Snailwell & District Challenge Cup (Formed 1925)

Affiliated to Cambridgeshire F.A.

Patron: Mrs. D.E.Waddilove.

 President: A.E.J.Waddilove MRCVS.

Vice Presidents: M.Butcher, Mrs.P.A.Smith, Miss. S.J.Waddilove, F.W.Webb.

 Chairman: R.O’Neill

 Hon. Secretary / Treasurer : K.Dyble

Committee: Ms.D.Dorling, Mrs. H.J.Smith B.Sc., K.P.Smith, M.C.Smith, R.Spence

 HISTORY OF THE SNAILWELL & DISTRICT CHALLENGE CUP FROM 1925 TO THE END OF THE 2008 / 2009 SEASON

This brief history of the Competition has been compiled by the current Honorary Secretary, Keith Dyble, who has been ensconced in this position for thirty-six years, taking over the reins at the end of the 1971 – 1972 season.

The original solid silver trophy was donated by the Reverend Mr.Powles of Snailwell in 1925, at that time the local Vicar of St. Peters’ Church - Snailwell.

This trophy was first played for on a knock-out basis between local village teams who were members of the Snailwell & District Football League.

 Between 1925 and 1938 the competition gained in popularity with an increasing number of teams wishing to take part.

 During this period a number of soccer characters emerged, those reputed to be the best of the local sides.

They included the Ford brothers from West Row F.C., Cyril Brown of Fordham and Newmarket Town, George ‘Pigeon Toes’ Tooms of Snailwell and Exning F.C.s – a brilliant left winger who also played for the British Army in Germany, Doug Mowle and Bert Prewitt – Exning F.C. Bert Prewitt although a very useful local footballer could only play when not required to be working at Newmarket Post Office.

 Newmarket Town player Dennis Blades had a trial with Arsenal Football Club.

Among others who played in the Snailwell Cup, were Mick Worley, Jack May, George Smythe, George Drake, Charles Drake, Walter Dennis Senior, Walter Dennis Junior, (also known as Paul), and Arthur Dennis all of Snailwell F.C., which were known as the ‘ Salmon Tin Dribblers’, no doubt an association with the local river Snail. Charles Drake, a local character from Snailwell who played in the Snailwell Team prior to the Second World War, was also associated with the League as its Treasurer and in 1938 as its Vice Chairman.

Despite extensive enquiries, the names of other Snailwell Cup officials who served the competition between 1925 and 1938 remain unknown.

The last team to win the trophy in 1938 was Burwell Swifts Reserves. Arthur Dennis the youngest of the trio of Dennis’s who played for Snailwell F.C., started playing in ‘men’s’ football at the young age of thirteen continuing until 1938 when war broke out. Arthur Dennis kept an avid interest in the competition, being a committee member from the time of its revival in 1957, until his untimely death in 1996; an association with the competition spanning some sixty-eight years.

The competition has honoured this fact every year since his death by presenting at the Final match each year a ‘Man of the Match’ award.

 It was not until 1956 at a meeting of the Cambs and Suffolk Border League that George Parr, the then Secretary of Burwell Swifts, mentioned to Fred Webb, the Secretary of the Cambs and Suffolk Border League, that a trophy bearing the inscription ‘ The Snailwell Cup’ was on the bar shelf of the Fox Public House at Burwell and would he be interested in seeing the trophy with a view to organising another football competition.

Following discussions with the Reverend Mr.Cattell of Snailwell and Fred Webb a meeting was held in the Old School, Snailwell on the 18 June 1957 to revive the competition for The Snailwell Cup.

 From this meeting the Cup became known as it is today, as the Snailwell & District Challenge Cup (Charity Cup).

The re-birth of the competition saw Mr.B.M.Bacon from Chippenham Park as its first President, Reverend Mr.Cattell as its Chairman and Fred Webb as its Secretary.

Since the re-start of the competition in 1957 there have been four Presidents all connected in some way with the Waddilove family of Snailwell.

The current President is Mr.A.E.J.Waddilove who is in his thirtieth year in this office. Our current President is in fact the grandson of the original donor of the solid silver trophy.

 Mrs.D.E. (Jane) Waddilove, mother of the President is also the Patron of the competition, and enjoys watching the Final match whenever other activities permit.

The immediate past Chairman of the competition is the well known octogenarian, local sportsman and former businessman and County Councillor – P.J.R. (Roger) Pendleton who had been in this post since the Annual General Meeting in 1996 to the 2008 Annual General Meeting when he had to retire due to ill health. Roger had had an interest in the Snailwell Cup Competition since being elected as a Vice President at the 1973 A.G.M., succeeding John Ginder former Newmarket Town player who was Chairman from 1989 to 1996 resigning at the 1995 – 96 Annual General Meeting.

Prior to that Adrian Kidd of Chippenham was Chairman for twenty-five years.

 During the twenty-five years that Adrian Kidd was chairman, he steered the competition through a transformation which saw it transformed from the lower ranks of local football to its present position as the premier Charity Cup competition in the area.

