and took the tie into extra time. Two minutes into the added half an hour, the home team took the lead. Despite a gap of three divisions between the two clubs, the Magpies could not find a way back into the game and looked on the verge of an embarrassing exit. However in the winter gloom, with the time approaching 4:30, the referee decided it had got too dark to continue and abandoned the game with seven minutes remaining. Goodwin admitted that “we got out of jail, on a cowpat of a pitch”.

Competition rules meant the tie would now be replayed at York Road. A brace of goals from Dean Bailey meant the Magpies went through with a 2-1 victory, the winner ironically coming seven minutes from time. This meant that Maidenhead would play at Aylesbury United in the first round proper in the New Year. The Ducks were riding high in the Isthmian League Premier Division, and were suitably stung by Stuart Muir giving the Magpies the lead to go on and win the match 5-1 with a hat trick from Darren Collins and two goals from Cliff Hercules.

United’s continuing league struggles saw Goodwin sacked in February, replaced by former player John Clements who led the club to the relative safety of sixteenth by the end of the season.

Sources:

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Maidenhead Advertiser

One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, Mark Smith, 2011