I admit that this article is for a narrow band of readers i.e. schoolboy footballers of the late 50s, and family historians. Apologies for that – but it does help to keep the articles coming though!
On April the 11th 1959 Ushaw Moor County School played Waterhouses School in the Durham and District school cup final at Bearpark. There is a little mention of this game elsewhere on site, but this is the full version. Waterhouses had just become champions of the league and Ushaw Moor County had achieved the runners up spot. The Durham County Advertiser anticipated a close game because in recent league fixtures the teams had twice drawn 2-2. There was a big gold coloured poster in the hairdresser’s shop in Station Road advertising the game and it stated that it was one shilling to get in with the concession that old age pensioners [now called senior citizens!] and children were charged 6d.
Waterhouses had won their semi final match 5-2, whereas Ushaw Moor County had beaten Brandon Modern 4-0.
Forty eight hours before the cup final I developed an ankle strain in my left foot and although it was very uncomfortable it never occurred to me that the problem might keep me out of the cup final two days later! Then I had another problem – I had no football boots for the match. I cannot remember why that was so but I do remember asking several people whether I could borrow a pair from them. Can you imagine that situation now? These days’ kids often have sophisticated gear and training routines, not to mention some fathers who appear anxious for some reflected glory.
I borrowed a pair of size 4 boots even though I was a size 5. They were a bit tight but I reckoned I could get away with wearing them. The night before the game, with my ankle not at all improved, I followed my stepfather’s advice and had a hot bath after which he strapped my ankle up.
The following morning dawned fine, cool and with a slight breeze. My ankle was fine, although I kept the strapping on! I wonder who would have deputized for me at left back at such short notice. These days you often read that such and such a team are ‘sweating’ on the fitness of such and such a player; as a fourteen year old I did not seem at all aware of the potential problems that I might have caused for the cup final.
Our sports teacher Harry Barlow had given me the key to the sports hall cupboard the previous evening, so I called next door to pick up Denis Pinkney and walk down to the school with him to collect the footballs. Denis was our left winger. He was a quietly spoken lad who enjoyed being in the Boys’ Brigade. He was intelligent, tidy and diligent at school. I do remember when he was about eleven, explaining to him what P W D L FA W D L FA PTS meant in a football league table!
When Harry began his pre match dressing room talk he was quick to remind me that the Waterhouses right winger, Weirs, was very quick and needed to be carefully managed. I was the left back with the job of managing him, in size four boots!
In the event the Waterhouses manager selected Weirs at inside right, which was a surprise and meant that although I would expect to duel with him - it would not be quite as much as was anticipated. The game got off to a scrappy and frenetic start but gradually settled down to a pattern. Waterhouses, on the few occasions when they had the ball, persisted in probing the right hand side of our defence; the reason for that escapes me because we had Alan Burns at right half and the late Tommy Wilkinson at right back – so all in all they were not going to get much change out of that tactic.
I noticed Fred Hume, my cousin, playing at right back for Waterhouses. I also seem to recall a lad called Pritchard was playing centre forward for them. As an aside he played in the same Durham and District Schoolboys side as me in the following season and in that same season I faced him directly in my centre half role. I remember clearly that in that confrontation [not the cup final] he spent the whole game wandering about, much of it on their right flank. I suppose he wanted me to follow him and leave a big gap in the heart of our defence, but there was little chance of that happening. Was he meant to be playing some sort of ‘Don Revie deep lying centre forward’ role? I do not think so. We won that game 2-1.
Back to the cup final. Ushaw Moor County were completely on top during the last 30 minutes of the first half and I suppose on the balance of play we should have led 2-0 at half time but it remained 0-0.
In fairness to Weirs he was not getting much service but I recall that he did get past me once, on their right wing about 30 yards from goal; unfortunately [for him] having achieved that he tripped himself up and it all came to nothing.
Ushaw Moor County had about 80% of the play in the second half but it took Dennis Pinkney to break the deadlock. He wandered in about 15 yards from the left wing and from 30 yards out placed a shot that entered the Waterhouses net low just inside the right hand post [from Dennis’s view].It was superbly placed! Ushaw Moor got a second goal scored by Phil Stoddard [I believe he is a well known local politician these days] from a right wing cross, which probably came from our right winger John Vasey.
Final score Ushaw Moor County 2 Waterhouses 0.Attendance about 150. I think that 4-0 would have given a better impression of how the final went.
About six years ago I went to see Esh Winning FC playing at home to Washington Nissan. In the bar I spoke to someone who turned out to be a Waterhouses School player during the season of the cup final. He pointed out that he was one of three players who had been regulars for their school team before leaving at Christmas – a few months before the cup final. He had tried to persuade the school sports master to allow him to play but without success.
Fred Hume went on to much greater things, having played many times for Durham Wasps in a long and successful ice hockey career. Weirs [I am not being rude to miss his first name out of this article – I have forgotten it] achieved a great deal in amateur football and went on to win an FA Amateur Cup winner’s medal with Crook Town in 1964. Further more I believe he scored against a Football League team, Chesterfield, in an FA Cup tie! He did better against them than against us! Sadly Dennis Pinkney died in his 40s. Billy Greenwell was one of our inside forwards and played the game with maturity well beyond his years. David Maddox, our skipper and excellent centre half went on to represent Durham at a more senior level. I went on to play for Durham Technical College at left back. John Vasey later played for Brandon Juniors [16 – 18 age group I believe].A few of our players went on to play for Ushaw Moor Juniors; that team had a magnificent season in 1960/61 under the managership of Mr Dawson. They were nicknamed Dawson’s Dynamos.
What we want now is for some Waterhouses player to entirely dispute this match report. Now that would be fun – for a while.
Wilf Bell.
