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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2009 20:48:24 GMT
So who were Hele Spurs? A different club to Hele Rovers, I presume, but when did they exist? Did they play on Barton Downs? An adult side or a youth/junior set-up? See how that 1977 programme credits Hele Spurs with producing a few significant Torquay United players. But who was Ernie Knott? As for "other favourites" I'm reading this as a list of local talent in general rather than players who specifically enjoyed a Hele Spurs link. Alf Knapman, Les Mills and John Evans (the bowls player) each played a few first-team games for TUFC; Dave Mercer (Jnr) rather more. But Avery, Janes and Regan? Who were they? Sadly, I fear Snip isn't around to give us a few answers.... |
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Post by jmgull on Dec 2, 2009 22:48:00 GMT
But Avery, Janes and Regan? Who were they? Sadly, I fear Snip isn't around to give us a few answers.... Mike Janes may well be the well known cricketer, umpire and now chairman of Cockington CC........i played with his son Nigel who was captain of Torquay CC for a few years in the 90's before emigrating to NZ. Didn't know if Mike was a footballer too but Nigel was a decent one........i know somebody that will know though.....Sillsunited a new poster on here. |
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Post by sillsunited on Dec 3, 2009 15:21:18 GMT
Mike Janes was a good footballer who played some matches for United reserves in the 1950's and may be early 60's.I never played football against him but our paths passed many a time on the cricket pitch me at Barton him at Corries. Ernie Knott was a good friend of my late father never saw him play but dad always said he was one of the best local players of his time. I started playing local football for Ipplepen in the South Devon League when I left Newton Grammar in 1957 and at that time Hele Spurs were one of the better teams in the league playing in what would now be the premier division and yes they played at Barton Downs. Cliff Balsom was a local lad and was one of the very few players to graduate to become a professional from the old "A" team he played 4 games at full back in 1963/64 seaon which was his correct position but he lot of games in goal for the "A" team when Tommy Holland,the regular keeper, went and played for the reseves. Cliff left United and joined Swindon Town.
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Post by Jon on Dec 3, 2009 19:41:02 GMT
Mike Janes was a good footballer who played some matches for United reserves in the 1950's and may be early 60's.I never played football against him but our paths passed many a time on the cricket pitch me at Barton him at Corries. Ernie Knott was a good friend of my late father never saw him play but dad always said he was one of the best local players of his time. I started playing local football for Ipplepen in the South Devon League when I left Newton Grammar in 1957 and at that time Hele Spurs were one of the better teams in the league playing in what would now be the premier division and yes they played at Barton Downs. Cliff Balsom was a local lad and was one of the very few players to graduate to become a professional from the old "A" team he played 4 games at full back in 1963/64 seaon which was his correct position but he lot of games in goal for the "A" team when Tommy Holland,the regular keeper, went and played for the reseves. Cliff left United and joined Swindon Town. Great stuff from Sillsunited - as pedicted by JM. I guess that Ernie Knott is the E.E. Knott in the 1934 programmes that Budleigh posted. Outside left for the Whites in a practice game torquayfansforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=programmes&action=display&thread=3414and outside right in the reserve friendly torquayfansforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=programmes&action=display&thread=3449Mike Janes was a wing-half and one of the local players who played as a part-time pro for a few years without making the first team - as I mentioned in another thread. He is at left half in the 1955 reserve friendly against the SDL torquayfansforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=programmes&action=display&thread=3378I am confused about the Hele teams. I always thought that Spurs became Rovers - or Spurs folded and Rovers were formed - some time between the late 50s and early 70s, but the SDL website has Rovers down as winning the Herald Cup in 1925. www.sdfl.org.uk/herald_cup_36.htmlQuestion time : What is the link between one of the players mentioned in Sillsunited's post and England's 2006 World Cup campaign? |
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Post by Budleigh on Dec 3, 2009 19:42:29 GMT
I'm going to post a programme later that has Cliff Balsom on a very different stage!
And.... Hele Spurs played 'on open spaces where only a collection can be taken'....
Will reveal all later!
