Servowarm History of the F A Amateur Cup-two snippets

[Kaiser Gibbs Batman (KGB)]

Although I bought Bob Barton's book when it came out I must confess to not having noticed before that two early Amateur Cup semi-final ties were staged in Slough (presumably on the Dolphin ground) in 1903 (a replay between Oxford City and Lowestoft Town) and 1904 (Ealing v Cheshunt).

Also in 1898/99, after having beaten our old friends Harwich and Parkeston 3-1, Royal Artillery (Portsmouth) were subsequently disqualified by the FA's Amateur Cup Committee. In preparation for the match they had apparently spent a whole week training at Adderbury. The Committee decided that complimentary wine, cigars and billiards went beyond the ideas of amateurism, ejected the club from the competition and suspended its players. 

 

 

[Andrew]

Hi KGB

 

There was no ground anywhere near the Dolphin Hotel in either 1900, or 1912 the ground appeared sometime between 1912 & 1924

[Shredding Green]

9 hours ago, Andrew said:

Hi KGB

 

There was no ground anywhere near the Dolphin Hotel in either 1900, or 1912 the ground appeared sometime between 1912 & 1924

From the Lowestoft Town FC website :-

"Before this season the club had only faced Oxford City twice before, in the 1903 FA Amateur Cup semi-final. The first game, a 1-1 draw at neutral Ipswich, was followed by a 4-1 win for Oxford City after extra-time in the replay at Slough's old Dolphin ground, taking them to their first Amateur Cup Final."

Not that information on football club websites is always correct! 

I can find no further details of the ground for the 1904 FA Amateur Cup Ealing v Cheshunt replay nor when or where the ground was in the history of Slough.

Perhaps the answer is somewhere in the Slough Museum which is now situated within The Curve.

[Kaiser Gibbs Batman (KGB)]

I was under the impression that Swifts, one of the suggested antecedents of the Slough club, played near the Dolphin. Their Wikipedia entry says as much but I wouldn't say that was definitive. I wish I had taken a closer interest in the club's history when I lived in Slough up to 1980. There would certainly then have been people whose relatives etc. were alive in those days, and possibly bound volumes of old local newspapers in the library. 

A little while ago someone was reported to have been compiling a three volume history of the whole club, with the first volume at or just about to go to the printers. Did that ever see the light of day? 

The RA's training regime didn't seem to have done them much harm since they won the eventual cup tie. I have been thinking about which of the many players I have seen might have enjoyed something similar but dare not suggest names. Nor would I suggest anyone else does! 

[Shredding Green]

1 hour ago, Shredding Green said:

From the Lowestoft Town FC website :-

"Before this season the club had only faced Oxford City twice before, in the 1903 FA Amateur Cup semi-final. The first game, a 1-1 draw at neutral Ipswich, was followed by a 4-1 win for Oxford City after extra-time in the replay at Slough's old Dolphin ground, taking them to their first Amateur Cup Final."

Not that information on football club websites is always correct! 

I can find no further details of the ground for the 1904 FA Amateur Cup Ealing v Cheshunt replay nor when or where the ground was in the history of Slough.

Perhaps the answer is somewhere in the Slough Museum which is now situated within The Curve.

From Wikipedia : Slough Stadium

"The Dolphin ground had hosted cricket, bowls and football in the nineteenth century. Slough Town AFC took over the ground in 1890 and George Bennett Snr became their owner.

Bennett was a resident and entrepreneur of Slough who bought and sold a cinema in Chalvey before purchasing the Dolphin Hotel in Slough in May 1914." 

[HorshamRebel]

Nice to see Langley New Town in a map, that's where my dad, and his cousins (Gutteridge's) grew up.

[sdelaney]

Alan Smith thr club historian will know there is nothing in the Curve that he doesn't have.

[Reading Rebel]

4 hours ago, Kaiser Gibbs Batman (KGB) said:

I was under the impression that Swifts, one of the suggested antecedents of the Slough club, played near the Dolphin. Their Wikipedia entry says as much but I wouldn't say that was definitive. I wish I had taken a closer interest in the club's history when I lived in Slough up to 1980. There would certainly then have been people whose relatives etc. were alive in those days, and possibly bound volumes of old local newspapers in the library. 

A little while ago someone was reported to have been compiling a three volume history of the whole club, with the first volume at or just about to go to the printers. Did that ever see the light of day? 

The RA's training regime didn't seem to have done them much harm since they won the eventual cup tie. I have been thinking about which of the many players I have seen might have enjoyed something similar but dare not suggest names. Nor would I suggest anyone else does! 

I think the person who was compiling the three volume history of Slough Town was Steve Chapman.

Not totally sure but I think the 1st volume came out in print but not sure about the other two volumes.

I read something a while ago that said Steve Chapman now lives somewhere abroad.

[Kaiser Gibbs Batman (KGB)]

47 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

I think the person who was compiling the three volume history of Slough Town was Steve Chapman.

Not totally sure but I think the 1st volume came out in print but not sure about the other two volumes.

I read something a while ago that said Steve Chapman now lives somewhere abroad.

Would be interested to know if anyone has/had a copy. The much missed John Tebbit didn't when I came over to see him a few years ago. He did have a copy of the very well produced hardback History of Maidenhead United but there are some boundaries one doesn't cross. 

I can remember George Bennett (presumably Jnr) "holding court" in the bar of the Dolphin hotel as we bought tickets for the 1973 Amateur Cup Final.

[Alan Greenaway]

I do not think Steve Chapman is on this forum. I have his email and will ask him does he know anything about the three volumes of Slough history.

