George Best - Penryn

[nephew]

Evening folks, I've just tried telling my wife that back in the eighties I remember going out to Bickland Park with my brother to watch George Best play and I'm not sure if it was Penryn he turned out for. I was fairly young at the time can anybody help me out here. Cheers

[Blue bridge 12]

Yes it was penryn. Photo is up above our bar.

[nephew]

Great thanks for that. Do you know what year it was.

[Brianmooreshead]

You've got to expand on that story mate

[nephew]

I wish u could but all I can remember is standing in the bottom corner leaning over the railings and George Best taking a corner right in front of me. I probably spent the game badgering my brother for sweets from the old tea hut. Wish I could add more but sadly will have to wait for others to help.

[RAPPO]

Bestie and his mate/manager who used to play for Hibs (McMurdo) both played for Penryn that night. Falmouth won 5-0!!! Couple thousand there if i remember rightly?? Mike is probably the man to ask on this one! Bestie touched the ball bout a dozen times! Remember someone saying it worked out about £200 quid a touch!!! Obviously just there for a bit of beer money but you could tell when he had the ball at his feet he was world class!!!

[Mike Odgers]

Wednesday 19th.January 1983 Bickland Park 7-30pm

The first ever meeting at First team level between the rival clubs

Falmouth Town 6 Penryn Athletic 1 (1-0) Attendance 2000

(Western League Premier) v (Cornwall Combination League leaders)

Scorers

FT.Maurice Cox 3,Kim Rooke,Gary wignall,Chris Eddy--PA Peter Etherington

Referee Mike Hodges: Linesmen Colin Rundle & Ian Anear

Falmouth Town band in attendance with both teams introduced to the Mayor's of Falmouth & Penryn

Falmouth squad-Derek Belloti-David Ball-Alan Pluckrose-Tommy Wheeldon-Neil Penwill-Graham Heard-Kim Rooke-(the late)Colin Riches-Jerry Collins-Wayne Stamenkovic(a good old Falmouth name)-Maurice Cox-Keith Manley-Neil Phillips-Gary Wignall-Chris Eddy.

Manager Jimmy Hargreaves

Penryn squad-Chris Chapman-Clive Moses-Dennis Moses-Dave Foster-Ray Rice-Paul Cardell-Billy Green-Ken Popperwell-Bill McMurdo(Ex Hibernian striker)-George Best-Les Gilbert-Kevin Burleigh-Alan Whittaker-Peter Etherington-Brian Foster-Mark Jacket

Manager Dave Jenkin

There was an anxious wait to see if the match would take place,not because of the wet weather but George himself who was involved in an altercation in a London pub.

The story goes that George went into a pub to make a phone call but was viciously assaulted with a beer mug in an unprovoked attack which resulted in head stiches- these were removed at a Penryn surgery just before his departure.

Clive Chinn and Dave Jenkin whisked the pair(George and his agent Bill McMurdo) from Truro Station on arrival to the St.Michaels Hotel in Falmouth

The match it self saw a too much of a gap between the clubs which was played in a very committed encounter with George Best grabbing Kim Rooke around the neck after a heavy tackle and left Referee Mike Hodges with a dilemma of a sending off (but he had to ignore the rule book on this occasion).

36 year old George did show flashes of his brilliance when he had the ball and hit the upright after 78 minutes.

The biggest cheer of the night came late in the game when Peter Etherington (father of Matthew) scored a consolation goal.

After the match a celebration was held at the Penryn clubhouse wher George signed many autographs- are there any about now especially if he signed the match programme.

In the early stages of arranging this game it was planned for George to sign Cornwall Senior Cup forms and play in the away cup tie at Newquay/Launceston and both these clubs would love to have met Penryn for financial reasons but it was decided to play closer to home in an Exhibition game.

Probably there would have been some CCFA ruling against this happening

[Mike Odgers]

I have many newspaper cuttings of the match and pictures (one of which a Penryn team photo) and of course the programme-But it wont allow me to attach on here (after scanning) saying they are too big to submit.

Anyone interested I can scan and forward via the EMail connection.

[100%cornish]

Would loved to of watched that match George Best was my all time hero ,saw him play twice at Plymouths home park once for fulham and also in a celebrity match with Jim Davidson took loads of photos of the match and sent my film off to be developed and the film got lost so only got the newspaper program of that celeb match

[SteveG]

Bloody hell, I wish I had seen that game!

I take it this was the only time he played in Penryn's colours?

[Mike Odgers]

Yes the one and only time but previous to this occasion he did the same for Barnstaple Town a month or two earlier.

Apparently it was the first time he played on Cornish soil or ever having been to Cornwall.

With the subsequent Penryn Athletic players reunions I always imagined George Best casually turning up at Kernick Road lol

[Dave Marks]

i remember quite a bit of booing at times as well because everyone was saying waste of money he's p---ed right up now. it was a very weird feeling to see him as i remember , i was 14 and never paid i know that me and a couple mates snuck in. great man. never appreciated back then what that would mean now, just a kid.

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Saw this game and met him afterwards, he was not drunk in anyway at all - that's a load of tripe. He showed tremendous skill all through the game and was a nice fella to talk too.

