Wycombe Redfords
These must have been a half decent outfit, especially during the war years ?
Playing at the Redfords sports ground off Walton Drive in Totteridge, did they rope the pitch off, or have any spectator facilities?
They reached the B&B final before losing to us in front of 5000 at Loakes Park, (played on Boxing day in 39/40 season)
They finished 4th in 39, only 4 points behind us in 2and in the Great Wesern Comb, and above both Chesham and Maidenhead.
The following season they finished bottom and presumed relegated. Held Wanderers to a draw at Redfords in 39/40 and again the following season at Loakes Park.
Not sure how long the Redfords were going, but have seen a photo from a programme in 1932, they are possibly Wycombe's 2and most successful senior club ??
Comments
Interesting. Never ever heard of them (used to live in Totteridge). Be curious to find out more
When playing Junior football at the recreation ground there, the older Chaps used to refer to it as up at Redfords, or Redfords old ground.
I have full confidence our army of Stattos, Saddo's ,anoraks and social misfits on here, will unearth some more facts about the Redfords.
Wycombe Redfords also appear to go under the name of Redford Sports. They beat Uxbridge 4-0 in the FA Cup, but that was sadly wiped off as the 2nd world war broke out.
I believe they were playing in the Reading lge prior to the war and then the GW Comb, they were in the 2nd div of the1947/48 alongside Wanderers reserves. Interestingly Wanderers even had an 'A' team competing in the GWC around that time.
Yes I have heard the name Wycombe Redford‘s before and it always intrigued me as I live near Redfords now known as Totteridge recreation ground. The area has two football pitches to this day. Those local to the area may remember when the far side of Redford‘s was playing playing field for the Royal grammar school.Hopefully someone who has lived in the area long enough may be able to shed some light on this intriguing bit of local sporting history
In the years I attended the RGS, early 1970's, I always called in Redferns. Never knew it was Redford's.
You had to walk from the RGS across a piece of waste ground that is now the flats at Windsor Drive then up Walton Drive and along a little footpath. If you were slow to finish the t**ts from Wellesbourne School would call you all sorts of names if they saw you in your kit.
The thought of playing rugby on those dog mess infested pitches still makes me cringe.
Evening @Twizz. Twat from Wellesbourne here!
Redfords was my local rec. In fact, I ‘starred’ in a Milk Marketing Board commercial that was filmed there in the 80s. A load of kids playing football and when it was broadcast you could just make out me and my mates having a smoke on the swings.
I’ve never heard of the Redfords team though, although I was growing up there in the 70s and 80s. I do remember an aborted attempt at building a skateboard bowl there - must’ve run out of money as they never finished the sides before filling it in in.
@arnos_grove, haha,. Now, I didn't actually say "t**ts" did I?
TBH, my comment was firmly tongue in cheek, and I fully expected someone ex-Wellesbourne to say that the RGS boys were the t**ts!
I might even have agreed as some of us did fit the bill dressed in our rugby kits, myself included.
I also went to Wellesbourne (with @arnos_grove in fact), and can confirm that I am definitely a twat.
Gonna spend the evening trying to find that milk marketing board ad now.
Redfords was the Gomme factory sports ground. I don't know whether the football team was open to all but I suppose it would not have achieved such success if it had been just a factory team. I was dragooned into playing rugby there while at the RGS in the late 1940s. The school got use of it about 1948. After that I took up cross country to get out of rugby and the course came along by the side of the sports ground having passed by The Dolphin.
https://d2v0nx59se7zue.cloudfront.net/reports/1940_1/images/10.jpg
https://d2v0nx59se7zue.cloudfront.net/reports/1940_1/images/11.jpg
I doff my cap to you sir. Excellent research.