The new Chairman of the competition is Robbie O’Neill; currently referees on the Ridgeon’s League, as well as being Chairman of the Thetford Sunday League.

From 1956 until the present time (2008), the competition has had only five Chairmen, the Reverend Mr.Cattell from 1956 to 1965, Adrian Kidd from 1965 to 1989, John Ginder from 1989 to 1995 and Roger Pendleton from 1995 until 2008 and Robbie O’Neill the present incumbent.

 The Competition prides itself on the fact that during the eighty four years existence since its formation in 1925, it has had only five Honorary Secretaries during that time span. The current Honorary Secretary is the longest serving of them all as noted at the beginning of this brief history.

Since the revival of the competition in 1956 there have only been two other Honorary Secretaries, namely, Fred Webb 1956 to 1968 and Eddie Barber 1968 to 1971.

There is a healthy seven strong committee comprising of the Chairman, Honorary Secretary and five members namely; Ms.Dinah Dorling, Mrs Helen J Smith B.Sc., Kevin Smith, Mark Smith, Rick Spence.

 The Committee meets on two occasions throughout the football season to discuss the progress of the competition, plus the Annual General Meeting which is normally held during the last week of June each year, to bring the immediate past season to a close and open the new season when the draw for the first and second rounds of the competition are made, together with all other matters that are needed to be brought to the attention of the Officers are declared.

 In 1976 the competition purchased a new trophy, which will actually be thirty three years old in the year 2009.

 The original solid silver trophy, that had been in existence for fifty years had become very fragile and was in need of urgent refurbishment.

Because the trophy was made of solid silver it was taken to a silversmith with the aim of having it restored.

 However the cost of the necessary refurbishment was prohibitive, being in the region of £500.00 plus.

 It was decided that to spend this amount of money on the original trophy was not going to be cost effective, so a decision was made to spend the £500.00 on a ‘new’ trophy.

 Entry to the competition is by invitation and is open to Clubs within a twenty mile not necessary true radius of Newmarket.

The standard of football is for adult non contract (Amateur) players playing for the senior clubs of village team status.

 The teams that are eligible to compete in the Snailwell & District Challenge Cup are those that play in the following Leagues, Cambs Premier, Cambs Kershaw Senior Leagues A & B, Glasswells Bury & District, Anglian Combination, Suffolk & Essex Border, Metalec Suffolk & Ipswich, Halstead & District and the Essex and Suffolk Border.

 Each year the competition strives to have sixteen teams competing for the Trophy on a knock-out basis throughout the football season, culminating in two semi-finals, these two matches are played on the ground of Mildenhall Town F.C. at the end of April each season under floodlights.

 Traditionally the final match is played on the immediate Sunday afternoon following the F.A. Cup Final, and is held on the ground of Lakenheath F.C. Kick-off is at 3.15p.m. At the Final we have the services of the Lakenheath Silver Band who play traditional football music from approximately 2.00 p.m. until kick-off and again at half-time.

 Refreshments during the match are provided by the host club.

Another tradition of the competition is that the two teams and officials are presented to the President and/or Patron prior to the kick-off.

The competition prides itself on the fact that all the entrance fees received from the Clubs each year (supplemented on occasions by the competition) are used to provide extremely good trophies to the two teams and officials at the final match each year.

 The committee meets at the end of May each year to decide the disbursements to charities; the main beneficiary of monies donated in this way goes to St. Peters’ Church, Snailwell.

Other charities to benefit over the years has been Magpas (Mid Anglia General Practitioner Accident Service), Newmarket Hospital (various wards), The British Red Cross, Newmarket Day Centre, Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied (PHAB), Cub Scouts, Baden Powell Venture Centre, Respite Facility, Cheerful Friday Stroke Club and the Sunshine Club (Blind and Partially Blind).

The Competition has been honoured three times recently by the Cambridgeshire Football Association with the presentation of long service awards firstly to the current Honorary Secretary in 2001 (thirty years service as Honorary Secretary of the competition), in 2005 our immediate past Chairman Roger Pendleton received his long service award for 45 years service to local football and including an association with the competition spanning thirty years – firstly as a Vice President from 1975 to 1995 and since then for the past 13 years as its Chairman.

 At the end of the final match of the 2008 / 09 season our longest serving Vice President – Fred Webb was presented with a long service award by the National F.A. for his fifty eight years services to refereeing and football administration.

 Also at the 2009 Cambridgeshire Football Association Annual General Meeting in June 2009 our longest serving Vice President Fred Webb received a long service award in a similar vein.

Thus making a trio of awards for the competition.

 Not many, if any competition currently still being organised can match this achievement.

The Honorary Secretary Keith Dyble says he would like to see more people support the competition at the Semi-finals and the Final.

 Clubs that are not current members and would like to participate in this worthy competition are invited to contact the Secretary in the first instance, address and telephone number are in the Cambridgeshire F.A. Handbook.

 Keith Dyble - Hon. Secretary – 04/06/2009