Michael R. Peters Bedford & District Sunday Football League ::: www.bdsfl.org

SENIOR MANAGEMENT MEMBERS Roll of Honour

PRESIDENT:-
1962 - 77	Ken Birtwistle	1977 -	Jeff Winrow
CHAIRMAN:-
1962 - 63	T. Himsworth	1963 - 66	Charles Simmonds
1966 - 74	Geoffrey Still	1974 - 75	John Parsons
1975 - 78	Geoffrey Still	1978 - 88	Terry Barfoot
1988 - 89	Leslie Woods	1989 - 91	Roger Davidge
1991 - 07	Roger Field	2007 -	Hugh Elliott
SECRETARY:-
1962 - 63	Fred Harvey	1963 - 64	Roger Davidge
1964 - 65	Geoffrey Still	1965 - 74	John Parsons
1974 - 75	Geoffrey Still	1975 - 79	Rodney Redmond
1979 -	Russ Maddox
TREASURER:-
1962 - 77	Roger Davidge	1977 - 81	Rodney Redmond
1981 - 82	Vince Doyle	1982 -	Mick Burgoyne

The Michael R. Peters Bedford & District Sunday Football League will be entering its forty-fifth year this coming season, its Sapphire Anniversary. It is accepted, in terms of Saturday football, that this is not a very long time. However, Saturday has been traditionally regarded as the footballing day of the week for over a hundred years, whereas in 1962 Sundays were always regarded as family church-going days, suitable for cricket in the summer, but not other organised sports at ‘grass roots’ level. Even the professional game was not common on a Sunday in the early 1960’s.

Just to remind the readers, there was no Sunday football on the television then, and it was unheard of on local parks or any other venue in a league format. Organised youth football was not played outside the school curriculum except on a Saturday, or in the professional game. In general, football and other pursuits were not accepted as a widespread suitable activity on a Sunday. The majority of businesses were closed and workers generally had the day off.

To introduce organised Sunday football in this ‘climate’ was contentious and groundbreaking, potentially bringing about changes to a way of life. However, lovers of the game in Bedford saw a demand for Sunday football in the Bedford area. Young men in particular, with the advent of rock and roll and more freedom in their lives, together with a change of attitude, were shaking off the ‘shackles’ of the traditional Sunday routine and looking for a different outlet for their interests. Football was very attractive to them.

The late Roger Davidge saw this need for a sporting outlet and seized upon the idea of forming the first Sunday League in the county, and one of the first in the country. However, he was faced with a difficult task to get this idea off the ground. There were a number of difficulties to overcome in organising a football league, none more important than the still prickly subject of the accepted way of life on a Sunday, and other aspects such as approaching local parish and borough councils for the use of their pitches, with the added problem of getting their workers to work on a Sunday to open and prepare their grounds. Whether this was an overtime consideration was rather a groundbreaking idea.

However, despite the difficulties, Roger, with his committee, waded through the problems and was successful in forming the league in 1962. Fred Harvey became the first General Secretary of the League and Charlie Simmonds, currently a League Vice President, served on the first committee. Former Bedford Town Mayor and Councillor Ken Birtwhisle also served on that first committee, and was instrumental in getting the Council to agree the use of Public Park pitches in the Bedford area on a Sunday.

Sponsorship has played a major part of the League for over 30 years with the names, Michael R. Peters, B E Craddock, and Harrison & Rowley becoming synonymous with local Sunday football. In fact Jeff Winrow from Harrison & Rowley Limited has served the League as President for that period, and still holds the position to date.

Nicholas Warton was instrumental in helping get the league underway when he gathered together a team formed from employees of the Bedfordshire Times, whose only day off for most of them was Sunday. There were barely eleven players at the Times, but he recruited some from outside to form the Strollers, a name Nick took from the Bedford Record newspaper that ran a column named ‘The Stroller’. The Strollers won the first League Championship in the 1962 / 3 season. By all accounts the registration rules were rather casual in the early days, as the teams could more or less drag people off the street to play and make up the numbers on a Sunday morning.

