Dulwich Hamlet      3          Bennett og 2, Ball 35, 85

Erith & Belvedere   0                     

London Senior Cup Final, 13 May 1939 (at The Den)

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, the last big game before the war.

 

Earlier in this series (number 26) we looked at the Deres’ London Senior Cup run of 1938-39.  The run began with a 3-1 win at Finchley played in mud over the players’ ankles.  The second-round match at home to Leyton was abandoned after 50 minutes with the score at 1-0 when the linesman could no longer identify the touchline!  It was replayed three weeks later and resulted in an incredible 6-5 win.  In the third round we beat Leavesden 2-1 at home, then in the semi on 11 March came a 5-1 beating of Hayes.  There followed a two-month wait for the final, during which the international situation became ever darker.

 

 

SUCCESS AGAIN ELUDES DERES – Hamlet’s Internationals Shine

 

Erith and Belvedere’s third visit to The Den, New Cross, was as unlucky as the previous two visits, and once again they have to be content with runners-up medals.  On Saturday they were defeated 3-0 by Dulwich Hamlet in the final of the London Senior Cup.  The winners had seven amateur internationals in their team.  The “gate” was 13,075.

 

Hamlet were good value for their win, being much quicker on the ball  than the Deres, and controlling it far better.  The Erith men were not in the same class, but what they lacked in skill they made up in pluck.  The hero of a thrilling game was Barron, who brought off save after save and fully deserved the ovation he received at the conclusion of the match.  Scott, the Deres’ captain, also worked hard, and was most unlucky not to score on two occasions.

 

Hamlet scored in the second minute, the ball being dashed to the right and Parr, from near the back line, banged it across the goalmouth.  Bennett, rushing back, crashed into the ball and deflected it into the net.  It was a most unlucky start for the Deres and its psychological effect was most marked.

 

For some time after this the Deres were a disjointed team, Scott alone showing any signs of outwitting the stranglehold of the Hamlet halves.  The Deres could never be certain of capturing the ball when it went into the air, yet they persisted in putting it up instead of making their passes along the ground.  Moreover their kicking was woefully weak as compared with the strong confident kicking of Hamlet.

 

Hamlet attacked time after time, but frequently these movements came to naught because one or other of their forwards was offside.  Their shooting was really bad, but since they “had a go” whenever they got within range, Barron had plenty to do and did it well.  Many of his saves looked simple, but this was solely because of his anticipation.

 

Gradually the Deres forwards settled down and overcame a marked tendency to tread on the ball.  Smee, with a haphazard kick, sent the ball over to Urpeth, who ran on and sent a shot to the foot of the upright.  Hill, in saving, turned round and almost carried the ball into his goal, brushed aside the eager Deres forwards and dumped the ball around the post.  The corner was cleared, but with a little luck the Deres might have scored.  Not long after this Scott worked the ball to the right wing, and lifted it across to Urpeth, who just failed to get his head to it.

 

Ball was making tracks down the middle, but was robbed by Beal, who set Young in motion, the winger centring to Southcombe, but Robbins intervened and conceded a corner.  Again the ball came out to Ball, who flashed it past the Deres’ backs, who were standing well upfield, to Anderson.  O’Hara and Bennett thought Anderson was offside, but the referee did not, and it was left to Barron to race well out of goal and bring off a spectacular clearance from the Hamlet inside-right’s toes.

 

Then came one of the brightest movements of the match, Scott weaving patterns with the ball at his feet before putting it to Young, who lobbed into the goal area.  Scott, impeded by Robbins, hooked the ball back to Young, who headed in to Southcombe, who transferred to Scott.  Again Scott found his passage barred, but with body swerves and feints he wormed his way in and shot, the ball hitting the foot of the upright with the goalkeeper well beaten yards away.

 

Confident first-time passing took the Hamlet forwards down, but an anxious moment ended with Lewis shooting over the bar.  Again Dulwich returned, but Ball sent well outside.  Then Parr – the most dangerous forward on the field – got away and cutting in essayed a shot, but Barron had it well covered.  Not long after this O’Hara cleared from Ball, but Lewis put the ball to Parr, who had run in, yet from a few yards’ range he managed to lift the ball over the top.

 

Scott opened up possibilities by finding Young unmarked.  The Deres outside-right returned the ball behind his colleagues, but Smee came up, robbed Hugo and sent out to Urpeth, but he could only force Weymouth to concede a corner.  A free kick 30yds out for a charge in the back on Southcombe, was taken by Smee, who sent the ball whizzing to goal.  Hill jumped and fielded it, and was almost charged into the net before clearing,

 

Urpeth, Southcombe and Young were concerned in a movement which again found Hill fielding the ball near the foot of an upright.  Again the Hamlet goalkeeper outwitted the Deres.