Falmouth had a stocky, curly headed player who spent the night trying to rough him up, and was a complete asshole. That was until Best got the ball near to were I was standing, sure enough this asshole was not far away, Best beckoned him in to the tackle, he came rushing in and Best whacked the ball smack bang into his bollocks....bang...down he went, he got the message and backed off a bit.

It was supposed to be a showpiece game for Best, but Falmouth played flat out for the first hour and slightly ruined the evening for many, some were booing, but not at Best, but at Falmouth for the way they approached the game.

All in all though a good memory for many.

[Dave Marks]

Well i don't talk tripe if thats referred my way i heard what people were saying and you agree with the fact there was booing. anyway at 14 i was none the wiser to what i heard and you were at least 40 then weren't you toigtbiw. I just remember people being disappointed in him at the game end of. anyway not turning this into an argument i was there and looking back as a kid i never appreciated it as said before cause i was to young and he was just george best.

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

Correct Mr Marks, you were 14 and for you it was a good night out, as it was for me also. I can assure you Mr Best was not drunk at all, the small amount of booing was aimed at Falmouths approach to the game, particularly as I have said to the curly headed idiot who set out to show he was a toughie (not) and rough George up (failed) People were actually calling for Falmouth to ease up, Penryn at the time were a few leagues below them, AND, it was supposed to be a showpiece game for Best.

At the end of it all as you say, its a memory many will always cherish.

[Mike Odgers]

Another lengendary International played in Cornwall-Sir Stanley Matthews

April 1954 Sir Stanley captained St.Austell v a South West X1 at Poltair Park.

Any others come to mind?

[100%cornish]

dont know if Jimmy Greaves counts he played for Spurs combination side vs Plymouth reserves after coming back from Italy

[Mike Odgers]

I was thinking of Internationals playing in Cornwall as many legendary players have played at Home Park -eg Pele.

Jeff Astle (England and WBA) scored twice for Weymouth in a F A Trophy game at Falmouth 1976

Dwight Yorke (74 apps for Trinidad & Tobago) played in a P S friendly at Falmouth for Aston Villa

You could include Barry Hayles in his Truro days played for Jamaica

The Jimmy Greaves return to England (1961)? from A C Milan saw his first game at Home Park for Totenham in a reserve fixture. 15,500 was the gate and I remember a Special (Jimmy Greaves) train was laid on from Penzance.

Do you remember Peter Shilton watching his son play for Hayle?

and the son of Dennis Law who played in the Sunday League whilst working down here in the hotel .

[Brianmooreshead]

Mike

I think you're a bit older than me, but probably not as old as my dad, who remembers going to watch Aston Villa play at St Blazey.

Two of their players were brothers Amos and Frank Moss.

Frank later went on to run a newsagents shop for many years in Looe

[claret&blue]

The Sheff Weds team that played Bodmin in 1993 contained probably the most internationals to have played in the same game in Cornwall.

[Dave Marks]

Lee Sharpe & one from west life.

[100%cornish]

What about ex man utd and England legend playing in a celebrity match at Truro with the 2 mentioned above and he was still class as was Lee Sharpe that day and ex Norwich and Scotland goalie played Bryan gunn

[100%cornish]

The legend i forgot to add was Bryan Robson

[Dave Marks]

oooops spot on 100% cornish

[kevin richards]

Former Sheffield Wednesday, QPR, Coventry, Nottingham Forest player Gary Bannister came to Cornwall & played several seasons for Porthleven under Alan Carey. Played for England under 21s but never made the full squad, & the nicest most humble person you could meet.

[RAPPO]

You're not wrong Kev!! Had the pleasure of a season playing vets with Banno and he's the nicest guy you could ever wish to meet! We were playing at Goonhavern one Sunday morning and when we arrived there for an 11.00am kick off, Goonhavern 3rds were playing a mining 3 game on the main pitch and the groundsman said we were double booked and we would have to play across the road and change in the 12 by 8 wooden shed by the corner flag!! I remember Denty and Shappy being not best pleased after looking at the rutted, sloping other pitch and most of us were ready to give it a miss to be honest! After about 15 minutes of arguing, The late great Dave Gardner said where's Banno? All of us prima donnas ex Cornwall players looked through the shed window and Banno was all changed up sitting there reading the Sunday independent in the dark!! Dave said "look at Banno, he has gone from the home changing room at Wembley to a shed at Goonhavern!!!" After about 5 minutes of pissing ourselves we all felt abit humbled and got changed pretty quick after that!! If it was good enough for Banno!!! Typical of him though. What a player and lovely bloke!! :-)

[RAPPO]

Also anyone remember former Truro goalscoring legend Hadyn Jose pulling down Lee Sharpes shorts in the Bryan Robson game at Truro!!?! Always enjoyed Hadyn shouting to the ref on our Sunday mornings up front together "ref, you're ruining a crap game"!!! Quality. :-)

[Magic Mike]

watched the sheff weds game vs bodmin

stood on top of the electric box thing beside the pitch, to get the best view!

remember catching the ball stood on top of it and everyone cheered

[TheolderIgetthebetterIwas]

That was the only ball you ever caught then