A team photograph of Ashmores First Eleven Football Team taken in 1962.
Photograph courtesy of Benny Brown.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A team photograph of Ashmores First Eleven Football Team taken in 1962.
Photograph courtesy of Benny Brown.
Dave Finn played left back for Cargo Fleet Juniors in the late fifties. Edgware Town were relegated from the Athenian Premier League to Division 1 in season 1966-67 and relegated to Division 2 in 1967-68 season. They were renamed Edgware in 1972 and reverted back to Edgware Town in 1987 and were still playing in 2005. Peter Conner in this photo was a prime example of a player having a good career in the Northern League with Billingham Synthonia into his thirties, then becoming a referee where he had no chance of progressing past local football, even if he was the best referee in the world due to the age restriction of thirty seven years old you have to be on a contributory league list. 07/03/2012 10:48:38
I used to watch Dave Finn back in the late 60’s/early 70’s when he played for Edgware Town in the Athenian League in Middlesex. He was a very capable defender or right back as it was known then. Unfortunately the club has now disappeared due to speculation that the ground would be redeveloped.06/03/2012 08:52:21
Are you the Allen Ruddy who married Irene McNeill in the early 60s? If so I worked for a few months with your parents, Cliffy and Cissy, and your sister Margaret at the Sheraton Pub in Hardwick prior to emigrating to Canada in 1966.
In the photograph above, back row 5th from the left is Rolly Arkle. Rolly is very ill at present and has been for quite sometime.
THE YOUNGSTERS IN THIS TEAM ARE DAVE FINN WHO PLAYED FOR A VERY GOOD CARGO FLEET JUNIORS WHICH PRODUCED A LOT OF TOP PLAYERS AT THAT TIME, ALAN RUDDY & GEOFF(BULLET)SMITH WHO BOTH GAVE ASHMORES MANY YEARS GOOD SERVICE.
I am interested in learning more about Geoff(Bullet)Smith as I believe he is my father. Geoff still lives in Stockton and is married to Audrey. Two sons David and myself Chris. Ernie my Grandfather or sometimes referred to as “send em off smith” was a referee in the Stockton area and quite renowned I believe.
One more thing Ernie was married to Edna.
The Geoff (Bullet) Smith in this photo was not Ernie’s son, but your dad same name did also play for Ashmores. Ernie was a grand fella who was known as “Send em off Smith” was the brother of the mother of George Sudron the Primrose Hill goalkeeper & his brother was a sergeant in the Police Force.
Anon – thanks for the clarification on my question.
Dougie Moore was another talented guy he played football for Norton C.C.T. when they started, but was also a top roller skater. He finished third in the World Roller Skating Dance Championship in Germany with his partner Ray Pearce, then he became the professional at the newly opened roller skating rink at the Bullring, Birmingham.
Sorry Gran, but I was only quoting from Benny’s comment of Norman being an ex-Stockton Grammar School gentleman. When Norman played in the Head Wrightson’s Inter-Departmental Football Competition for the Maintenance Dept they could turn a good side out with Peter D’Ambrosia, Joffy Earnshaw, Charlie Pickering, Albert Pratt, Eddie Moodie, Les Kitching & Dougie Moore to name a few. Eddie Moodie was also a doorman at the Club Fiesta.
Norman Brown attended the Frederick Nattrass through the primary and junior years. He passed the scholarship to Stockton Sec Grammar School in Nelson Terrace. He is now living in Branston, NSW and will be 79 this year.
All Anon’s comments on Norman are correct with one exception; he went to Stockton Sec.
His late brother, Jack, was a goalkeeper for Billingham St. John’s, and a lecturer in I.C.I Billingham Apprentice School. Norman visited Billingham a few years ago.
Norman Brown as well as being one of local football’s hardmen, which was natural to him he was also a doorman at the Club Fiesta. I remember when Primrose Hill played Ashmores in a night match at Ashmores – Norman was giving Kenny Paylor a hard time, Kenny butted Norman off the ball not seen by the referee(BIG MISTAKE), Norman just carried on & obliged Kenny at the end. I did not know Norman was an ex-Stockton Grammar School pupil, he was a plumber at Head Wrightsons Maintenance Dept, Thornaby when Pat Partridge & Peter D’Ambrosia worked there.