Other teams including the Midlanders, Potton Casuals, Groomsmen, Bedford Nomads, Azzuri, Prestcold Penguins and Queensmen and many others bolstered the League. Queensmen, from Ampthill, are still in the Sunday League, being our longest serving club, currently with Malcolm Lane at the helm. Newtown Rangers our second longest team are in the Premier Division. Many other clubs have come and gone and it would take a lot of space to mention them all, but the most successful teams to grace the League since those early days are Bedford West Indians, Bedford Young Indians, the various Gamlingay clubs, Casino, Potton Casuals and Fox and Duck Sports.

Love them or hate them, but a well organised League had to have referees. The early names include the late Fred Seaton, with the evergreen Barry Watson and Roger Watson regularly doing their stuff in the middle. A little bird has blown the whistle on Barry Watson who allegedly felt sorry for United Counties (Buses) who were being hammered 18 – 0 by RAF Henlow. Barry scored for United Counties (Buses) but the revival was short-lived when Henlow scored eight more to make the final score 26 - 1. Barry probably got a vote of thanks from United Counties (Buses) for his charitable act. Today he would probably have his whistle taken away by the F.A.!!

Park venues such as Jubilee Park and Addison Howard Park were used in the 60s, and still are, but Newnham Avenue is now used for rugby and athletics.

Remember any of these players? : Allan Buchanan, Doug Jack, Colin Morris, Dave Brandon, Mick Durrant, Tex Williams, Tom McGall, Dave Lovell, Steve Miles, Roger Stockwell, Terry Lack, Barry Cater, Roger Whitbread, Johnny Geeves, Arthur Millard, Dennis Smith, Alan Payne, and Colin Morris?

It is claimed that at one Sunday match in one of the League’s early seasons a crowd of an estimated 400 people watched the Strollers play a match at Addison Howard Park in Kempston. That size of crowd is unheard of in the League now, so one can deduce that Sunday football was a very popular spectator sport forty odd years ago. Nowadays, would-be spectators take their leisure at Sainsbury’s Homebase or in front of the television.

Since the pioneering days of the sixties, the League has gone from strength to strength. Roger Davidge kept in touch with the League long after he retired, and he was often seen wobbling along Goldington Road on his bike, or pushing the tired machine around the parks enjoying the matches. Another Roger, Roger Field, was rescued from his post matelot days by being co-opted onto the Sunday League in the 1973 / 4 season, over-seeing the under 21 representative side. Mick Burgoyne joined the committee in the1977 / 78 season, becoming Treasurer in September 1981, a position he still holds. Roger kept up the continuity of the League and committee by becoming its Chairman in the 1991 / 92 season. Meanwhile, ‘Russ’ Maddox had been captured by the League as Fixture Secretary in the 1978 / 79 season to become the very hard-working Secretary of the League the following season making up a valuable partnership with Roger. At the end of the 2006 / 07 season, Roger Field stepped down as Chairman of the League after a sterling stint where his strength of leadership, fairness and firm discipline has benefited the League and its members. Roger has remained on the Committee as Registration Secretary with Hugh Elliott taking the Chair as from the summer of 2007.

Another innovation along with all the modern equipment which is now used by the League, including a state of the art website, is that the competition undertakes all its own printing, including handbook production, work taken on by a stalwart member of the League Alf Bone, who acts as the Leagues Administration Support Officer.

The 2007 / 08 football action will start on September 2nd. The League has been built up over the last 45 years to now boast six Divisions and seventy clubs from all over the northern half of the county from Westoning in the south to Sharnbrook in the north, and from Cranfield in the west to Everton and Sandy in the east. The League’s clubs have players and officials from all walks of life and from many different backgrounds, encouraging integration and sportsmanship.

With League Rules made under affiliation with the Bedfordshire Football Association, players are no longer allowed to play after being ‘dragged off the street to make up the numbers.’ This remains a happy memory for the pioneers of the League.

