A LOOK INTO HISTORY 219

A LOOK INTO HISTORY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETEEN
BRITISH TIMKIN ATHLETIC FC
There have been many Works Teams in Non-League over the years and two such in senior football plying their trade in the United Counties League were British Timkin Duston and the subjects of our story, British Timkin Athletic FC.
British Timkin were makers of tapered roller, parallel roller and ball bearings for the automotive industry, the Duston, Northampton site opening in 1941 and closing in 2002 with production moving to Poland. The Daventry factory opened in 1955 and produced bearings until 1993. Both sites also had Senior football grounds, Dustons’ with magnificent floodlights, now all gone for housing but, according to fans, Athletic’s ground possessed a top quality pitch. The grandstand going on to have a chequered career at Ford Sports, Daventry and Kettering Town at Latimer Park.
The Duston side, having joined the UCL in 1950-51 were the more senior of the two teams as British Timkin Athletic didn’t join the United Counties League until 1961 attaining their highest position, second in Division One in 1973-74. Competing in the F A Vase on two occasions, 1976-77 losing 0-5 to Rothwell Town and 1977-78 0-6 to Northfield Town.
In season 1979-80 both the Duston and Daventry team were in the Division One of the UCL after Duston had won Division two in the previous season. Athletic left the league at the end of season 1989-90. In 1991-92 the Duston side changed their name to just British Timkin, also leaving altogether in 1995.

Our foldover Match Programme is for a UCL Division One match against Higham Town, another club no longer with us, on October 8th 1977 and in News and Views recalls the aforementioned F A Vase defeat at Northfield plus a 1-6 defeat at top of the table Milton Keynes Borough on the previous Saturday. It confirms that the club was founded in 1957 and won the Division One in 1963 and the Division One Cup in 1976. Besides Milton Keynes Borough, five other notable clubs were in that division, Biggleswade Town, Vauxhall Motors, Newport Pagnell Town, Raunds Town plus bottom place Burton Park Wanderers whose Latimer Road ground is now occupied by Kettering Town. There is no price for the Programme but admission was 10p !