This photograph of the Newham Grange Football Team was taken in 1948 which was the year that they lost 1-0 to Oxbridge School in the final of the Salmon Cup on the Victoria Ground.
Courtesy of Benny Brown.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Benny you have some great photos, my uncle Les Mitchell I see – Thanks
Alison would you be the daughter of Peter Mitchell, Les Mitchell’s younger brother who I knew well from Hawthorne Road, Primrose Hill, if so my condolences on the loss of your father recently. I also knew your Grand parents from the same address and their daughter Joan who would be your Auntie. I have visited Les and his wife Ann in Lemon Tree passage a couple of times over recent years. Les was a local Disc Jockey for the coast watch team in Lemon Tree passage, He also keeps fit with his Marshal arts classes, and his garden although Ann is the Gardener in that Family I believe. Les captained the Newham Grange team a year after this photo was taken and I was captain the following year so we had plenty in common and have remained friends for over seventy years.
Thank you for the condolences, I am sorry not to see your comment 3 years ago. We moved to the states and Les went to New Zealand about the same time in the mid sixties. I sometimes wish we would have gone to Australia – I believe you could go for 20 pounds. Les visited us when we lived in California but we have not kept in touch until I spoke with him 3 years ago. I don’t believe he came back to Stockton much after he emigrated
Spoke to Les only an hour ago on the phone, he is ok but suffering with the odd aches and pains due to old age just like the rest of the old brigade. Les is trying to contact his Sister Joan who lives in Norton, Teesside but has not had any success as yet with her phone number. Nice to hear you are well.
On reminiscing this particular Salmon Cup Final as I was the youngest in the team I was not nearly as big as the older boys ( See photograph ). My father took a group of his mates from Newtown Working Men”s club to see the match and after the game asked his mates what they thought of his son as a footballer, back came the response from one of the wags in the group “I don”t know about making a footballer but your Benny would make a great jockey”. Not a very good start to a football career.
I also had a bad experience with this unnamed but obvious St Bedes teacher, Ken, in that he was in charge of the Stockton Schoolboys who went up to Hettom LE Hole for the Durham County Schoolboys football trials. On arriving at the ground he informed me that I was playing outside right in the trials. When I informed I had never played outside right in my life, I was told just to get on with it. Needless to say I missed out on a place in the team in which Edgar Fellows and Eddie Wilkinson won their caps and I was on the bench. So you can see I have not very fond memories of this particular teacher, who while big hearted in his support for School Football in particular the St Bedes team, he was not my favourite amongst some very capable schools football organizers.
Edgar Fellows and Eddie Wilkinson were Richard Hind School players and both went onto work at Head Wrightsons Machine Shop, Thornaby in engineering.
I have not seen Norman Trenholm since schooldays, Ann. I think he lives in South Australia on my latest information. I remember Norman used to play cricket with Peter Clarke of the famous Clarke sporting family. The two of them would play test matches all day long in the sports field at the top of Hawthorne Road, Primrose Hill. There were only two players in their games and they did not allow anyone else to participate in their test matches, Peter Clarke would bat all day with Norman bowling to him and he would clock up many test match centuries during the days play. Peter went on to play for Stockton CC, but never went on with his cricket career as he should have done.
Jimmy Summers lived in Birkdale Road just after he got married, just around the corner from where you used to live when you lived in Hartburn, Benny.I went dancing with him many times, a very nice man and, as you say, he died too young.
Ray (Pansy) Irvin was Deputy Headmaster to Mr Beavers who lived in Grays Road, but came from the Nottingham area, he did not have anything to do with sport from 1953-57, the sports masters were Bert Race, Quin Winton & Jock Grant.
Benny Brown writes from Down Under: “Ray Irvin, along with teachers like Ken Sawyer and Harry Rigg kept school football alive and successful with their dedication and unstinted support for local school football. The schools finals for the Salmon Cup under 15 years and Salter Cup under 14 years always generated great interest in local schools.” Thank you but it should be said that there were a good many others. For example the Salmon and Salter Cup (under 13 actually – that is the first 2 years of secondary school)semis and finals took a lot of organisation. The manning of the “privileged” single door gate, of the several turnstiles. 6d adults and 3d children and pensioners!! Arranging the advertising posters. I remember them on the big boards on Oxbridge Lane adjacent to the then Wesleyan Methodist chapel. Arranging the referees and linesmen. And so forth. I well recall reffing a semi between Thornaby St Patricks and St Cuthberts and being absolutely nobody”s friend or so it seemed. Then I reffed the final between St Patrick”s and St Bede”s. Much trouble with a certain member of St Bede”s staff (an Irishman of the teaching order) who came over the boards in front of the terrace at the Oxbridge Cemetary side of the Victoria Ground and ran up and down as if at Grosvenor Road or Newham Grange Park. He invoked every saint in the calendar against me plus a few that were not there and accompanying oaths. Eventually I had to send him off! I told Harry Rigg to get an atheist or someone of a non-Christian faith to do the job should it arise again. Streams of folk had come over Victoria Bridge to support St Pat”s. Schools football was very popular.
You won”t know me Benny but you do mention Norman Trenholm in your comment and that he lives in Australia. Well, Norman Trenholm is my half cousin and was my best man when we got married and was also my ex husbands best friend. Do you ever see or speak to him?
This team is as follows: Back Row L-R; Syd Hopper, Brain Whiteside, Ernie Lonie, Eric Barnes, John Grainger, Jimmy Summer, Goalkeeper ?? Front Row; Les Mitchell, Charlie Peacock, Benny Brown, ?, ?, Norman Trenholme. Jimmy Summers went on to become Headmaster of a local school but died very young. Eric Barnes also became a teacher. Les Mitchell qualified as a chemist. I am a retired ACA Consultant from Rio Tinto and I now live in Australia, as do Les Mitchell, Charlie Peacock and Norman Trenholme. Does anyone know what happened to the other members of this team? Ray Irvin was the Sports Master but also died young. Ray Irvin, along with teachers like Ken Sawyer and Harry Rigg kept school football alive and successful with their dedication and unstinted support for local school football. The schools finals for the Salmon Cup under 15 years and Salter Cup under 14 years always generated great interest in local schools. Are these finals still contested and if so, where are they held as the Victoria Ground no longer exists. I hope school football is still well supported.