C O M M E N T S
/  H I G H L I G H T S

L

8th out of 8 in South Eastern Combination

FAC

No competition

AC

No competition

LC

No competition

SSC

No competition

Secretary

Charles (HC) Pettett

Also Epsom's representative on SEC Committee.

Chairman

G.King

Treasurer

P.Parr

father of Jack

Home
Ground:

West Street, Ewell

First Season
in South Eastern Combination. Walton on Thames,
Epsom and Woking joined.

Wimbledon, Bromley and Redhill all resigned during the
season, although Bromley would revive for 1941/42.

July 40
Schools competitions are going ahead as usual, and were the only ones by any
county last year.

SCFA hopes to
run County competitions, but doesn't.

9/8/40
reported Prospects:

Epsom are attempting to arrange a sporting programme for
next winter is, at the present time, like making a

blindfolded leap. However the FA are allowing the South
Eastern Combination to continue for morale purposes,

and Epsom join with Walton and Woking from the Surrey
Comb., which did not continue. A valuable nucleus of

experienced players will be formed by Ruffell, Ogle,
Strudwick and Williams, but there is plenty of opportunity

for those under 19 to gain experience. All of September
will be used for trials and friendly games. Season in SEC

to start on
5th Oct until 3rd May.

Aug 40 It looks like Hersham will fold. This means that
their last game at Mole House was v Epsom on 27/4/40.

The situation there "is very bad". They offered
Woking the use of their ground, as it looked like they would have to

leave
Kingfield, but terms were agreed, and Woking stayed there. Hersham fold
officially in the November.

There was no
Surrey Combination this year, which probably didn't help.

1/9/40 Mrs Radclyffe Walters (85) died. Aunt of great
Ewell players AM and PM Walters. A widow for 33 years,

and buried in
Ewell churchyard.

Sept 40 Bobby Gill has returned from Sutton and will be
captain at Epsom. Many youngsters will also be at the

trials. Epsom have
league fixtures for the first two weeks in October, and are hoping for a
friendly against a

reserve side
of a professional club, but I can trace no record of any game on 19/10/40.

Sept 40 Charles Pettett confirms that Epsom Town are to
continue as he and other enthusiasts are determined

to keep the football flag flying in the district. Last
season the standard was high, but attendances were poor,

often due to weather. 2 gates were exceedingly good and
the displays were reminiscent of the good old days

say papers.
Epsom have accepted an invitation to join the South Eastern Combination which
has old

Isthmian and Athenian clubs in its line up, and may be a
fore runner to Epsom's entrance into one of those

leagues when the war ends. This year the club will depend
largely on promising youngsters under the age of 18.

Charlie Pettett will deal with trial enquiries at Charter
House 58-62 High Street, Epsom, but some of the old

hands will be available for some or all of the matches
like Bobby Gill, M Wingrave, F.Gould, Trevor Williams,

Tom Ogle and H
Payton. Tom Ogle is listed in some papers as H.Ogle. Was this his first
initial?

7/9/40 Sutton
have friendly abandoned at HT due to an air raid

14/9/40 Sutton & Tooting & Mitcham play on during
an air raid siren. W Ridgers played and scored for Tooting,

but was at
Sutton by October. Maurice Gill played for Sutton.

Also this day Arsenal played Fulham at Craven Cottage and
18 minutes were played before the siren went. It was

82 minutes before the all clear was given, and in the
meantime, some of the 1,600 spectators played football on

the pitch
"shrovetide style" with many on each side!

28/9/40
Friendly with Army XI W2-1 after being a goal down early.

SEC reopens
with matches on 5/10/40 11 teams in league to start with.

5/10/40 first
game of season v Sutton (A) with Erith (H) the week after. Much support is
hoped for.

5/10/40 Tommy
Dunne and Bobby Gill used to play for Sutton say papers.

Epsom unlucky not to draw, but Sutton should have won by
more than 2-1. HT 0-1. W Ridgers scored for Sutton.

12/10/40 Epsom 0-2 down after 20 minutes and 2-3 at HT but
fought back to draw and then Trevor Williams

hit the bar
from a penalty right near the end which would have won it. Crowe also missed
"a sitter".

Entertainment
was fairly high.

19/10/40
Probably no game. (NR)

26/10/40 Lawlor and Williams were both missing, and Tommy
Dunne was injured 1st half. 10 men. Crowe scored

after the
restart by running downfield and putting it straight in the net. Unknown HT
for Dulwich. L 1-6.

2/11/40
Redhill 6-0 Epsom Town in SEC. Redhill's first win of season. Played at
Redhill's usual ground.

