Chatteris Town F.C.

Chatteris Town

Full name	Chatteris Town Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Lillies
Founded	1920
Ground	West Street, Chatteris (Capacity: 2,000 (250 seated))
Chairman	Rob Grant
Manager	Jimmy Unwin
League	Cambridgeshire League Premier Division
2010–11	Cambridgeshire League Premier Division, 7th

Chatteris Town F.C. is an English football club based in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire. The club are currently members of the Cambridgeshire League Premier Division, and play at West Street.

History

The club was founded in 1920 as Chatteris Town Juniors, before adopting their current name in 1921. They joined the Isle of Ely League, and after a fast rise through the divisions, they won the league title in 1922–23.^[1] In 1924 they joined Division Two of the Cambrideshire League, and were promoted to Division One at the end of the season as the division was enlarged. In 1928–29 they won Division 1B, but lost a play-off against the Division 1A champions. In 1931–32 they won the Cambridgeshire League and transferred to the Peterborough & District League.^[1] In December 1935 financial problems caused them to withdraw from the league. In 1936 they reformed as a junior team, and joined Division 1B of the Cambridgeshire League, winning it at the first attempt.^[1]

They also rejoined the Peterborough & District league. They won the league in 1963–64, winning 30 of their 32 matches. The following season they won the title again, this time winning 29 of their 30 matches. A hat-trick of titles was completed in 1965–66, in which they won 27 out of 30 matches.^[1] At the end of the season they joined the Eastern Counties League in 1966, and won the League Cup in 1968. The club set its record attendance of 2,000 in a match against local rivals March Town United at the end of the 1988-89 season,^[2] a game which March Town United needed to win to clinch the ECL title (and did following a 5–0 win).

When the league added a second tier in 1988, Chatteris were placed in the Premier Division following a 7th-place finish the previous season. The club struggled in the new division, finishing bottom in 1989–90 (a season in which they failed to win a league game) and 1990–91, but were reprieved from relegation as the league lost members who were promoted to the Southern League and Division One clubs failed to meet ground grading criteria. However, the club were eventually relegated in 1995 after finishing bottom and winning just two league games all season.

They continued to play in Division One until 2001, when, despite finishing fifth, they resigned from the league for financial reasons and dropped back into the Peterborough & District League. In 2008 they transferred to Senior Division B the Cambridgeshire League, finishing third in their first season and earning promotion. The following season saw them win the Senior A Division to earn promotion to the Premier Division.

Ground

The club played at several grounds following its establishment, including New Road, Blackhorse Lane, St Martins Road, Chatteris Park and Chatteris Recreation Ground. In 1932 they moved to West Street,^[1] which was used by West Ham during the war.^[3]

Honours

• Eastern Counties League
  • League Cup winners 1967–68
• Cambridgeshire League
  • Champions 1931–32
  • Senior A Division champions 2009–10
  • Division 1B champions 1928–29, 1936–37
• Peterborough & District League
  • Champions 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66
• Isle of Ely League
  • Champions 1922–23
• Cambridgeshire Challenge Cup
  • Winners 1951–52, 1954–55, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65

Records

• Attendance: 2,000 vs March Town United, Eastern Counties League, 12 May 1988

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Blakeman, M (2010) The Official History of the Eastern Counties Football League 1935-2010, Volume II ISBN 9781908037022
2. ^ Chatteris Town Non-League grounds of Great Britain
3. ^ Chatteris Town FC Pyramid Passion

External links

• Club website
• Chatteris Town at the Football Club History Database

Coordinates: 52°26′58.16″N 0°02′20.38″E / 52.4494889°N 0.0389944°E / 52.4494889; 0.0389944