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Lower Bevendean Old Boys FC

Jog a few memories?

It was very interesting to read the comments here on the site about Lower Bevendean Football Club. I played for the club between 1966 and 1971 and I hope this photograph taken in April 1970, might jog a few memories. The club manager was George Smart and the coach was Frankie Howard. Frankie was an excellent coach and a great character who was always up for a laugh. His training regime was always hard but we never complained.

A winning team

The photograph was taken after the final of the Sussex Intermediate cup played between Lower Bevendean Old Boys FC and Pagham at Littlehampton’s football ground. Bevendean won the match 4-1, with Fred Washington scoring a hat trick and I scored the other goal. Bevendean were the first Brighton league club to win this trophy since 1950. They went on to win the trophy again in 1974. In 1970, the club completed a unique treble by winning the Brighton and Hove district league division 1 championship and the college cup.

Can you share your memories?

The players in the photograph are from L-R-,
John Head, Eddie Sandels, Gary King, Alec Sieveyer, Norman Farrah, Allan Clarke, Ian Bowles (capt), Ian Spicer, Dick Williams, Fred Washington, Brian Donaldson, Ken Ades and John Sharp. Happy days with great memories. Do you remember the team? Are you in this photograph? If you can share your memories, please do leave a comment below.

Lower Bevendean Old Boys FC
From the private collection of John Sharp

Comments about this page

  • I was not around at the time of the team, but I remember John Head from my school days. 

    By Mick Peirson (19/01/2012)
  • Alec Siveyer spent a life time in the meat trade, has only just retired and is in Australia at the moment. He was a player in the old midweek league (does anyone remember that?) playing for Meatonians. Was Frankie Howard the same person who played for the Albion and later became groundsman at the Goldstone?

    By Neil Underhill (22/01/2012)
  • Frankie Howard did play for Brighton and Hove Albion during the 1950s and early 60s as a left winger. He then went on to be the groundsman at the Goldstone Ground. He was the coach at Lower Bevendean when I was there in 1966 and he was still the coach when I left in 1971.

    By John Sharp (18/03/2012)
  • Alex Siveyer was my mate at Whitehawk School. I was at his house in Woodingdean when we heard JF Kennedy was shot.

    By Terry Boyle (29/03/2012)
  • I played for the Old Varndeans against this side once when they were on the way up! We lost 26-nil. I also lived in Hillside, a few doors away from the Donaldson family.

    By Alan Winchester (16/07/2012)
  • Ian Bowles played cricket with me and my father Ronald Scott. He was a good cricketer.

    By Peter Scott (07/12/2012)
  • Oh gosh, Ian Spicer was my first boyfriend and his sister Christine was my best friend. Lost touch with her when she emigrated to the States. Would love to make contact with them. They had a sister called Marilyn and a brother, Hilary.

    By Lesley Miles (nee Goddard) (26/01/2013)
  • Hi Lesley, I have just read your post. I remember you very well. Chris, Ian and Marilyn all live in the Brighton area. Contact me on my email address and I’ll send you their contact details.

    By Hillary Spicer (17/02/2013)
  • I recognise a very young Ken Ades as the keeper.

    By Paul Hubbard (09/03/2013)
  • I recognised Ian Bowles the captain, immediately. We were at Stanmer School in the same class.

    By Barbara Knowles (23/03/2013)
  • Hi to Hillary Spicer, who I remember well from my Coldean days and football on the green. Ironically, I now live in Lower Bevendean!

    By Ken Valder (24/03/2013)
  • As George’s son I played for Bev myself, but as a young boy was taken to the games with dad in the back of John Sharpe’s Fiat 500 with all the kit!

    By Trevor Smart (01/04/2013)
  • Hi Hillary, would love to make contact, but I don’t have your email address and not sure how to find it on this site. Regards, Lesley. [Lesley, Hillary will need to agree to her email being published on the site. Alternatively, you can agree that your email is used so that Hillary can make contact with you. This will, of course, mean that the information is then available to the general public. Best wishes, editing team]

    By Lesley Miles (01/04/2013)
  • I played for Bevendean Old Boys in the mid 80s and my brother played for them in the late 80s, winning their division and quiet a few cups. Our home ground was at the top of Heathill Avenue. Is the club still in existence?

    By Andy Crook (15/04/2013)
  • Anyone who wants to contact me, my email address is pretty easy to find using a simple google search just remember my first name is spelled Hillary double ll not Hilary single. I look forward to hearing from you.

