A LOOK INTO HISTORY 208

A LOOK INTO HISTORY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHT

LEWES IN THE COUNTY LEAGUE

According to their official history, Lewes Football Club was formed following a meeting
of Lewes Priory Cricket Club at The Royal Oak pub on 23 September 1885. They chose
to play home matches at The Dripping Pan (just a few hundred yards from the pub)
because that was already where they played cricket, since their inception in 1831.
Indeed, the second earliest recorded match anywhere in the world took place in Lewes
in 1694. However, playing football isn’t great for a cricket wicket and the cricket club
finally upped sticks in 1937 to a new ground just down the road.
Lewes were founder members of the Sussex County Football League in 1920 with 12
teams competing. First champions were Worthing with Vernon Athletic runners up.
Lewes were 10 th at the close of the season just ahead of East Grinstead and behind
Southwick, Shoreham, Newhaven and Chichester.

The club soon became well established members of the County League without
startling success though, in 1933-34 they were runners up to Worthing. After the War,
the best achieved placings were middle of the table until 1963-64 when they were
runners up to Whitehawk, then, in 1964-65 the Championship was theirs and
subsequent promotion to the Athenian League in season 1965-66. They stayed as
members until 1977 and have progressed in the Isthmian League rising to Ntaional
League South in 2007/08 but after a rocky period, supporters came to the rescue and
in forming a community club returned to the Isthmian League.

Our Match Programme priced Threepence was for a match v Wigmore in the Sussex
County League Division One on 27 th August 1960 which was their 75 th Anniversary Year.
It is of a large format with minimal notes but full line-ups and notice of the next match
at the Dripping Pan v Littlehampton Town. Three advertising spaces were still to be
filled but entertainment could be gained at the Cinema De Luxe in School Hill by seeing
“ Carry On Constable” at 5.10 or 8.20. There was also a B film called “The Witness” at
6.40pm with Dermot Walsh. Season 1960-61 was not bad for Lewes as they were third
in the League behind Champions Chichester City and runners up A.P.V. Athletic.
Shoreham were bottom.