Those Were The Days.

A Memory of Fetcham.

I was born in Bookham in 1931 and moved to Fetcham when I was 2. I lived there until 1985 and saw the little village and its tight little community metamorphose into commuter land. I went to Fetcham Infants school (opposite the pub!) until I passed the 11+ exam and went to Dorking County Grammar School. In 1947 my Dad started a football club for boys which was very successful. We won the league after starting the club from scratch. We had to fill in the bomb craters in the ground, measure and mark out the pitch get the goalposts made by Harold Sainsbury and raise enough money to buy a football. We couldn't afford to buy shirts so my mother dyed white shirts deep green. After a couple of washes the shirts were a variety of shades of green. I remember that all the team lived in the village and I had to run around telling the players if they were selected and collecting the half crown sub so that we could pay the referees and the league fees. I also used to put posters in the window of Tinkers the bike shop. Some away matches were too far for us to cycle to, so we would travel in the back of Harold Sainsbury's lorry. He was often late after his visit to The Bell and we would change into our kit in the back of the lorry en route to the ground. I remember Eric Blundell, Pat Edmead, Derek Stovell, Peter Baker (he used to work in Fetcham garage), Alan Sherwood, Johnny Webb (my rival for the goalkeeper's jersey), David Irwin and Geoff Davies all good friends and proud of what we achieved. I continued playing until I was 34 when I was replaced as first team choice by Godfrey Chatters. I then took up refereeing until I was 63. Today's footballers are so spoiled, they do not know they have been born with everything laid on for them. But I remember, those were the days. Brian Stenner

---

---