When Sporting Club, one of the glamour football teams of the 30's/40's/50's, held a reunion last Tuesday, there were just three people present, Carlton Dore, Carlyle Heath and myself, who remembered that infamous match when the late George Des Vignes, as captain, led his team of the field, during a first division game, in protest against what was considered biased umpiring.
For Dore, the suspension of Des Vignes following the incident, led to promotion from the Intermediate Division to the First Divsion. My late father, Hugo Day, as a member of the team in question had related the story to his offspring on countless occasions. While Carlyle Heath was still very amused by the incident.
Sporting Club, with players like Palmer Wilcox and the Alkins brothers, were playing a first division game on the Queen's Park Savannah against Maple, another of the glamour teams. Eunice Des Vignes remembers that her husband's team protested before the game about Dr Francis, a member of Maple, carrying the whistle. However the rostered referee had not turned up, no one else was available, so the doctor removed his jacket and tie and started the game. After protesting two decisions which appeared partisan, Des Vignes, nicknamed "Ochro", on the third occasion, called his side off the field.
The Sporting Club reunion, organised by Kelly Harris at his Jerningham Avenue home in Belmont, coincided with a visit to Trinidad of former club member, Frank Gamaldo, who has lived in Winnipeg since 1958.
None of those present was too sure, but it is believed that the club was started by the five Farrell brothers, Arthur, Harry, Reggie, Frankie and Teddy somewhere in the early thirties with mostly descendants of the Portuguese, hence the colours were scarlet and green, after the flag of Portugal.
A small but truly supportive group of former members reminicsed. Geoff Chambers had only played one season for Sporting Club in 1937/38. "It was that one year that Maple did not play football and I agreed to play on one condition, as soon as Maple has a team I am leaving." Chambers eventually came back to coach Sporting Club in 1954. "I returned from England, where the Trinidad Football Association had sent me on a coaching course, with some new ideas.
TFA would not accept them so the young, promising team of fellas who had just left College and were playing for Sporting Club, took my advice and played the third back system." No team had played it before" said Pat Alexis, a member of that team, "and it worked for us."
Alexis still remembers, as left wing, scoring "a spirit goal" on the final whistle to beat Malvern, and put Sporting Club into a final against Maple for the coveted shield. It was 1955 and the Prince of Forwards, Carlton Squeakie Hinds, of Malvern, played that one year for Sporting Club on the right wing. "We were not even aware that the goal on the final whistle had been awarded. It was when Raffie Knowles came on the news that night that we knew we were going into the playoff against Maple" says Alexis, who was then unceremoniously dropped for the final "I was not amused at the time. All Harris, the captain of that team would say last Wednesday was "I didn't drop him, we had a selection committee."
Many were the tales told last Tuesday afternoon, and I am sure many will be the similar tales when another one of the glamour teams of that era, Shamrock, reunite at Clydesdale Club on Friday April 8. Clubs like Shamrock and Casuals had their very own clubhouses, not so Sporting Club, who met at one time at Eric Morgan's house on St Vincent Street (opposite to Battoo), "a member who never played but was always on the sideline shouting out what to do." And then in later times held meetings at Mr Young's School in Belmont.
Why have these teams not continued in the sport was my question. Professor Harry Phelps opined that it was the change in society, "these clubs belonged to an era which is no longer acceptable by society, there were divisions into white, black and brown. These were guys you went to school with and limed with, such as, St Mary's boys went to Dynamos, QRC to Sporting Club. What has happened since is that middle class people do not play sport after they leave school, which happens not only here but abroad also."
High praise was given to a former Secretary of the Club, Mark Pantin, who is still alive but was unable to attend the function. "He was not just secretary but carried the club financially many times, buying balls and other things for us."
Prenka Cole, not a former member, came to the reunion with his long- time buddy Carlyle Heath, and the story which I had heard through the years, resurfaced. As a young man, Prenka's favourite clean-neck hen was stolen from his Belmont home. Prenka is said to have climbed atop his house, shot-gun in hand, and shouted: "Hear this, hear this, people of Belmont, Prenka Cole has lost his clean-neck hen, if it is not back by this afternoon there will be trouble in Belmont." Prenka confirmed last Tuesday that it was quite true that by nightfall hens of every variety were returned to his yard.