Inter-league history.

[dipper]

Can anybody out there remember if their has always been a home and away Inter-league competition, or was their a break at some time. I have been playing since the 1974/75 season and cannot remember thier being one. Also when did the one day competition start.

Well, Dipper, you too have been around as long as me then, 30+ years, and after such a long time the memory does indeed play tricks.

But I can state categorically that mostly during the 70s it was a home and away event only. In the 80s it was decided to run it as a one-day event as an experiment, which received a mixed reaction. There was then a period of many years when it was either/or, and a vote would be taken at each County AGM as to which system to be adopted for that particular year. It went back and forth like a yo-yo.

Then one year someone (Steve Mariner, I think) asked "why can't we run both systems ?" and no-one could come up with a reason not to. Extra perpetual cups were commissioned, one I think was a choice item donated by the now-defunct Crawley League and re-engraved as appropriate.

It has been run thus ever since.

[Mario]

Don’t blame me tommo, I think there has always been the Home/Away IL, I think the 1-Day Cup started around 1990, and has taken many disguises over the years. I can remember some excellent tournaments, my favourite being at the John Seldon in Worthing where 7 teams turned up and we played 6 matches, all v all in a round-robin, that was tough. I think many years ago there was an East and West H/A IL, the winners played in a final, but that was before my time.

[NigelS]

Just to add according to Steve's excellent Sussex website, there is a list inter league H&A div 1 winners going back to 1958/59, so my guess is the tournament started around then

[NigelS]

Just for info here is a list of the inter league div 1 winners from Steve's website - in brackets is the times that league has won the inter league

2005-06 Brighton (16)
2004-05 Brighton
2003-04 Brighton
2002-03 Worthing (5)
2001-02 Redhill (2)
2000-01 Brighton
1999-00 Brighton
1998-99 Brighton
1997-98 Brighton
1996-97 Brighton
1995-96 Brighton
1994-95 Redhill
1993-94 Brighton
1992-93 Brighton
1991-92 Worthing
1990-91 Worthing
1989-90 Brighton
1988-89 Worthing
1987-88 Brighton
1986-87 Horsham (12)
1985-86 Littlehampton (3)
1984-85 Horsham
1983-84 Worthing
1982-83 Portslade (2)
1981-82 Littlehampton
1980-81 Brighton
1979-80 Brighton
1978-79 Portslade
1977-78 Littlehampton
1976-77 Billingshurst (4)
1975-76 Billingshurst
1974-75 Horsham
1973-74 Horsham
1972-73 Brighton
1971-72 Hastings (1)
1970-71 Horsham
1969-70 Horsham
1968-69 Billingshurst
1967-68 Billingshurst
1966-67 Horsham
1962-63 Horsham
1961-62 Horsham
1960-61 Horsham
1959-60 Horsham
1958-59 Horsham

[NigelS]

And 1 day inter league winners

2006 Brighton
2005 Worthing
2004 Brighton
2003 Worthing
2002 Brighton
2001 Brighton
2000 Brighton
1999 Brighton
1998 Redhill
1997 Brighton
1996 Brighton
1995 Brighton
1994 West Sussex
1993 Brighton
1992 Brighton
1991 Horsham

Always nice to see competitions perpetuated and such excellent records kept, guys.

But you should not just dismiss my information out of hand.
I can provide some provenance of what I am about to say, by confirming that the runners-up to Horsham A in 1974/5 were Brighton A - who were also the runners-up to Portslade in 1978/9. Also when Brighton won in 1979/80 they beat Littlehampton A in the final. In those days the teams were split into two groups, and the group winners played off in a final.

Anyway, the 1981/82 event, won by Littlehampton was a One-Day Competition - the first time ever under this format - and was played at the Inland Revenue SC on 27th March 1982. I was captain of Horsham A at the time, so have the records.

There must have been four separate groups of either 3 or 4 teams, Horsham were in a group of 3 with Littlehampton A (who beat us 4-3) and Crawley (who we beat by the same score).
Littlehampton went through to the Semi-final and beat Worthing A 4-3, and Billingshurst A beat West-Sussex in the other Semi.
Littlehampton went on to beat Billingshurst 4-3 in the Final.
I can even tell you what my side was : Tony Franks, John Slee, Harold Peacock, me, Tony Hawkes, Steve Thomas, Mick Holmwood and Rod Tarratt.

The format was repeated for the next few years, being held at Inland Revenue 27/2/1983 (Final between Portslade and Brighton) and 26/2/1984 - but through to Semi Final stage only: the Final was held separately at the Ladies Mile, Patcham where Worthing beat Horsham 4-3;

Inland Revenue 03/2/1985 through to Semi-final stage only: the Final was held separately at the Sunallon Club, Horsham where Horsham beat Littlehampton 4-3;

Horsham Royal British Legion Club 16/2/86 and 23/2/86 through to Semi-final stage only: this one is interesting, as I wasn't picked for Horsham that year and played for Mid-Sussex instead. And Mid Sussex made the final and Horsham didn't !!!!! :P :P The Final, played at the Sunallon Club, was Littlehampton A 5, Mid Sussex 2. (The Groups incidentally had been: 1- Mid-Sussex, Hastings, Worthing and Billingshurst, and 2 - Horsham, West-Sussex, Crawley and Littlehampton.)

Romans, Southwick 13/4/87 through to Semi-final stage only - we seem only to have played one game to qualify, beating Mid Sussex 4-3. The Final was played at Worthing Hospital SC on 12/5/87 and we beat Worthing 4-3.

It is possible that round about this time, some Leagues, fed-up with the limited number of games, became tired with the format and - Brighton notably - decided to boycott the event. I can vaguely remember some "rows" at the County meetings, and note that the format reverted back to Home and Away for the 1988/89 season - where it has enjoyed an unbroken stint ever since.

The rest of its history is clear cut, and I hope you have been able to enjoy this little account of the competition's murkier past ! ;)

[NigelS]

Thanks Tommo, dodn't know the competition had been through such a interesting past.

It seems now the compromise of two seperate competitions was reached in the early 90's and has worked well.

Another possible point of interest concerns the first-ever Interleague, staged in 1958/59.

Legend has it that it was contested between two leagues only - Mid Sussex and Horsham, and was held at the Pilgrim Inn, Haywards Heath - now known as the Golden Eagle.

It has also been claimed that the start of the match was delayed when it was discovered that the set of championship balls supplied especially for the event were oversized and would not go down the holes ! ;D ;D

[dipper]

Hi Tommo, have you any idea what players were in those first two teams.

Blimey, Roger,

You're talking 1950's so the players would probably be in their eighties now if still alive.
I can't even remember who told me about the 'legend' of the balls.

But it is likely that the Horsham team included a player called Ron James, and Mid Sussex would probably have included Jim Wenman and Reg Beard. Other than that, I'd be interested as much as you to know more.

Sept 19, 2015 17:56:17 GMT tommo III said:

Had an "oh bugger !" moment yesterday morning when, searching for something completely unrelated, I came across a notebook from my second stint as Interleague captain covering the years 1989 - 1993.

Am currently in the process of adding the following to three websites (keeps me out of mischief !):

• 44 scorecards for Home/Away competition

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[li]19 scorecards for One-Day Interleague[/li] added 20/9/15
[li]15 scorecards for Ladies Interleague[/li] added 19/9/15
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[/quote]

Yet another 'oh bugger !' moment a couple of days ago which has kept me busy ever since:

56 scorecards added to 3 websites for One-Day Interleague for the three years 1994, 1995 and 1999.