| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! 19:00 - Jan 6 with 2494 views | Meonsaint |
The Tyro League was not formed until the 1970-71 season as it was previously known as "The Halo League"
The original members that I can remember were Albion Boys, All Whites, Brendon Sports, Toronto Terriers, Millbrook Lions, Mansell Rovers, Cromer Crusaders, Thornhill Utd, Test Park, Fair Oak Earls, Sky Blues, Sarisbury Sparks, Wembley Seekers and Windsor Utd.
My Dad started the Sparks for my brother and I as we had recently moved down South from Derby and the kickabouts on the Green were beginning to grown in numbers. The "Jumpers for Goalposts" and "Rush Goalies" matches were soon 15 a side. We had a decent junior school team so we entered the inaugural Tyro League.
We played our home games at Allotment Road and traveled to play teams like All Whites on the Common, and nearly every other away game seemed to be either at Green Park, Test Park or the Sports Centre. We had one infamous game against Sky Blues at Hinkler Road who had the Stanley brothers, Graham Roberts and David Puckett playing for them. I remember the pitch being covered in glass, making a sliding tackle and cutting my leg but didn't realise until after the match as we were desperate to beat them.
A year later one of our friends joined the team and his father worked for Redlands Brickworks in Swanwick. The manager kindly let us use the old derelict cricket pitch for the next season, so all of the families got to work over the summer to cut the long grass, install some goalposts, decorate the old pavilion with our club colours of old gold and black.
A skinny long haired 12 year old kid from Warsash then signed for us. He scored a 100 goals before Christmas, his name was Steve Moran.
We enjoyed the next few years playing at Coal Park Lane and the club flourished introducing more teams as it grew and hosting a popular annual six-a side tournament, sell out discos with chicken and chips donated by the local Chippy in Barnes Lane, Sarisbury.
Many of our players graduated to Saints first team such as Moran, Baird, Whitlock and Pratt.
We are all in our fifties now but I will always remember those fantastic years.
Sarisbury Sparks 1970 to the present, the original "Saints Academy" [Post edited 6 Jan 2020 19:10]
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| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 19:28 - Jan 6 with 2451 views | 130yrs_and_one_Cup |
Brilliant. Moran was raised in the Wider, Greater Portsmouth area. I will add him to the list. |  |
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| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 19:30 - Jan 6 with 2456 views | Happy_Jack |
I remember Sarisbury Sparks well. I played for Millbrook Lions in the 70's and our home patch was Test Park. Your Tyro League team was just as important, if not more so, than the school you played for. I remember epic battles in the Tyro League, Tyro Cup and the "Consolation Cup". The sponsored walk around the common every year too. Forgive my ignorance is it still going strong? Great league for young nippers to play in I loved it. |  |
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| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 20:10 - Jan 6 with 2420 views | Happy_Jack |
| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 19:28 - Jan 6 by 130yrs_and_one_Cup |
Brilliant. Moran was raised in the Wider, Greater Portsmouth area. I will add him to the list. |
He could've been born in Leigh Park for all we care. Do you remember the pain you felt when he got on the end of David Armstrong's cross in 1984? Right in front of us too. | |
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| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 22:06 - Jan 6 with 2381 views | this_charming_man |
| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 19:30 - Jan 6 by Happy_Jack |
I remember Sarisbury Sparks well. I played for Millbrook Lions in the 70's and our home patch was Test Park. Your Tyro League team was just as important, if not more so, than the school you played for. I remember epic battles in the Tyro League, Tyro Cup and the "Consolation Cup". The sponsored walk around the common every year too. Forgive my ignorance is it still going strong? Great league for young nippers to play in I loved it. |
We used to say tyro league was your league team and school was international football.
Remember sarisbury well, I remember scoring two goals at their ground when we beat them 6-0, was about 12 at the time. All cup final in those days were played at AC Delco which was our Wembley. I remember beating mayfield from Portsmouth 5-0 there in the schools Hampshire cup final. The year before we won 3-2 at their ground in an earlier round, a very feisty game. No debate either day as to which city produced the best players. [Post edited 6 Jan 2020 22:59]
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| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 22:38 - Jan 6 with 2352 views | Buggalugs |
| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 19:30 - Jan 6 by Happy_Jack |
I remember Sarisbury Sparks well. I played for Millbrook Lions in the 70's and our home patch was Test Park. Your Tyro League team was just as important, if not more so, than the school you played for. I remember epic battles in the Tyro League, Tyro Cup and the "Consolation Cup". The sponsored walk around the common every year too. Forgive my ignorance is it still going strong? Great league for young nippers to play in I loved it. |
Yep, still going strong. |  |
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| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 10:22 - Jan 7 with 2267 views | SaintNick |
lived right next to Green park in the 1970's have to say I cant remember any Tyro League matches being played on it, most were played at Test Park in our part of the City and possibly the Sports Centre |  |
| Satisfying The Bloodlust Of The Masses In Peacetime |
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| Sarisbury Sparks 50 years anniversary 1970-to present. Original Saints Academy! on 12:11 - Jan 7 with 2226 views | Wints76 |
Remember playing against Sarisbury Sparks for Littleton. They always stuffed us. Then and the Romsey team Whitbread were streets ahead of everyone else at our age group.
Remember playing one team where memory tells me it was around RVCP. There was a psychiatric hospital near by and during the match, we noticed that some of the patients were near the edge of the pitch wearing our clothes that had been left in the changing rooms. |  | | |
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