Sporting Achievements

The Mighty Ambers

In Austin Walker's article, written in 1979*, we learn something of the heyday of Walgrave Sport and the mighty Amber FC.

"One of the spheres in which Walgrave has been most outstanding has been in the field of sporting achievement. Perhaps both the cricket and football teams reached their highest peak of success in the '20's. Men who came home from the horrors of the Great War (and 26 names inscribed upon the War Memorial on the Village Green remain a silent reminder of those who did not) united together to form sporting links of undoubted talent. .. In the1928-29 football season Walgrave Amber FC won both the Junior Cup and the Kettering and District Combination. And what a way to win; for they played the whole season through without losing a single game. Mr Barritt, an outstanding goalkeeper went on to play for Kettering and Market Harborough. Another member of this victorious team, Stanley Gibson, went on to play for Kettering, Nottingham Forest and the first division Sheffield United".

The 1913-14 season saw Walgrave Amber FC as Champions of the Kettering Combination having played 21 - won 19 - drawn 2 - lost 0. The goal average was not bad either; Goals for 78 - goals against 14. To make the season complete the Juniors also took the Northampton Junior Cup. 1924 -25 was also a successful year with the Ambers taking the Kettering and District Championship and the Northants Association Junior Cup.

Some more details on Walgrave Amber FC can be found in an article in the Mercury and Herald on September 24th 1954: "Walgrave Amber has been a famous name in Northamptonshire village soccer circles for many years. In the Langham Arms - the club's headquarters - there are several reminders of the team's prowess".

Landlord of the Langham Arms and a vice-president of the club, Mr Harold Jeyes, told me that the club left the Mid-Northants League three years ago to join the Kettering Amateur League.

Since the war, they have won both the league and knock-out cups of the Mid-Northants League and the Knock-out Cup of the Amateur League. "We have a young side now," said Mr Jeyes "but we think they will turn into a good team. They get fairly good support - but, of course they could always do with more. The Langham Arms provides the pitch on which both the village soccer and cricket clubs play their home matches".

Then there was Cricket!

Football was not the only favoured sport in the village - there was also quite a tradition for cricket as Austin Walker's enthusiasm shows:

" It is, however, as a mighty batter that Mr Barritt is best remembered in village memories. A natural born batsman he could so easily swing the result of a game within a mere couple of over's. He scored two centuries; both, strangely enough, against the might of Earls Barton C. C. And what centuries they were! In the first match played at Walgrave he hit eight fours and one six off successive balls and his innings did not include one mere single run. Later at Earls Barton he scored 125, which comprised 11 sixes and nine fours. Then to cap the day off he took four wickets for only 19 runs. Small wonder then that when the news spread around the village of "Bernard's batting" people of all ages flocked to the cricket ground to see him in action."

And then the skittle team ...

There was also a successful skittle team based at the Langham Arms that played in the Lamport and District League with considerable success.

*Austin Walker's article on Walgrave can be found in the December 1979 issue of the Northampton & County Independent.

We have only touched on the history of the sportsmen and women of the village. If you have any information you would like to add please e-mail it to:sports@walgrave-village.co.uk