I was recently looking through a box of research files comprised of printed materials mostly from the 1970s, and 1980s – and found numerous vintage newspapers, documents and various other old methods of pre-internet storage. Included was a package of printed material that I had printed-out for my father during 2002 (during the time of the early internet) – as he was living in Torquay when this ‘Friendly’ football match was played in Sutton (where I live) on a lovely Summer’s evening (I posed this information to him – and as my family was being Evicted from their family home in Torquay during 2019 – I mamaged to secure this material for safe-keeping)! We, as a nation, had just witnessed the heart-ache of yet another disappointing World Cup – and so to see some of those players returning to play for Leicester City was a great and pleasant surprise to us! My father (Peter Wyles) was brought up in Leicester and when he was a young man he played for Leicester City Reserves – before earning a Try-Out for Nottingham Forest (I think during the late 1950s)!
My father played at number ‘9’ and was a Centre-Forward! For years we possessed his original Blue-Jersey he wore when playing with the number ‘9’ sowed on (as a separate structure that allowed the number to be ‘changed’ when required) – as was the late-1950s era Leicester City clothe badge (the ‘Fox’) worn over the heart! I attended this match with Gee, Liz and my eldest daughter (from my first marriage) Sue-Ling – who was ‘5’ at the time). The elderly gentleman who worked on the Gate at the Borough Sports Ground – Gander Green Lane (for Sutton United) – thought we were from ‘Leicester’ due to our scarves – and politely suggested we ‘F’ck-off back to the slums of Leicester!’ – as we tried to quietly leave and walk the hundred-feet or so back to our home! I never possessed this blog at the time – and I am surprised I have never written about this before!
What follows is the official ‘Programme’ for the Match – which I think we bought on the day! We had been in contact with the Leicester City Home Ground in search of a number of Leicester City scarves – and these these very kind people managed to find three excellent Leicester City scarves and post these objects to us in time for the Match! When young, my father played football in the Winter and Cricket in the Summer! Eventually, during the 1980s, he founded the ‘Tiverton Town Cricket Club’ (TTCB) – and for a time found fame with the antics and achievements this sporting entity achieved! I was actually researching old newspaper articles featuring ‘Peter Wyles’ who is described as the ‘Captain’, ‘Manager’ and even ‘Groundsman’ between 1977-1982!
Like everything, eventually other power-bases (and egos) developed and my father quietly withdrew! This is why today all kinds of people make ‘fake’ claims to having founded ‘Tiverton Town Cricket Club’! As a young child, I used to accompany my father to the Tiverton Cricket Club Home Ground (during all kinds of weather) – situated on the outskirts of Tiverton (near the Tennis and Rugby Grounds) – where he used to cut the grass, ‘roll’ the ground and ‘mark-out’ the pitch! I even have memories of attending one or two ‘Home’ matches – and remember talking to the other team members (including ‘Stuart Robinson’, ‘Stuart McDonald’ ‘Nick Leonard’ and ‘Pete Townsend’, etc). I also remember that one or two of my father’s friends in the team were attending St Luke’s Sports College (in Exeter) at the time (involving ‘Duncan Fennimore’ – who eventually became a professional player and eventually migrated to America) – which meant they were of ‘Professional’ cricketing standard with no one locally realising the situation! Peter Wyles also played Sunday Cricket for a time as part of the ‘Boar’s Head’ (Public Inn) cricket team (which used to be in Bampton Street).
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 