Redhill paper says that "it was a pleasure to watch
Gill in action again. He has been with Epsom a long time

and is still a fine back" "Rattenbury too played
much better than the score suggests. Redhill 1-0 up after 2 mins

followed by an
unlucky Rattenbury own goal after 35 minutes. HT for C Stovell.

8/11/40 Bromley announce that they are resigning from the
SEC. They return next season though. Paper says

that
"there is a likelihood that another well known side may have to withdraw
in the near future"

Tooting &
M also announce a temporary suspension of their games "for the time
being".

Nov 40 South Eastern Combination announces a suspension of
all its activities through December

and January.
Disappointing but inevitable say papers. Planned to restart in February.

9/11/40 Crystal Palace match never takes place v Watford
as air raid siren sounds at 2pm and doesn't clear.

9/11/40
Probably no game.

16/11/40 Close game with Dulwich, and football was well
worth watching. Dulwich won 4-3. DH 1-0 up 14 minutes,

but after 26, Crowe charged a defender off the ball and
shot past the keeper for the equaliser. Dulwich went 2-1 up

after hitting the post twice before scoring. HT 3-1 to
Dulwich. Edmondson hit the bar, but scored soon after to

reduce the deficit, then a Brown penalty after a foul on
Rattenbury made it 3-3, but Dulwich got their winner after

80 minutes.

23/11/40 Epsom win the return with Redhill 5-2 despite
Redhill forcing 17 corners. "Epsom's scoring chances

could be
counted on the fingers of one hand, but took them all". Redhill again
1-0 up after 2 minutes, but

Williams equalised, and Brown got the other four. HT 3-2
to Epsom. Herald says that if a sub keeper wasn't

playing for Epsom, Redhill wouldn't have scored at all,
and contradicts the Dorking & Leatherhead Advertiser

report. Epsom were well worth the win, they say. Epsom now
off the bottom. George Brown scores four of the goals,

one from a
penalty rebound, although it is not yet clear if he took the original
penalty.

Wimbledon now
resign in mid November.

W.E.Kilbourn Sutton Chairman elected to SEC to replace the
Bromley representative, after they closed down

for the war.
Sutton's crowds had dwindled to almost nothing, and this was much the same
elsewhere.

Bromley rep
was Billy Warren.

2/12/40 CB Weller scores 4 v Hersham Boys Club for
Leatherhead Rose who won 19-1 in Kingston League

(Section A) HT
10-0.

Despite the close down of SEC, Sutton played an LSC tie on
7/12/40 and a 17 year old Denis Ford made his

debut and
scored twice. Would go on to play for Epsom from Feb 50 for 5 seasons.

18/12/40 Stanley David Stevens (60) died. Was Secretary of
Epsom Liberal Club and for over 20 years, he was a

keen supporter
of Epsom Town.

8/2/41 Long hours of the blackout are now shortened so
Epsom restart their matches and lost 7-2 at Tooting

& Mitcham. Epsom were very unlucky this day, as three
Tooting & Mitcham goals were deflected off of Epsom

players. Mitcham
Herald says Epsom were very weak. HT 1-5, and Epsom were 2-0 down after 18
minutes.

Siminot scored just before HT with a swerving drive, and
at 1-7 after 80 minutes, Kershaw scored with "a simple

shot"
that the keeper should have saved.

Feb 41 Arrangements now fall totally on Charles Pettett
and he is to be complimented on his spirit in keeping

the football
flag flying at Epsom during these difficult days. He is the only organiser
who has fixed up a

complete fixture list for the remainder of the season in
spite of five players having joined the forces since their

last game in
November against Redhill. Rowe, Rattenbury and Wingrove included.

15/2/41 2-0 down early but fought back to
"trounce" Nunhead 6-2 in their last ever visit to West Street. HT
3-2.

Very few of the Epsom side had played together before, but
improved throughout the game. Attendance was

disappointing though. Eric Mulley, International keeper
played for Nunhead this day. Nunhead never looked like

scoring in the
second half.

Nunhead side
was E Mulley, K Wright, L Bishop, Pettett, E Martin, Bradford, South, G
Targett, S Allflat,

E Waite, S
Brooks. Scorer: Waite (2).

22/2/41 Nunhead win return match at Dulwich 1-0. 17 year
old J Skelton/Skilton makes his debut at outside left.

Joyce played
in goal. HT 0-1.

25/2/41 Harold Keeling, former Epsom player of the
twenties with his brother Fred, got married to Mary Joanna

Doyle at St Josephs. 3 years ago, he was badly hurt in the
car crash that claimed the life of Jack Parr, but met

his wife at Epsom County Hospital, where she was a nurse,
and now married her. Honeymoon in Brighton.

