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Hempnall FC
Ray himself has been a hugely important part of the history of Hempnall Football Club and deserves his own section in this summary.
He is modest about himself and his input.
He and his wife Jill, have, between them, celebrated 100 years service to Hempnall Football Club.
Ray served for 57 years, much of the time as Secretary / Treasurer, and Jill for 44 years winning many awards in that time.
Ray is much respected throughout the Leagues he has been involved in for his efficiency and excellence.
During the past year, Ray has received his Gold Medal from the Football Association in London.
In August 2008, Ray was announced as the Rogers and Norton "Secretary of the Year" and received his award in Norwich (pictured left).
He was awarded third place in the Football Association "Groundsman of the Year" scheme and received his award from County FA in Norwich (pictured left).
He has been appointed as Football Grounds Inspection Standards Officer of the Anglian Combination Football League, and inspects all grounds in Norfolk and North Suffolk.
Ray is the Club's qualified and registered "Child Protection Officer".
For his sins, as if he doesn't have enough to do, Ray is also Secretary / Treasurer of the Hempnall Playing Fields Association.
Until recently, Jill washed the playing kit and was tea-lady for all those years. She has also, in the past, assisted Ray with administration work.
We are intending to fully populate this section with memories, facts and photos of days gone by, but as you can imagine, this is easier said than done, and Ray Youngman is working on producing a document, hopefully with help from others.
In the meantime, Ray has pulled a few things out of the record book, with special memories of the high points created by personnel still at the Club.
In the 1982/3 season, Hempnall were struggling to compete, and after much deliberation, Nick Page, our existing general manager, decided he would "pull the club around". He did that with comparative ease, in that not only did he win the fourth Division of the Anglian Combination, but he took the team all the way through the divisions in successive years, to the Premier Division, where they finished in a hugely creditable third position.
Nick used his vast experience to recruit players of senior standard to play for the club. The likes of Mick Ryder, Ray Cooper, Bob Briggs, John Beresford, Andy Pointer, Karl Heffer and many more joined him at Hempnall. Top goalkeeper around, the legendary Mark MacRae, was part of that success, and many who remember Mark will also remember him as "the best sweeper around" due to his speed coming off his line - he often covered the last third of the pitch on his own!
Nick also brought the flamboyant Arthur Chenery to the club, along with Trevor "Sticks" Buck, and between them they took the reins from Nick, although Nick continued to play and be part of the continuing success. Nick has been the Club General Manager for several seasons, highly successfully we think, and he continues on this season.
The 1st team hadn't won anything in Senior football until the season 2006/7 when they secured the Division 1 Championship with Paul Franklin and Tim Clarke holding the management reins, capably supported by 1st team coach Bob Briggs.
Then followed the History making season, when as well as finishing 3rd in the Anglian Combination Premier Division (having led the table for several weeks), they secured the Mummery (League) Cup with a narrow 1-0 victory over Watton in the final.
The run to the final saw them not concede a goal after the 1st round.
Whilst we have spoken elsewhere on this site about the importance of sponsorship, it is interesting to know that Harry Pointer, the father of our current Chairman, was the first person in local football to sponsor a team, that being the Hempnall Sunday Team, which incidentally contained most of Pagey's Saturday team, and won everything in the South Norfolk Sunday League.
In the year 1945, the six Youngman brothers moved to Hempnall, and the two older ones Stanley (father of our current deputy Chairman, Stanley) and Ted, played for the team.
The pitch, in those days, was the field situated beside the bungalow of the Penn family, half way between the village and the Alburgh Road junction. It was the late Fred Penn who loaned the field to the club completely free of charge.
The team played in the Norwich and District League, in the colours of Light and Dark Blue squares.
The players consisted of several familiar names related to several of todays members e.g. Bert Leeder, grandfather of Tim Clarke; Herbert Downing, Peter's father; Ernie Downing, father of Rodney; Joe Beckett, father of Dennis and David; Gordon Gray, father in law of Paul Craske; Jim Rodger who was a past President and still a member of the Club today.
Other players of the day were George Key, Desmond Holl, Peter Gooch, Harold Sutton, Eric Todd, Walter Penn, Billy Leathersich, Victor Goddard, Geoge Guyton, Jimmy Buck, and of course, Lawrence Chapman, still a very popular member of the "Bungay Road Faithful" today.
The team was very successful during it's time, and just after the war, were involved in playing several friendly games against the German "prisoners of war" based at Seething Airfield.
After they left the Penns' field, they played for two seasons at Thurrell's Meadow, which is part of the field on which the youth now play at Talbot Park.
The team colours were changed to Red.
Upon leaving Thurrell's Meadow, George Allen offered the club the use of his field behind his farm in Busseys Loke (the cricket club also played there). Those who remember the late George Allen will remember him for his generosity to the village and I even have, to this day, a letter stating that Hempnall Football Club will never be without a field to play on.
The village then agreed to establish its own playing field where we currently play today, and the Allen family were heavily involved in creating the current site.
In 1952, a Reserve team was formed, and played it's first league game at Woodton, where they drew 5 - 5. That team consisted mainly of fifteen year olds who had all left school that year.
The team members consisted of Bernard Youngs, Neville Day, Hugh Tweeddale, Maurice Warne, Peter and Michael Emms, Robin Moore, Edward Sauverin (Jack Slapp), Hilton Smith and Ray Youngman.
The colours of Maroon and Sky Blue were introduced the same year and have remined in use ever since. The team won the Depwade and District League in its first year and conceded only eight goals.
During the fifties several othe family members joined the club and the club went on to pick up a few trophies of various nature including The Raveningham Nursing Cup, the Patterson Cup, The Bungay Cup, The Earsham Cup, and League honours.
Going back to the earlier years several distinguished people of Hempnall were part of the club and were heavily involved in running the club.
Billy Edwards was the Secretary and Major Southery, the Rodger family, the Reverend Martin, and several local businessmen were involved, including Jimmy Youngman (no relation), who kept the local shop on the corner of Field Lane, where we all used to meet on a Saturday evening to collect the Pink Un.
Police Sergeant, Alec Buck, was the main person involved in the current playing field, but left the area before it's completion.
Transport in those days was by cycle or in the cars of the only two members who had cars, George Key and Jim Rodger (both farmers sons).