Hampton Netball Club History
THE CLUB is believed to have been started back in 1956. The founder members were MARGARET WHETSTONE (nee Hunt), YVONNE ADAMS, GRACE AND THELMA TOPPING and BRENDA ROSS-GOWER. The ladies were friends who decided to play netball together. Originally playing in the Middlesex league, they found that the journey was too long by bus or train, so they decided to join the Surrey League and CHRIS and JAN AISTROP joined the club in 1962. For kit the team wore Tartan dresses but no Bibs (see photo 1), no doubt making life even harder for the umpires! The home ground was PERCY ROAD JUNIOR SCHOOL, Hampton.
It was in 1972 when JANE STONE (beloved Secretary and Treasurer) joined the club. At that time the home ground was HAMPTON HILL JUNIOR SCHOOL, Windmill Road, transferring to POWDER MILL LANE, Whitton and eventually arriving at our current home ground, IMBER COURT, METROPOLITAN POLICE SPORTS CENTRE, East Molesey, in 1983.
When the Club was formed the players and husbands and boyfriends ran Bingo sessions at the Water Board, Hampton, to raise funds to pay for courts. No fees were ever paid at the beginning. It was CHRIS AISTROP’S mother who made the dresses for the players, beautifully modelled (see photo 2), and, as CHRIS played for SHELL at the time, 3 to 4 more players were recruited by her, one of whom being JANET BAILEY, still playing for the Club today, and another being CHRIS’ rowing buddy - HILARY THOMAS (“HILLY”), who not only still plays for the Club but umpires for us too!
JANE took over the role of Secretary/Treasurer and general gofer in 1981, along with being the fixtures secretary and team Captain!! Thankfully JANE has been able to share some of the duties with other members of the Club since then but continues in her role of Secretary/Treasures and occasional gofer to date! If you look closely you may be able to spot the naughty cigarette (photo 2) …and there’s no change there is there is there Jane!
There have been numerous other players over the years, with STEPH FAIRHEAD and BRENDA PECK also being involved at the beginning. The longest ‘serving’ member is our lovely BRENDA POWER. We’ll let her tell you just how many years that is exactly, but what we can tell you is that BRENDA is still very much an integral part of the Club, religiously umpiring for us, along with HILLY, week in and week out. Also umpiring for us and, we’re happy to say, still playing today is GLENDA JONES who joined the Club, along with SYLVIA THORNING, in 1973!
Cuttings from the Local Paper of the day give us a snap-shot of the time and the successes of the day, the dizzy heights of Kingston’s Division 1 no less! See the girls in action (photo 3) and the all important trophy shot (photo 4). We’re very proud of the history of the Club and the fact that many of our original members are still so involved today (photo 5).