    By Hillary Spicer (26/04/2013)
  • Just come across this picture. John on the left in the shirt and tie is my dad. This picture was four years before I was born but I remember a lot of the names when he used to explain that these sides were better than some of the County league sides I played in. I vaguely remember my dad playing football on Wednesday afternoons at Preston Park when he played for Acres the Bakers? I think that was against the Meatonians and taxi drivers. I grew up in Bevendean and played for Bevendean Badgers myself when there was a pitch up the Avenue by the shops half way up. My mum and dad still live there and have done for over 30 years. I will show him this picture, he has never looked so slim.

    By Reece Head (30/07/2013)
  • Just tuned in to this site. In Kent these days but still a Brighton lad at heart. Yes, Ian Spicer was a great bowler, and Ian Bowles ran like a whippet, and I wasn’t a bad footy player! Joined the navy at 16 – played for RN and Combined Services. But still would have loved to play for Bevendean!  Brought up in prefabs in Heathhill Avenue – happy days indeed. Still very much a Seagull man. Will stay ‘tuned in’.

    By Peter May (29/11/2013)
  • A lot of happy memories. I was only 18 at the time, the youngster of the team. Went on to play for Southwick, Horsham and mostly Lewsey. I live near Gary King.

    By Alan Clarke (21/04/2014)
  • Hi Hillary Spicer, just wanted to know if you are the Hillary Spicer that went to Stanmer School and lived in Coldean? If you are, I don’t know if you remember me? I left Stanmer School in 1968-1969 to start work in Barclays Bank. Would love to catch up.

    By Julie Bean (nee Ralfe) (26/06/2014)
  • My brother Kevin Hampson played for Bevendean I’m sure. We lived opposite the junior school – four Hampson girls and one Hampson boy. We watched footy and sports days many many times . We lived dead opposite the school gates yet we were still late in the morning.

    By Linda Hampson (23/10/2014)
  • I never played for Bevendean, despite living there, but I played for Lewes, Steyning, Peacehaven and Newhaven in the late 60s early 70s. Alec Sciveyer and Fred Washington were team mates at Newhaven when we won both the County League Div 2 and Div 1 titles in the space of 3 years. I played with Kenny Ades at school and against him in the County League and remember firing home a 30 yarder against him for Peacehaven one match. Aah those were the days.

    By Tony Eke (13/12/2014)
  • Just seen this photo of the old Bevendean team. Although my dad Keith is not in the photo, he played for the team during this time and missed the final through illness. He remembers the club fondly and how Brian Donaldson actually handed his medal to him as he had played in all the previous rounds.

    By Stuart Tuck (15/08/2016)
  • I really enjoyed my trip down memory lane. A great bunch of lads George Smart & Franky Howard were a great team. Last year I Went to a golf day and met Johns son Reece. Good school memories with Terry.
    I am still playing but only walking football these days.
    Best wishes Keep safe.

    By Alec Siveyer (03/05/2020)
  • ….had a great rivalry in the mid 60’s when I played for Whitehawk Boys OB. Both teams had their fair share of good players, always enjoyed those games. I actually also played with a couple of the Lower Bev players on a Sunday for Brighton Telephones, Eddie Sandals & Ian Spicer, both very good footballers! Also noticed Ken Ades who I know, as I worked with his wife over the years, lovely bloke!

    By Les Knight (20/02/2021)
  • Ian Bowles and I were next door neighbours in Norwich Drive in the 1950s, in the same class at Bevendean Juniors, and would occasionally walk to school together. I never would have imagined in those days that Ian would grow up to be Captain of the local football team – an run like a whippet! Amazing and very happy for his success. Unfortunately I lost touch with Brighton after joining the RAF in 1962.

    By Chris Redford (19/01/2022)
  • Hi everyone. I’m Gregg, Fred Washingtons son. I just came across this page and showed it to dad. He really enjoyed the trip down memory lane. He always talked about how he scored a hatrick in a cup final, who knew he was telling the truth all along. Special hi to Ken Ades who apparently moved from club to club with dad.

    By Fred Washington (19/09/2022)
  • Brian Donaldson played for the team and then went to play from Chelsea.
    I can remember going with my Dad to watch the matches sitting on his shoulders. I went to school at Coldean then Stanmer. I remember so many of the names on here, I wonder if anyone remembers me. You can find me on Facebook under Sandy Leaney.
    My Auntie Shirley lives in Bevendean.

    By Sandy Leaney (20/09/2023)
  • Hi Linda Hampson I went to school with Kevin be nice to get in touch.
    I am on Facebook Sandy Leaney,

    By Sandy Leaney (20/09/2023)

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