Rye Secondary Modern. 4 Hastings Modern 1
To those of us that remember the great victory, beating the top Hastings soccer school in that exiting final, it seems only yesterday. In fact it was fifty-six years ago when the youth of Rye made off with the magnificent Hastings Shield.
This picture was sent to “Rye’s Own” by Mick Hobbs, who now lives in Canada. David Ades, in the front row, holding the shield, went on to play for Rye United and then to professional teams in higher Leagues and earned a part of his living from football for many years.
J Jarrold; B Pope; Mr Blackman (Headmaster) Front Row S Heseman; P
Turner: I Polly; D Ades, F Whitnall; J Gould and R Putect
Mick himself played in this match, he can be seen standing next to Mr. Huckstep. He tells us that he looks forward to taking a monthly trip ‘Down Memory Lane’ when his copy of the magazine is droped through his letter box.
He will be pleased to learn that Rye United are Champions of the Sussex County League Division Two and have won promotion to Division One and eligibility for the FA CUP for the 2010-11 season.
Rye has always produced good footballing teams, in our files we have pictures and stories of many great Rye teams and players. In 1904 the whole town turned out to meet the team (Rye Town) led by J H Gasson when they returned from Hastings with the Sussex Junior Cup. It was the players from the same Rye Town who, ten years later, all volunteered and went off together to stop the Kaisers Armies that invaded Belgium and France. Many did not return or were wounded in the ‘War to end all Wars’.
Bill ‘Blower’ Pierce was a star in the newly formed Rye United when WWII took most of that team away. Bill was captured but returned to play again in the post war United team that swept all before them. But we should stop reminicing about football for the sake of our lady readers who are no doubt bored by non-stop World Cup matches that have taken over their front rooms. Good Luck England!
First printed in the July 2010 issue of “Rye’s Own”