From little but significant beginnings, great strides have been made in Sunday football at local level, not only in this county but nationally.

(With apologies to all the people not mentioned here who contributed to the formation and continuation of the League, be they players, referees, club officials or just interested spectators. There is insufficient space here to do full justice to a complete history of the League so far.)

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
M & DH INSURANCE SERVICES LTD
PREMIER DIVISION

1962/63	Strollers	1963/64	Midlanders
1964/65	Bedford Nomads	1965/66	Strollers
1966/67	St Marys	1967/68	Angel
1968/69	Southville Utd	1969/70	Strollers
1970/71	Kempston Liberal Strollers	1971/72	A.R.A
1972/73	Stewartby	1973/74	Clifton
1974/75	Queensmen	1975/76	Bedford Midlanders
1976/77	Stewartby	1977/78	Potton Casuals
1978/79	Musgrave Sports	1979/80	Gamlingay O.B.S
1980/81	Bedford Midlanders	1981/82	Bedford Midlanders
1982/83	Fox & Duck Sports	1983/84	Fox & Duck Sports
1984/85	Fox & Duck Sports	1985/86	Bedford West Indians
1986/87	Bedford Athletic	1987/88	Bedford West Indians
1988/89	Fox & Duck Sports	1989/90	Meva
1990/91	Bedford West Indians	1991/92	Bedford West Indians
1992/93	Bedford West Indians	1993/94	Queensmen
1994/95	Bedford West Indians	1995/96	Bedford West Indians
1996/97	Queensmen	1997/98	Park Eagles
1998/99	Park Eagles	1999/00	Queensmen
2000/01	Queensmen	2001/02	Park Eagles
2002/03	Casino Cars	2003/04	Queensmen
2004/05	Casino	2005/06	Casino
2006/07	Sandy Sunday	2007/08	Sandy Sunday
2008/09	Sandy Sunday

BRITANNIA HARRISON & ROWLEY MOVERS,SHIPPERS,STORERS
FIRST DIVISION

1963/64	Potton Casuals	1964/65	Groomsmen
1965/66	Kayser Bondor	1966/67	Queensmen
1967/68	Agencia	1968/69	Autolec
1969/70	Hillfoot Rangers	1970/71	A.R.A
1971/72	Stewartby	1972/73	Potton Casuals Reserves
1973/74	Clifton Reserves	1974/75	Clifton Reserves
1975/76	Gamlingay O.B.s	1976/77	Bedford West Indians
1977/78	Bird in Hand (Bedford)	1978/79	Falstaff
1979/80	Libertas	1980/81	Cavaliers
1981/82	J.D.Sports	1982/83	Everton Spartans
1983/84	Stanley Arms	1984/85	Sharnbrook
1985/86	Meva	1986/87	Smiths Arms
1987/88	Kopites	1988/89	Clapham Groomsmen
1989/90	Abbetrin Sports	1990/91	St Neots Pagoda Club
1991/92	Smiths Arms	1992/93	Queensmen
1993/94	Cranfield Utd Sunday	1994/95	Bluebell Casuals
1995/96	Biggleswade (Sunday)	1996/97	Three Horshoes (Renhold)
1997/98	Engine & Tender (Bedford)	1998/99	Bird in Hand (Bedford)
1999/00	Club Italia	2000/01	Renhold Sunday
2001/02	Moggerhanger (Sunday)	2002/03	Gamlingay United (Sunday)
2003/04	Wellington (Kempston)	2004/05	Smiths Sports
2005/06	Sandy Sunday	2006/07	Atletico Europa
2007/08	Supreme	2008/09	Caldecote Young Boys