[Holyport Rebel]

Yes it was Steve Chapman who produced Volume 1 of "A history of Slough Town FC. 1800's to 1915". Perhaps if not many people bought a copy that's why I've been waiting since it was published in 2013

for Volumes 2 and 3 to come out !

I have my copy in front of me now, and am surprised to hear that John Tebbit didn't have a copy because inside the flyleaf it has a list of 7 people that is thanked for purchasing a copy of this book early and John's name is one of those listed.

 I've had a quick look ( it is 164 pages long) and haven't spotted anything about these semi-finals yet, but I'll try and have a longer look for any info later on today if no-one beats me to it. 

 

[Holyport Rebel]

The other 6 names thanked for purchasing a copy of this book early are....

Paul Lillywhite

Pete Bridle

David Pearcy

Geoff Hill

Steve Easterbrook

and Mark Smith.

[Kaiser Gibbs Batman (KGB)]

1 hour ago, Holyport Rebel said:

Yes it was Steve Chapman who produced Volume 1 of "A history of Slough Town FC. 1800's to 1915". Perhaps if not many people bought a copy that's why I've been waiting since it was published in 2013

for Volumes 2 and 3 to come out !

I have my copy in front of me now, and am surprised to hear that John Tebbit didn't have a copy because inside the flyleaf it has a list of 7 people that is thanked for purchasing a copy of this book early and John's name is one of those listed.

 I've had a quick look ( it is 164 pages long) and haven't spotted anything about these semi-finals yet, but I'll try and have a longer look for any info later on today if no-one beats me to it. 

 

I would have been more than happy to purchase a copy but, not living in Slough, never quite managed to work out how to do so. I am sure John Tebbit would have been as helpful as he could with its production. Since time seems to fly by when you're old it may not yet have been published when I last saw him.

He did tell me then that at around the time of the "implosion" in 1998 there had been talk of commissioning Kerry Miller to produce a club history as he had done for several other clubs of similar standing. He said, however, that one approach to a then district councillor for support generated the response, "Club history, it's its obituary that you'll be writing". Thankfully owing to the considerable efforts of a number of good people that didn't happen.

Given the excellent amount of archive material the club holds and the availability of people whose memories go back as far as the 1950's I do wonder if there isn't still the chance of building on Steve Chapman's work. I would be happy to help.

[Banny]

23 hours ago, Kaiser Gibbs Batman (KGB) said:

I was under the impression that Swifts, one of the suggested antecedents of the Slough club, played near the Dolphin. Their Wikipedia entry says as much but I wouldn't say that was definitive. I wish I had taken a closer interest in the club's history when I lived in Slough up to 1980. There would certainly then have been people whose relatives etc. were alive in those days, and possibly bound volumes of old local newspapers in the library. 

A little while ago someone was reported to have been compiling a three volume history of the whole club, with the first volume at or just about to go to the printers. Did that ever see the light of day? 

The RA's training regime didn't seem to have done them much harm since they won the eventual cup tie. I have been thinking about which of the many players I have seen might have enjoyed something similar but dare not suggest names. Nor would I suggest anyone else does! 

It did see the light of day. I have a copy  covers 18?? up to W/War 1 . Written by Steve Chapman.

Resides in Lincolnshire/ N norfolk, and still produces/edits our match day prog.

[Alan Greenaway]

I have spoken with Steve Chapman and he was the publisher of the manual.

Please see his comments below:-

I did publish the first volume of the history of Slough Town FC a few years back. And yes, there are a few volumes left. I can drop to someone when I am down that way otherwise postage is hefty at £3.20. The hardback book is £15..

I expect it would take a good few volumes to bring us from 1915 up to date. I have got plenty of ISBNs for that.

I have tons of material and no doubt over the next year or so I will put it together for the next two volumes. Of course, I might jump a bit into the 60s. I will need to seek some sponsorship to keep the cost down.

KGB - if you send your email address to me at agee51@hotmail.com i will forward to Steve to make contact with you.

For information Steve is still the clubs programme editor and co-ordinates all of the contributions ( I prepare the Trust page)

As Banny confirms  Steve has been living in Lincolnshire for a few years now but still tries to catch a handful of games at Arbour Park each season. ( Reading Rebel Lincolnshire may seem like "abroad" to many of us! - particularly when we have not been able to travel much in the last year or so)

 

[Holyport Rebel]

Well I've had a longer look in Steve Chapman's book and I can see no mention about those two semi-finals spoken of previously.

He does of course speak about "The Dolphin" ground.

Quoting directly from Steve's book it says about "Football in Slough"...

"The illustrious Swifts, one of the top sides in the south of England played their home matches at the Dolphin (then on the edge of the centre of the town),

which was previously a brick field. The Swifts were formed in 1868. Slough Cricket Club moved their headquarters to the Dolphin having been formed earlier

and they had a football section known as Slough Athletic, being a continuation of Slough Rangers.

It does appear that the Dolphin grounds were more extensive than in post war days and matches were played on both the "upper" and "lower" Dolphin, but the upper Dolphin

seems to be a later extension in 1893. This could have been a more formal innovation as the Slough Athletic club is recorded as playing on the "lower" Dolphin believed to be 

based around Dolphin Road."

And a little bit more...

"As mentioned earlier, The Swifts were formed in 1868...,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It is also the advent of The Great Western Railway that caused the club to choose Slough as a location to hold matches with the opening of the Dolphin ground.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It is highly probable that The Swifts decision to play in Slough, resulted in the Old 'Dolphin' ground being used for football until 1974. "

 

There are 164 pages in this book, all in similar intensive detail

It would be great if Steve was able to produce Volumes 2 and 3 sometime in the future.

I would definitely buy them.