(Is it just me but the references to “the United” (Maidenhead) seem weirdly quaint)
As does a forward line including Peacock and Pocock
There were works teams in the Great Western Combination. I remember High Duty Alloys from Slough as well. This is the league table 1940-41
Oxford City 18 13 3 2 70 30 29
Reading Reserves 18 12 3 3 57 40 27
Windsor & Eton 18 12 2 4 64 30 26
Chesham United 18 10 1 7 51 44 21
Wycombe Wanderers 18 10 1 7 47 41 21
Marlow 18 8 3 7 46 40 19
Uxbridge Town 18 5 2 11 41 43 12
Maidenhead United 18 4 1 13 37 74 9
High Duty Alloys 18 2 4 12 41 86 8
Wycombe Redfords 18 1 6 11 21 47 8
The XG in that league must have been through the roof!
No-one on here needs that confirming. The evidence against us is everywhere!
Well it was wartime so keeping football going would not have been easy at any level.
I'm also a twat from Wellesbourne
Great research ChasHarps. Grew up close by in Tyzack Road in the 50's and when at RGS in the 60's played Rugby (and even shinty) on the ground but never knew about this.
Interesting thread, good info from Mr Harps. Going a little off topic here...WWFC's first ever recorded opponents in 1887 were "Wycombe Nose Club". Does anyone have any theories (sensible or otherwise) as to who or what the Wycombe Nose Club was?!
1939-1940
Hayes 18 15 1 2 60 20 31
Wycombe Wanderers 18 11 1 6 58 49 23
Slough 18 8 5 5 43 37 21
Wycombe Redfords 18 7 5 6 41 33 19
Chesham United 18 9 1 8 53 43 19
Maidenhead United 18 7 4 7 40 36 18
Uxbridge Town 18 6 2 10 35 47 14
Henley Town 18 6 2 10 47 62 14
Marlow 18 4 5 9 30 42 13
'No orrible Slough ejits' were the credentials for membership of the NOSE club.
There were supposedly ‘No Nose’ clubs in Victorian times for sufferers of syphilis who had lost their noses (!)
Perhaps the Wycombe Nose Club were bitter rivals of the No Nose Club.
I wonder if it's related to the Michael Gove Nose Club.
In the 1880's there was a Fat Mans Club in Texas. Apparently membership was open to anyone weighing over 200 pounds. I am currently 198 so need to upgrade my crisp consumption!
https://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/sportingold/29/644029/H3554-L170229333.jpg
It appears 1947/48 season was the Redfords last season in the GWC, where they were very much the whipping boys in Div2.
Division 2
Harefield United 20 14 2 4 78 32 30
Harrow Town Reserves 20 12 4 4 67 33 28
Huntley & Palmer Reserves 20 12 2 6 68 42 26
Slough Centre Reserves 20 11 3 6 63 28 25
Burnham 20 11 2 7 50 48 24
Ruislip Manor Reserves 20 8 3 9 59 58 19
Marlow Reserves 20 7 4 9 47 59 18
Lyons Club Reserves 20 8 1 11 58 66 17
Wycombe Wanderers Reserves 20 6 4 10 49 60 16
Hemel Hempstead Rovers 20 4 4 12 46 61 12
Wycombe Redfords 20 2 1 17 21 119 5
Lyons v Huntley and Palmer - tea and biscuits must have been good.
If I remember correctly Wellesbourne became the Bucks College (BCUC/Bucks New Uni etc) Wellesbourne campus, that's where I was first acquainted with the mighty Wanderers.
We didn't have any more time for the RGS tw*ts on the bus than the buildings earlier occupiers.
It did indeed. Now houses isn’t it? Despite travelling to see Wycombe now, I’ve not been up there in years.
Remember catching a bus out of town once towards Holmer Green and the driver flogging it as hard as he could to get past RGS before kicking out time. As we approached, they came flying out of the school. The double decker must have been doing 40+ with the driving muttering ‘not fucking likely’ as he sped past the waiting kids’.
That’d be front page of the BFP now, accompanied by a pic of parent sporting an angry face.