DEARDEN TROPHIES
SECOND DIVISION

1964/65	Southville Utd	1965/66	Bedford West Indian Reserves
1966/67	Swan Utd	1967/68	Potton Casuals Reserves
1968/69	Hillfoot Rangers	1969/70	Maulden Utd
1970/71	Kempston Liberal Strollers Res	1971/72	Cincinnati Sports
1972/73	The Glendales	1973/74	Fox & Duck Sports
1974/75	Gamlingay O.B.s	1975/76	Bird in Hand
1976/77	Tricentrol	1977/78	Stewartby Reserves
1978/79	Albion	1979/80	Astwood Utd
1980/81	Goldington	1981/82	Everton Spartans
1982/83	Stanley Arms	1983/84	Angel
1984/85	Eaton Ford Utd	1985/86	Smiths Arms
1986/87	R.A.F Cardington Sports	1987/88	Bedford Young Indian
1988/89	Abbetrin Sports	1989/90	St Neots Pagoda Club
1990/91	Texins	1991/92	Gamlingay Eagles
1992/93	Century Old Boys	1993/94	Bluebell Casuals
1994/95	Sarecens Head	1995/96	Beds Police
1996/97	Pheasant ( Bedford )	1997/98	Bird in Hand ( Bedford )
1998/99	Potton Casuals	1999/00	Renhold Sunday
2000/01	Sharnbrook Casuals	2001/02	Wellington ( Kempston )
2002/03	Kempston Hammers	2003/04	Anglers Rest ( Bedford )
2004/05	Sandy ( Sunday )	2005/06	Esquires
2006/07	Oakley	2007/08	Inter Cople
2008/09	21st Century

THIRD DIVISION


1965/66	Smart Brown	1966/67	Potton Casuals Reserves
1967/68	Allens Utd	1968/69	Maulden Utd
1969/70	Libertas	1970/71	Hydra
1971/72	Clifton Reserves	1972/73	R.K.B Precision
1973/74	Oakley Rangers	1974/75	Bedford West Indians
1975/76	Oakley Rangers Reserves	1976/77	Woburn
1977/78	Albion	1978/79	Astwood Utd
1979/80	Simplex Utd	1980/81	Campani
1981/82	Stanley Arms	1982/83	Rose & Crown ( Wootton )
1983/84	Eaton Ford Utd Reserves	1984/85	Bedford Old Boys
1985/86	R.A.F Cardington Sports	1986/87	Beds Police
1987/88	Abbetrin Sports	1988/89	St Neots Pagoda Club
1989/90	Houghton Conquest	1990/91	Gamlingay Eagles
1991/92	Century Old Boys	1992/93	Bluebell Casuals
1993/94	Saracens Head	1994/95	Southville
1995/96	Pheasant ( Bedford )	1996/97	Fox & Hounds ( Clapham )
1997/98	Turnpike ( Bedford )	1998/99	Renhold ( Sunday )
1999/00	Half Moon ( Kempston )	2000/01	Wootton Wanderers
2001/02	Kempston Hammers	2002/03	Wilstead Hatters
2003/04	Sandy ( Sunday )	2004/05	Esquires
2005/06	Royal Oak ( Potton )	2006/07	Supreme
2007/08	Wootton Park Rangers	2008/09	Meltis Mexicans

MODPLAN PRESERVATION
FOURTH DIVISION

1967/68	Hillfoot Rangers	1968/69	Hydra
1969/70	Crown Sports	1970/71	Shortstown Rangers
1971/72	Young Indian Association	1972/73	Oakley Rangers
1973/74	Gamlingay Youth Club	1974/75	Tricentrol ( Kempston )
1975/76	Woburn	1976/77	Everton Spartans
1977/78	Musgrave Sports Reserves	1978/79	Newtown Rangers
1979/80	Abbey Park	1980/81	Five Bells ( Cople )
1981/82	Sandy Sports	1982/83	Canvins International
1983/84	Bedford West Indians Res.	1984/85	Potters
1985/86	Bedford Young Indians	1986/87	Oakley Rangers Reserves
1987/88	Maulden Utd Reserves	1988/89	Clifton ( Sunday )
1989/90	The Cock ( Wootton )	1990/91	Bedford College / Mander
1991/92	Putnoe Rangers	1992/93	Renhold Utd ( Sunday )
1993/94	Oakley Rangers	1994/95	Red Lion ( Wilstead )
1995/96	Westoning Boys Club	1996/97	Turnpike ( Bedford )
1997/98	Crusaders	1998/99	Moggerhanger ( Sunday )
1999/00	Wootton Wanderers	2000/01	Atletico Europa
2001/02	Oakley Rangers Reserves	2002/03	Flitwick Town Dynamos
2003/04	Bluebell ( Bedford )	2004/05	Bedford College ( Sunday )
2005/06	Supreme	2006/07	Inter Cople
2007/08	Gloucester Arms ( Bedford )	2008/09	Kempston Constitutional Club

