Club Captain, Dave Blanchford

CAPTAIN Dave Blanchford (wrote Pat Head in 1989) was a member of the highly successful Cullompton team in the late 50s and early 60s long before he joined Crediton.

I first knew Dave, who was Crediton born, as a classmate at Hayward’s School, but, in 1949 he left with his family to farm near Cullompton. Following the move Dave went off to boarding school after which he started work on his parents’ farm and played football for Kentisbeare.

In 1954 he joined Cullompton Rangers and played for their Colts team before progressing to their Senior team whose fine record included the Senior and Premier Championships, East Devon Senior Cup winners and runners-up in the Devon Senior Cup.

In 1963 David married Monica Lock, a Cullompton girl, at Plymtree and moved back to Crediton to live.

He spent two seasons with Sandford before joining Crediton in 1965 and captained the side for seven seasons, five of which were in the Premier Division, after winning the Senior One Championship.

Age began to tell however, and after some time as Second Team Player – Manager Dave was advised by Ian Grinney to make way for someone younger and he retired to join the committee, eventually being elected Chairman in 1979, a post he held for four years.

Another Manager

On March 10, 1983 Nigel Howe was appointed Manager of the senior side with effect from July 1, but later that month business commitments led him to withdraw.

The grandstand was completed in March 1983 and also the same year the Club acquired a five-acre field close to the Sports Centre and developed two additional football pitches to take pressure off their over-used main pitch.

This also enabled the Club to further its commitment to youth football. On March 19, United beat Elmore 3-1 at Lords Meadow but a week later they lost 1-3 at home to Chulmleigh.

On April 2, United completed the double over Elmore, winning at the Tiverton’s side ground by 2-1.

Apprehensions about the expense of joining the South Western League persuaded the Committee, on May 31, to withdraw the Club’s application and enter the new Devon League instead. In July 126 trees were ordered for landscaping Lords Meadow.

Happy Days

October 1955 started with the Club in winning vein again, with a 9-0 crushing at Crediton of Morchard Bishop in the first round of the Devon Junior Cup.

Crediton’s scorers were Johnny Harris 4, Derek Sharland 3 and Mike Mathews 2. The Morchard side had travelled to Crediton by train and their 12 third-class return tickets cost a total of just £1.5s.

On October 8, the home side beat Pinhoe 4-1 but the away team lost 0-6 to the YMCA.

The club were still spending 3/7d on cigarettes for each home game (draw prize).

A week later the home side lost 1-5 to St Luke’s but the away side won at Okehampton.

Both sides lost on October 22, 0-1 at home to Winkleigh and 0-3 away at Lapford. The home players were given cigarettes by a Mr Fry, probably to help them to wheeze their way to another defeat.

Two days later the committee picked the team to play in the Devon Junior Cup at Sampford Peverell.

What they actually did was to select one back, one half-back and two forwards and leave the rest of the team to the Manager!

The match ended in a 1-1 draw but a week later United won the replay 4-0 perhaps because chocolates valued at 2/4d appeared in the accounts rather than cigarettes.

Later Sampford sent United a cheque for three shillings as their share of the match proceeds. The Committee realised that United’s share was only 6d which they generously waived and returned the cheque.

The away side had the reverse side score 0-4 at heavyweights Elmore.