1/3/41 Fairly even game between Epsom and Sutton ends in a
3-3 draw. Finesse on the part of the Town was

met with the snap tactics of the Sutton side. Epsom were
1-0 up after 3 minutes, but 3-1 down at HT, with

the brothers
Gill on opposite teams Bobby was at right back for Epsom, while Maurice was
at left half.

Sutton
scorers had Epsom connections. Former player Pratt scored, while future Epsom
Town player

W Ridgers got
two. A Brown hat trick for Epsom evened it up, and Epsom pushed for a winner
at the end.

8/3/41 Welsh Guards bring a strong side down and win 8-0.
Poland (Liverpool and Wales), Bassett (Cardiff),

Morris (Swansea), Hodder (Cardiff) and Clark (Walsall).
"They would not have disgraced a first division XI" HT 0-3

Bobby Gill missed this game, and war duties mean he is
unlikely to play many more in the near future say

papers, but he plays in many of the remaining matches this
season. Morgan got 4 and Chick HT for Guards.

15/3/41 Lost
3-2 at Walton, despite being up 1-0 early. HT 1-2. Close game.

22/3/41
Tooting & Mitcham win 3-1 at Epsom. Fair result, but both sides shooting
was poor, and this was

more memorable than the game. Former Epsom player Archie
(AC) Griffiths scored, while brother Bob (RH)

also played. Also
scoring was G.Cumberlidge (future player) and Eric Flight (former Treasurer)
who missed a

penalty. HT 0-1 then 0-2 before a Trevor Williams goal
reduced the arrears, but Tooting & Mitcham got an easy

third shortly
after and held on.

29/3/41 Extremely poor finishing causes a 3-2 loss to
Walton in an unimpressive game, where only Gill and

possibly Edmondson enhanced their reputations. "Ogle
was merely an anvil off which Tilley struck sparks".

5/4/41 game at
Woking did not take place and will now be played at Woking on 3/5/41

rep 11/4/41 David Wesley, former keeper, killed in a
flying accident in Manitoba, Canada. He was a

leading aircraftsman in RAF who joined Epsom in 1937 from
Tottenham, and his debut against Leavesden was

so impressive said the papers, that he was henceforth
assured of his place in the team. Exceptionally tall and

strong. Also
a cricketer and heavyweight boxer. As a boxer he won his college
championship, and also

played lawn
tennis to a high standard. In 1939 he joined Sutton from Epsom, where he
still played after

evacuation to
Chelmsford. Unmarried.

12/4/41 Irish Guards visit for a friendly, but no other
Easter matches except for an Easter Monday game on

14/4/41 for British Red Cross between an Aviation XI and
Rollasons XI 11am which the mayor has said he will

attend.
Aviation Section won 6-0.

12/4/41 HT for W Ruffell v Irish Guards but other forwards
were not inspired, some of them were "deplorable". A

game of incidents, but Ruffell's display made up the
balance. 1-0 up in first minute. A one-two with Ernest Flight,

earned a corner, from which Ruffell scored. 1-1 soon after
and 2-1 up at HT. Future player Don Ralph played.

19/4/41 Epsom were 1-0 down early but Dunne and Tillyer
put Epsom 2-1 up, although Erith got two in the

last ten
minutes. Erith Observer says Erith were "fortunate" to win.

26/4/41 Disappointing result v Woking because Epsom were
unable to get a regular side up. Several older

players played inc WH "Bronk" Challis, Tommy
Dunne, Ernest Flight and Jackie Pullen. HT 0-4, but improved to

2-4 in second
half.

2/5/41 Dulwich
Hamlet won 15-1 at Sutton in SEC match.

2/5/41 death
and 5/5/41 funeral of Arthur Melmoth (AM) Walters aged 76. His brother PM
Walters died a

couple of
years ago. He was born on 26/1/1865 and married in 1892 and is buried at
Coldharbour. Both he

and his
brother played for Ewell in the 1890's and were both full England
Internationals in the 1880's.

He went to Trinity College Cambridge, while his brother
went to Oxford, where they competed against each other

in the 1885
Varsity football match. AM also played in 1884-86-87. Cambridge won all four
matches. He

graduated with honours in Mathematics. AM Walters had been
President of the Council of the Law Society.

He was married
to Amy Constance and had 5 sons and 4 daughters. Plenty of info pre WW1.

3/5/41 Final game of season saw a 1-0 loss at Woking. An
even game was decided with a scrambled goal in the

70th minute.

Reserves:

No reserve side

21/9/40 Epsom
Library opened by Mayor W.C.Littlejohns. Cost £225.

Jan 41 Death
of Robert Baden Powell.