SLO@CAMBRIDGE UNITED HELPING SUPPORTERS
  • Hello
  • Matchday News
  • Matchday Info
  • SLO Page
  • Away Travel
    • AWAY TRAVEL INFORMATION
    • Young Persons Away Travel
  • Shop
  • CUFCLottery
    • Visit the lottery website
    • CUFCLottery sign up
    • CUFC Historic Lottery Winning Numbers
  • Fans Page Links
    • 100yearsofcoconuts
    • Amber Belles
    • Amber & Proud
    • Cambridge United
    • Cambridge United Supporters Club
    • Cambridge United Womens Team
    • CU Community Trust
    • CUFC Shop
    • Cambridge Fans United
    • CUSP
    • The Offside Trust
    • Under The Abbey Stand
    • Wellbeing

The story of Edwin William Chapman who played at the Abbey

30/8/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Today, all those years ago saw Abbey United’s new home being officially opened on the August 31st 1932

Below is the story written by Luke Emson following Ed's 100th birthday.

He played in the first match on the new ground for Cambridge University Press.

Edwin William Chapman sadly passed away on Friday 23 November 2012


Ed Chapman: 100 Years Old 
The turn of the year marked the start of centenary celebrations for Cambridge United Football Club, an excuse for reflection on the last century. And in late January, fireworks erupted in magnificent colours overhead on a chilly winter evening.

However, this extremely fitting festivity was not in celebration of the U’s, who started life as Abbey United, but to mark another centenary year, with friends and family gathered on the pavement in Green Park to celebrate the 100th birthday of local lad Eddie Chapman.

Following the entertainment and a spontaneous outbreak of Happy Birthday with champagne held aloft, Ed retreated from the cold into his front living room, beside the fireplace, where he began to look back on his time with his thoughts and memories about football in years gone by.

Ed was very much interested in sport and played for Cambridge University Press, where he worked from his early teenage years in Trumpington Street, in both football during the winter and cricket in the summer.

The players were given Saturdays off to allow them to play and would travel to games by coach with their partner.

Upon being prompted to recollect when he started playing the beautiful game, Ed chortled: “Since I was about two, I think.”

In football of 2012, it is almost ridiculous to suggest a pitch which is not a lush-green, flat surface, but Ed suffered unimaginably poor quality pitches and described them as “awful,” before adding: “They weren’t pitches back then.”

During Ed’s lifetime, his local club played in five different locations with the newly-formed Abbey United playing on Midsummer Common in the year of his birth, until the First World War.

In the club's twentieth year, in a bid to expand following an unsuccessful move to Parker’s Piece in the heart of Cambridge, Ed saw the club move once more to Newmarket Road, and to the site of the current R Costings Abbey Stadium.

During this time, the footballs themselves were nothing like the light, mind-of-their-own swerving balls of today, far from it. However, Ed shrugged off suggestions he had it much tougher with the equipment of his era, by saying: “They weren’t very hard – just leather and rubber.”

And the 100-year-old, bearing a mischievous twinkle in his eyes when quizzed on the big boots he used to wear, replied: “No, mine weren’t (big) – I had small feet.”

Not only does Ed share the same birth year as his local club, he played a part in its history, as a 20-year-old, by playing in the club’s first game at the Abbey.

Ed, playing left-half, was on the losing side as his Cambridge University Press side went down 2-0 in the 1932 friendly, but he still remembers the facilities available at the time, following the celebrations of the new ground opening.

“You’d always get a good cup of tea at the end (of a game) – there were eatables at half-time,” reminisced Ed. “There were no pools or anything (to wash in) – just tin bathtubs.”  

One summer, following the football season, Ed had the pleasure of playing against cricket legend Sir Jack Hobbs, and remembers agonisingly dropping the England international on 99, who then proceeded to notch a century.

Whilst Ed’s football days have passed, the sport itself continues to progress and Cambridge United will be looking to reflect on their history to formulate a springboard for success over the next century.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Abbey Stadium
    Abbey Stadium Redevelopment
    Alan Burge
    Cambridge Fans United
    Cambridge United
    Cambridge United Club Chaplain
    Cambridge United Community
    Cambridge United Womens Team
    CFU News
    Coconuts
    CUFC
    CUFCLottery
    CUFC Lottery
    David Burkett
    Diary
    EFL
    Ex Players
    Face In The Crowd
    Foodbank
    Football
    Football General
    Groundhoppers
    Ifollow
    Leo Orobor
    Man Of The Match
    Match Report
    Non-League
    Season Ticket
    Supporters
    Supporters Mental Health Liaison Office
    UK Parliament
    You Are Never Alone
    Your Are Never Alone

    RSS Feed

Picture
All Content on this Website remains the property and copyright of Dave Matthews-Jones and may not be reproduced or used without written permission.
​

Thanks are given to Cambridge United Football Club who have kindly given their permission to use their images and photographs on this site.

See our Privacy Policy.
Picture
  • Hello
  • Matchday News
  • Matchday Info
  • SLO Page
  • Away Travel
    • AWAY TRAVEL INFORMATION
    • Young Persons Away Travel
  • Shop
  • CUFCLottery
    • Visit the lottery website
    • CUFCLottery sign up
    • CUFC Historic Lottery Winning Numbers
  • Fans Page Links
    • 100yearsofcoconuts
    • Amber Belles
    • Amber & Proud
    • Cambridge United
    • Cambridge United Supporters Club
    • Cambridge United Womens Team
    • CU Community Trust
    • CUFC Shop
    • Cambridge Fans United
    • CUSP
    • The Offside Trust
    • Under The Abbey Stand
    • Wellbeing