BEDFORD MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
FIFTH DIVISION

1978/79	Abbey Park	1979/80	Five Bells ( Cople )
1980/81	Rose & Crown ( Wootton )	1981/82	J.D Sports Reserves
1982/83	Sandy Albion ( Sunday )	1983/84	R.A.F Cardington Sports
1984/85	Greene King	1985/86	Abbetrin Sports
1986/87	Maulden Utd Reserves	1987/88	Westoning Boys Club
1988/89	White Lion ( Wootton )	1989/90	Bedford College / Mander
1990/91	Putnoe Rangers	1991/92	Southville
1992/93	Harrows ( Cotton End )	1993/94	Pheasant ( Bedford )
1994/95	Rising Sun ( Potton )	1995/96	Fox & Hounds ( Clapham )
1996/97	Houghton Conquest	1997/98	Three Horseshoes (Renhold) Res
1998/99	Red Lion	1999/00	Griffin ( Kempston ) Reserves

TOBLER MELTIS CUP

1962/63	Strollers	1963/64	Strollers
1964/65	Strollers	1965/66	Strollers
1966/67	Kayser Bondor	1967/68	Potton Casuals
1968/69	Angel	1969/70	Queensmen
1970/71	Potton Casuals	1971/72	A.R.A
1972/73	Stewartby	1973/74	Clifton
1974/75	Bull Bedford	1975/76	Bedford Midlanders
1976/77	Queensmen	1977/78	Potton Casuals
1978/79	Gamlingay O.B.s	1979/80	Oakley Rangers
1980/81	Bedford Midlanders	1981/82	Bedford West Indians
1982/83	Queensmen	1983/84	Fox & Duck Sports
1984/85	Bedford Athletic

HARRISON & ROWLEY SHIELD Sponsored by Harrison & Rowley

1970/71	The Bird	1971/72	Clifton
1972/73	Stewartby	1973/74	Queensmen
1974/75	Queensmen	1975/76	Bedford Midlanders
1976/77	Potton Casuals	1977/78	Bedford West Indians
1978/79	Bedford West Indians	1979/80	Stewarby
1980/81	Bedford Midlanders	1981/82	Bedford Midlanders
1982/83	J.D Sports	1983/84	Bedford West Indians
1984/85	Fox & Duck Sports	1985/86	Stanley Arms
1986/87	Bedford Athletic	1987/88	Clapham Groomsmen
1988/89	Sharnbrook ( Sunday )	1989/90	Meva
1990/91	Fox & Duck Sports	1991/92	Bedford West Indians
1992/93	Meltis	1993/94	Biggleswade Liberal Club
1994/95	Bedford West Indians	1995/96	Park Eagles

