Football in Sands Before Adams Park

In the 1950’s life in Sands was somewhat different from today. With two post offices, a dairy, newsagent, butcher and greengrocer, a hardware store, a garage with mechanics who had grease on their hands from repairing cars, a police house and a “tardis” type police box, its own Primary and Secondary schools, Sands was a self-sufficient village. With relatively few cars, most people travelled into Wycombe on either the 36 bus from Lane End, the 38 bus from Limmer Lane or the 42 bus from Bookerhill, all of which stopped at the Hour Glass pub.

Today, apart from this pub, not too much remains as it was 60 years ago. Supporters going to Adams Park today along the Lane End Road to its junction with Roundwood Road might be surprised to know that up until the late ‘60’s they would have walked alongside a row of tall Poplar trees on the left hand side which marked the boundary of a farm with real cows in the field.

The only organized football would have been that from either the Primary school who played home match’s at Fernie Fields in Booker and whose team walked to away league match’s to West Wycombe, Castlefield, Bookerhill and Downley with the occasional bus journey to play the odd cup game at far away places like Loudwater and Princes Risborough, or the Secondary school team from Mill End Road who had a pitch behind the school.

Pre match activities would have included making sure that the “3 pronged nail studs” were sufficiently secured with a hammer into the sole of the old brown leather boots which hopefully would have been well “dubbined” to keep the water out, whilst a quarter of an orange would have been the norm for half time refreshment. Compare this to today’s multi-coloured lightweight, bladed boots and the designer drinks that seem to be consumed throughout the game at Adams Park.

Sands Football - High Wycombe

However such organized football was not very regular and the more usual kicking of a ball took place on an “ad hoc” basis in the school play ground using a hairless tennis ball, or after school using a heavy leather football with a red/orange inner bladder in Roundwood field when regular players included the local boys with names such as Anning, Ball, Brookes, Buckle, Collins, Fountain, Goff , Fredricks, Hall, Jones, Lane, Latham, Lewis, Preston, Rackstraw, Reeves, Sidney, Stallwood, Wilshire. Sometimes larger games would take place at Mill End Road recreation ground when “lads” from Downley, Casltefield, Dashwood Avenue, Chairborough Road, Oakridge Road and other nearby areas would meet up for a game. A number of these “lads” went on to play for Wycombe Wanderers.

Later on, in the ‘60’s”, Sands had its own adult team thanks to the efforts of people like Reg Hall and Frank Wilmot. Initially playing in the lower reaches of the Wycombe Combination they had much early success and gained a series of promotions , with home games being played at Mill End Recreation ground . Players included Gordon Anning, Dave Free, CliveReading, Steve Avery, Roy Buckle, Mick Walker, Frannie Pocock, Don Webb and Chris Lunnon .

For a short while in the early “70’s” another adult team played in Sands on the sloping pitch of Roundwood Field ( the slope made Loakes Park look flat). The team was sponsored by GD Searle who were a large pharmaceutical manufacturer with their factory and Research and Development centre occupying the two buildings either side of Hillbottom Road. The team played in the Wycombe Sunday League for many years until the Company relocated away from Sands. The Searle team managed to reach the semi- final of the Berks and Bucks Sunday Cup, with a team that included former “Chairboy” and amateur international John Weaver before losing narrowly to a team from Slough that included Wanderers midfielder Barry Baker with and an unused substitute called John Delaney.

Today the attraction of both spontaneous post-school football and organized football has seemingly disappeared in Sands, so hopefully the success of the team that we as Supporters all love will have a more long-standing place in the Sands community. Just a last point …. where are all those old Sands ( and nearby Sands ) boys today? Do you have any memories of football in Sands ? Answers please to WWT.

Sands Football - High Wycombe