 

Parr was away on his own when Bennett raced across and charged him off the ball just inside the penalty area.  The referee evidently thought the charge unnecessarily heavy and awarded Hamlet a penalty, this being taken by Murray.  The ball crashed into the match-hoarding just behind the goal, scraping the upright.  Barron had hurled himself along the ground and would have saved had it been straight.  Barron had to receive attention.

 

Again the Deres raided the Hamlet territory, Urpeth taking a cross and running on to shoot well, but Hill tipped the ball over the bar.

 

Hamlet’s second goal came after 35 minutes’ play, neat work by Mann and Scott ending with Hugo making a lucky stop against the latter, the ball screwing out to Lewis, who went on to draw the Deres’ defence and then touch the ball forward to Ball, who netted.

 

Mann robbed Anderson and lobbed up to Southcombe, but Robbins cleared the centre-forward’s header to the wide line.  From the throw-in the ball came back to the front of goal for Southcombe to head in, but again Hill saved.  Another Hamlet attack fizzled out, with Lewis sending over the top, and then Urpeth, Young and Scott combined to get to close quarters at the other end, but Scott’s shot lacked punch.

 

At the Deres’ end Ball tried a first-time shot.  The ball was going wide but was diverted by a defender.  However Barron, like lightning, dived and conceded a corner and soon after made another spectacular dive to save from Parr.  Just before the interval Urpeth had a shot turned round the post by Hall. 

Half-time, Erith and Belvedere 0, Dulwich Hamlet 2.

 

After the change of ends, Hamlet staged another of their brisk attacks, in which the ball bounced awkwardly and was handled by one of the Deres.  It was a purely accidental foul which the referee ignored, and Hamlet were beaten back.

 

Scott put Urpeth away, but once more the winger could only force a corner off Weymouth.  From this the ball went across to Young, who lobbed it in, but Robbins cleared.

 

Ball snapped up a pass, outpaced Beal and swung the ball over to Beglan, whose first-time shot whizzed across the goal and over the backline – a lovely movement.

 

The Deres had a slice of luck when Murray sent the ball into their goal area.  Barron ran out but was obstructed by a colleague and the ball went on to Lewis who was unmarked, but the inside-left sent it well wide of goal.

 

Midway through the half Urpeth was hurt in an attack on the Hamlet goal and was off the field for ten minutes.  During his absence the Deres made repeated efforts to reduce Hamlet’s lead but although they deserved a goal success was denied them.  Then came another series of thrilling saves by Barron.  He certainly was the hero of the day.

 

Perhaps the most spectacular of all his saves was when Ball got away down the middle, leaving the Deres’ backs in midfield.  Barron ran out, hesitated, then decided to continue his dash and from well outside the penalty area deflected the ball over the back line.

 

Scott to Young, in to Southcombe and out to Young again was a movement which had the Hamlet defence really beaten, but Robbins managed to touch the winger’s shot and deflect it over the back line.  From this corner the Deres were again unlucky.  Why or how the ball failed to enter the goal will remain a mystery.

 

Near the end Powell passed out to Parr, but he was intercepted and the ball cleared to the other side of the field, where Beglan snapped it up and passed back to Ball, who was unmarked and scored Hamlet’s third goal.  Clever work by Scott followed, the ball being worked out to Urpeth, who passed in to Smee, but his shot was wide of the mark. 

Result: Erith and Belvedere 0, Dulwich Hamlet 3.

 

Erith and Belvedere: George Barron; Bert Bennett and Pat O’Hara; Cyril Smee, Reg Beal and George Hormill; George Young, Len Scott, Jack Southcombe, Harry Mann and Jack Urpeth.

 

Dulwich Hamlet: *HHC Hill; DS Waymouth and *HS Robbins; *C Murray, CV Powell and HJ Hugo; *WW Parr, *RS Anderson, *HJ Ball, *S Lewis and BD Beglan.

(* Internationals)

 

 

Returning to Erith, the Deres team were entertained to dinner at the Wheatley Hotel by the club management, Mr D Young presiding supported by other members of the committee.

 

Thanking “the boys” for their hard work, the chairman commiserated with them on once again losing at The Den, but thought all would admit to defeat by a better team.  The committee were very pleased with the season’s results, for not only had they finished higher in the Kent League than for many years, but they also did well in the Kent Senior Cup.  They were a happy family, and he expressed the hope that all the players would remain with them so that next season they could go one better in the Kent Senior Cup and wipe out the memory of the seven goals against them in the semi-final [a 7-2 hiding by Tunbridge Wells in Maidstone] and also win the London Senior Cup.  If any player should leave then he would carry with him the best wishes of all his colleagues.

 

 

Of course the following season would be hugely different.  War was declared the morning after the third game of 1939-40, and although a Kent Senior Cup draw took place Tunbridge Wells, our scheduled opponents, packed up for the duration of hostilities and not enough clubs were left to make the competition viable.  The London Senior Cup continued, and Deres were away to … Dulwich Hamlet again! – who whacked us 4-0.