A LOOK BACK AT THE SEASON'S OVER THE YEARS BETWEEN 1988 AND 2024

WINTER 1988 to 2020

No Winter League 2020-2021 due to Covid-19

SUMMER 1995 to 2019

No Summer League in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19

Return To History Index

My Ingatestone & District League History - 1981 to 1988 - prior to becoming League Secretary!

As stated above, I started playing for the Crown (Ingatestone) in October 1981, when the league only had 10 teams, and teams needed a minimum of 10 players. My first ever league match was away at the Blackmore Social Club, I won my pairs with Paul Guiver, but lost my single against their captain Roy Bidwell. The Crown finished 8th in the league and won the Hatcher Cup beating the Spread Eagle 8-7 in the final. The following season I took over the team Secretaries position from Nicholas Evans, the league had dropped down to 9 teams. The Crown finishing in 6th place and lost in the Fargo Cup final 11-4 to the Black Bull. My 3rd season in the league saw the Crown finish 6th out of 12 teams and lose in the Hatcher Cup Final, 10-5, against the Plough 'A'. At the 1984 AGM, the league re-instated the position of Assistant League Secretary, and I was voted in. The Crown had an poor season, only winning 3 out of 27 games and were awarded the Wooden Spoon... the team broke up at the end of that 1984/85 season!

In 1985, a new team emerged from the remaining members of the Crown and new players from Ingatestone, Mountnessing and Hutton area and we played out of the Plough Public House (Mountnessing) as the Plough X; we finished a credible 4th and were losing finalists in the Hatcher Cup final against the Victoria, 9-6... The Plough X only lasted this one-off season.

Dave Miller, Dave Thornby, Peter Thornby and Myself, joined up with other Alexandra players from our Tuesday night teams and entered the league as the Alexandra. We won 17 out of 20 games to claim the league title and beat the Three Stars 8-7 in the Fargo Cup final, the league and cup double in our 1st season. The following season the Alexandra finished 4th in the league out of 14 teams. It was in March 1988 that the League Secretary resigned and it was down to the Chairman Trevor Greenwood and myself to pick up the pieces of having little funds, no finals night venue booked and no trophies ordered with only 6-weeks until Finals/Presentation Night! Somehow we did it with the help of Chris Gibson (Black Bull Landlord), Alfred Candler (Black Bull), Douglas White (Red Lion), James Wheldon (Black Bull) and Jim Franklin (Trophies).

My Ingatestone & District League History - 1988 to 2018 - since being voted in as League Secretary!

At the 1988 AGM, I was voted in as league Secretary, and apart from one season where I took the Assistant Secretaries position and Douglas White took the Secretaries position to allow me to organize the 50th Anniversary celebrations during the 1998/1999 season; I've been the league secretary now for 29 seasons.

I stayed at the Alexandra until the end of the 1998/1999 season, then moved to the Horse & Groom for the 1999/2000 season. I played for the Plough in the 2002/2003 season and since the 2003/2004 season have played for the Bentley Allstars... Unfortunately, I played with a shoulder injury for over 2 years before it became to painful to continue and in May 2013, I had to stop playing completely... after 11 month's with repairs to tendons, injections and physio and being told it may take up to two years to get back to normal, I start playing again in April 2014, unfortunately it's not been the same, I've lost a lot of confidence and constantly worried that the shoulder will fail again, and it has once again failed so limited to possibley only playing pairs...

Ingatestone & District League History - 2018 to 2024 with Jordan as League Secretary!

After 30 years, of running the league, I'm handing over the reigns to Jordan McManus... I will continue to play in the league, next season will my 38th season... Jordan has run the past 2 summer leagues (2017 & 2018) very well and takes over the winter after the 2018 AGM,  I'm leaving the league in good hands and should have a healthy future...  Goodbye all & thank you for your support on my visions!

Ingatestone & District League History - 2024...

Jordan McManus has done a wonderful job over the past 5 Season's and had to deal with Covid-19, which cut short the 2019/2020 season, and the restart for the 2021/22 season.  At the end of the Winter season, 2023-2024, Jordan handed over the reigns to Damian Partis with help from Kevin Stammers for the Summer 2024 season. Jordan has emigrated to Australia and therefore for the foreseeable future, Damian Partis withe assistance of ME will ensure the league continues!