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