BRIAN CRADDOCK CUP Presented by Brian Craddock

1976/77	Sharnbrook Casuals	1977/78	Woburn
1978/79	Astwood Utd	1979/80	Midland Bank
1980/81	Bedford Athletic	1981/82	Everton Spartans
1982/83	Stanley Arms	1983/84	Campton
1984/85	Westoning Boys Club	1985/86	Smiths Arms
1986/87	Potters	1987/88	Bedford Young Indians
1988/89	St Neots Pagoda Club	1989/90	St Neots Pagoda Club
1990/91	Houghton Conquest	1991/92	Bedford College / Mander
1992/93	Bluebell Casuals	1993/94	Bluebell Casuals
1994/95	Saracens Head	1995/96	Pheasant ( Bedford )
1996/97	Pheasant ( Bedford )	1997/98	Oakley Rangers
1998/99	Renhold ( Sunday )	1999/00	Renhold ( Sunday )
2000/01	Moggerhanger ( Sunday )	2001/02	Houghton Conquest

T. & A. BARFOOT TROPHY

1976/77	Newtown Rangers	1977/78	Nautilus
1978/79	Bedford St Leonards	1979/80	Musgrove Sports
1980/81	Astwood Utd	1981/82	Oakley Rangers
1982/83	Midge Park Rangers	1983/84	Gamlingay Old Boys
1984/85	Angel	1985/86	St Andrews V.S.G
1986/87	Harrold Utd	1987/88	Bedford St Leonards
1988/89	Silsoe Rangers	1989/90	Maulden Utd Reserves
1990/91	The Black Horse	1991/92	Gamlingay Eagles
1992/93	The Slaters	1993/94	Club Italia

REFEREES AWARD Presented & sponsored by Gordon Coles

1991/92	P. McGirl	Class 1	1992/93	B. Rice	Class 1
	P. Brett	Class 2		T. Barton	Class 3

1993/94	A. Houghton	Class 1	1994/95	P. Keech	Class 1
	R. Nash	Class 1		K. Franklin	Class 3
	D. New	Class 3

1995/96	G. Brooks	Class 1	1996/97	K. Pearce	Class 1
	A. Green	Class 3		R. O.Connell	Class 2
				K. Franklin	Class 3

1997/98	P. Brinkler	Class 1	1998/99	P. Cox	Class 1
	F. Price	Class 2		G. Roberts	Class 3
	D. Clarke	Class 3

1999/00	K. Pearce	Class 1	2000/01	F. Fender	Class 1
	S. Preitzel	Class 3		R. Horswell	Class 2

2001/02	C. Albon	Level 1	2002/03	F. Fender	Level 5
	K. Hallett	Level 7		G. Andrews	Level 7

2003/04	A. Houghton	Level 5	2004/05	B. Humphries	Level 5
	G. Fountain	Level 7		R. Holdway	Level 7

2005/06	M. Ives	Level 3	2006/07	F. Fender	Level 5
	T. Beal	Level 7		T. Beal	Level 7

2007/08	M Ives	Senior	2008/09	R. Endacott	Senior
	P Parrott	Junior		T. Ratheram	Junior

LEAGUE LONG SERVICE AWARDS * Still in service League officials * Still in service

	1962/92	Roger Davidge	30 Years	*	1974/04	Roger Field	30 Years
*	1977/02	Mick Burgoyne	25 Years	*	1977/02	Jeff Winrow	25 Years
*	1978/03	Russ Maddox	25 Years		1980/90	Tony Houghton	10 Years
*	1982/02	Alf Bone	20 Years	*	1983/03	Martin Brookes	20 Years
*	1992/02	Hugh Elliott	10 Years	*	1997/07	Clive Milton	10 Years

LEAGUE LONG SERVICE AWARDS BRONZE - 10 years - BRONZE * Still in service Referee’s * Still in service

*	1976/86	Trevor Cooper	*	1976/86	Tony ( Tricky) Houghton
*	1978/88	Mick Burgoyne		1978/88	Brian Muggeridge
*	1986/96	George Roberts	*	1989/99	David New
	1991/01	Frank Fender	*	1991/01	Colin Sinden
*	1994/04	Keith Pearce	*	1994/04	Derek Clarke
*	1995/05	Clive Milton	*	1996/06	Marc Deans
*	1998/08	Kevin Hallett	*	1999/09	Brian Humphries
*	1999/09	Andy Medlock