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Post by Budleigh on Dec 3, 2009 21:23:43 GMT
This should be of interest to those looking into the history of Hele Spurs... The programme from Good Friday, April 23rd 1951 between Hele Spurs and R.A.S.C. (Denbury) in the 'Torbay Herald' Cup Final played at Newton Abbot and won by the Royal Army Service Corps team based at the old airfield near Denbury. One piece of interest for Torquay United supporters is the Hele Spurs number eight, one Graham Bond who of course played such a strong role in our 1959/60 promotion side. And was that the Southampton team coming to play a match against Newton Abbot on the 16th of April? I may put this on a seperate thread as it's quite interesting.... |
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Post by Budleigh on Dec 4, 2009 0:00:58 GMT
Cliff Balsom didn't make a first team appearance for Swindon and according to their records was transferred back to Torquay at the beginning of the 1965 season. If so he was soon shipped out as he appears here in the Poole Town programme against United in November 1965 in a Floodlight League game. I have posted the whole programme with notes on a seperate thread but just in case it's been missed, note the player at number 10 for Poole Town. Ernie Pym fresh from South Devon... |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2009 20:10:22 GMT
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Post by Jon on Dec 5, 2009 13:12:21 GMT
Indeed. I think that is Cliff's son, but am not 100% certain. I should have asked him really - he was in the year below me at school. There's another good article from 2002 here : www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/teams/england/3020172/Swedens-Englishman-abroad.htmlThe interesting bit is here : When at school in Torquay, Balsom was associated with the local club. Some of his contemporaries became apprentices at Plainmoor. "I saw the sort of life they were leading and, having decided it wasn't for me, went on to higher education instead . . . and there you have the official version!" Paul would have been amongst the group I talked about who played for TUFC in the SWSWYL but I think he probably played for Livermead in the SDYL - I seem to remember he was mates with Bobby Baxter's son. I think the bit about his contemporaries becoming apprentices may be stretching the point as he was in the gap between us having a few apprentices and starting the YTS scheme. He was a bright lad who was always going to do A levels and Uni I think. I suppose a comparison might be with Mark Smith - two years older, never an apprentice, but played some first team games whilst doing teacher training. Paul appears to be greatly in demand as one of the world's authorities on sports science. Given Colin Lee's interest in this side of the game, I wonder if Paul would be interested in popping in to give our set-up the once over as a favour for old time's sake? He seems to do quite a lot of advisory work - including premiership clubs. |
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Post by phipsy on Dec 8, 2009 12:36:40 GMT
i followed hele spurs on regular basis in the mid fifties.
my elder brother was playing at left back.
i was just a kid but the memories stay with me.
home matches at barton downs and the away matches went as follows.
meet at the royal standard when the charabang would take us to wherever, i dont believe on eplayer owned a car.
secretary was a mr northcott and trainer ernie knott and charlie walton chairman.
i always enjoyed the journey home from away games and wherever it was from the chara always stopped at the wolborough inn in newton.
usually a minimum of 2 hours.
i was stuck in the bus where crisps and lemonade were brought out at intervals.
it must have been against the law in those days to have kids in the bar.
hle spurs were always a top team in thosedays.
among their biggest rivals were, paignton town,royal signals,torquay united a, kingsteignton athletic, st marychurch spurs and beesands rovers.
just a note, i played with cliff balsom for the torbay schools primary team, we were good friends both attending barton school.
strangely i played for torbay schools senior level but cliff never got through the trials.
hele spurs as far as i know had no connection with hele rovers.
ernie pym never played for hele spurs but turned out for st marychurch spurs when they played on that awful hill they call king george v playing fields.
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Post by Jon on Dec 9, 2009 0:31:14 GMT
i followed hele spurs on regular basis in the mid fifties...... i played with cliff balsom for the torbay schools primary team, we were good friends both attending barton school.... hele spurs as far as i know had no connection with hele rovers. Interesting stuff Phipsy. A couple of questions: You don't know if Cliff Balsom had a son or a nephew called Paul, do you? Do you know when Hele Spurs folded and why? If Spurs and Rovers were around at the same time was there a big local rivalry or were Rovers at a lower level? |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2009 21:17:39 GMT
A timely picture of Hele Spurs from today's Herald Express reporting on the death of 82-year-old Bob Meyer, a local sportsman and president of Barton Cricket Club:  Bob Critchlow was later a work colleague of Gordon Astall, ex-Birmingham and England, featured in one of Timbo's Darlington programmes. |
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Post by phipsy on Dec 10, 2009 16:50:01 GMT
jon, not sure abou his relations except i believe his brother don ran the fish and chip shop , the higher one in hele village many years ago.
got a feeling that paul balsom is not connected to cliff.
the last time i saw cliff he was playing for torquay at left back, although he was right footed.
he had a few games and then transferred to poole town.
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