The Peter D’ambrosio you are referring to did he marry a lady called Patrica? They now have 3 children, Peter, Michelle and Lida, Peter the son would have been born around 1962 or just after.
Peter D’ambrosio is married to Pat Freeman who went to Richard Hind School.
Norman actually went 1st to Frederick Nattrass and passing the scholarship finished up at the Stockton Secondary school in Nelson Terrace. At HW’s he was a Plummer and did work alongside Peter D’Ambrosia also the well known wrestler Jim Stockdale who was a Pipe Fitter. Norman now lives in Australia.
This team was hoping to win the Teesside League this season but finished about fourth & were knocked out of the Durham Amateur Cup in the sixth round. Winning the Teesside League was no mean feat with teams like Redcar Albion, Cleveland Mines(North Skelton), Billingham Synthonia Res, Acklam Steelworks & Head Wrightson all wanting to be champions. Ashmores won the league in seasons 1911/12 & 1950/51.
I remember what I thought, not at the time but after I realised what had actually happened. The incident occured after a game on a very muddy Asmores field about 1960. All the team were in the big communal bath enjoying the hot bath after a very rugged muddy game. Norman Brown, a well known local footballer and ex Stockton Grammar School gentleman, jumped in the bath, Norman only stayed in the bath about twenty seconds then jumped out of the bath, when asked why he had exited the bath so quickly, Norman answered “I always get out when I have had a pee”, with this there was a mass exiting of the bath and we all had a good laugh when we realised Norman was only joking, but it had an immediate effect of emptying the bath. Norman now resides in Australia near Gosport New South Wales, and sometime passes comments on this site.
Its sad to see another good Teesside sports facility go to wreck & ruin, the Wilton I.C.I sports ground is all overgrown land.
Another good servant of Ashmores football was Jacky Morris, when this photo was taken he was playing for Redcar Albion in the revived North Eastern League, he also played for Billingham Synthonia.
Benny like yourself I have to strain the old grey matter to remember the names of some of these players. I think it was Dave Finn, not John. He was in the Apprentice Drawing Office School in Vine Street like myself back in 1958/9. Geoff Smith and Jack Gillson were older than me and I recall them teaching me how to draw when I moved to the Drawing Office proper. I do remember playing tennis at the old Ashmores Club in that era on summer nights, it only seems like yesterday.
Cec Jackson, the manager, was my uncle. He was a talented soccer player, a useful cricketer, a magic pianist and a wonderful saxophone player.
This photo was taken season 1960-61, it appears in the Ashmore”s works magazine Spring 1961. The goalkeeper is M.Williams, Peter Conner later played for Billingham Synthonia in the Northern League. Lol Carlton was a bustling centre-forward who later played for British Refrasil, Stillington who beat Billingham Synthonia”s Teesside League team in the North Riding Amateur Cup Final on the Victoria Ground.
The complex is still there but now called Grangfield Youth and Community Centre.The football pitch is still there and is used a lot but I think the Bowls,Tennis,Cricket and Hockey has left the scene.It was taken over by the local education office when Ashmores was taken over by Davy and then by Karvarna who sold off both the Ashmore and the Head Wrightson playing fields two great all round sporting complex”s.Shame.
Just a little name adjustment Benny,back-row 6th left Alan Ruddy front-row 4th left Peter Conner, 5th left Dave Finn.
A very good sports complex indeed, between the railway and Raby Road. I”ve just checked on Google Earth and the complex is still there! Between it and Oxbridge Lane was Cottage Farm owned by the Dixons. There was a little shop and Mr Dixon had a small market garden. A small modern housing estate there now. In 1956 (?) Richard Hind played Darlington Grammar School there in the semi final, I think, of the Durham County Schools” Cup. Doug Cattermole and contemporaries were in that team, a good one but they lost to this primarily rugby playing school!
This is a photograph of Ashmore”s First Eleven Football Team playing in the Teesside League about 1962, Team Back Row Cec Jackson Manager, John Ferguson, Brian Cox. Lol Carlton, Roly Arkle, John Ruddick, Jack Gilson, Referee, Front Row Benny Brown, Geoff Smith, Goal Keeper,John Conners, John Finn. I stand to be corrected on some of the players names after nearly fifty years. Ashmore”s had an outstanding Sports Complex near Grovesnor Road Fairfield with Cricket, Bowls, Tennis, Hockey and Table tennis being catered for.