KEITH Prewett from Sarisbury Green has proved it's not just the local football community who enjoy a wander down memory lane.
Fuelled, no doubt, by the popularity of our 'Scare are they now?' feature in Park Scratchings, Keith has delved into the archives to send us a picture of the original Southampton Basketball Club.
Keith writes: "It is now 50 years since basketball was first introduced into Southampton due to the enthusiasm of Welshman Vivian Davies who was, at that time, the Southampton Education Authority's school sports organiser.
"Prior to the Second World War the largest gymnasia in the city were at Taunton's, King Edwards and Itchen Grammar Schools, so Vivian started off the sport in the old gym at Itchen, which is positively miniscule in comparison to those that schools have today.
"In starting off the sport, he had the support of the late Tom Heron and Mike Smith, who were both teachers at Bitterne Park School at the time."
Southampton joined the Portsmouth League, but as more clubs sprang up around the city, it formed its own basketball league.
As Keith recalls: "Portsmouth, with all its naval bases, had a number of teams with large gymnasia and our opponents were always staggered by the size of the court at Itchen"
"Vivian also had instructions from the council to develop new gymnasia as funds were available and, as new ones were constructed, so we changed schools, first going to Weston Park Boys, then to Redbridge and finally to Glen Eyre."
Eventually the original Southampton club had two teams, the Seahawks and the Sealions, but like a lot of private clubs they found difficulty attracting youngsters and, since many of the team were in their 40s, the club folded.
Of those photographed, Vivian Davies, Peter Nash and Gordon Edwards have died. To Keith's knowledge Alan Hardisty lives in Montreal, Ralph Verral is based in New Milton, Alan Harding in Southampton, Barry Knott in Butlocks Heath and Ray Holt in Nursling. He doesn't know the whereabouts of Fred Elmes or Ron Tricker.
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