b'English Schools FOOTBALL FINALMay 1983: When HGS wereYork where he works as a business director, was a Lower Sixth Form pupil (Year 12) at the time and played in midfield for the team:nearly champions of England When we played our home games in the nationals, the whole school came down to the fields in Romilly Avenue to support During the lockdown period in April 2020,released by Nintendo (ask your parents if youus. We would have 500-700 supporters I spoke with an old friend who is fromdont know what that is); Margaret Thatcheraround the perimeter of the field. It was a Middlesbrough in the north east. I hadntwas the Prime Minister; car seat belts weregreat atmosphere. We had an amazing team spoken to him for many years and, whenmade compulsory for the driver and frontspirit and that carried us a long way in the I told him where I worked, he asked mepassenger only; and the Compact Disc (CD)competition.whether the school football team played inwas launched, changing how we listened toIncredibly, the team played 48 matches that gold and black colours. When I said yes,music forever (again, ask your parents). season, playing on a Wednesday afternoon he recalled that he had been a spectatorHowever, in May 1983 a team from thisand Saturday morning throughout the at the English Schools Football Final forschool reached the final of the Englishseason.U19s in 1983, when his college, St Marys,Schools Cup, the pinnacle of schools Middlesbrough, triumphed over our school infootball in England. The competition is stillMike Millington recalls: Because we were an exciting 4-2 victory. a very prestigious one and is open to everya grammar school, we had to turn up on a This started me thinking about the game andsecondary school in the country. Saturday in our blazers and ties. The other wondering what happened to the playersteams would try and make fun of us for that. involved, and what they remembered fromAfter battling through the regional competitionThey werent laughing after we beat them!the first and, so far, the only time that HGSto become West Midlands champions, theWhen I think about it, the teachers, Bob has played in a national football final. brave boys from Handsworth GrammarMarfel, Roy Fackrell and Tim Maw gave up a reached the final and played St Maryshuge amount of their own time to coach and 1983 in England was a time of some changeCollege from Middlesbrough in a finalsupport us that year.in the UK. The video game Mario Bros. wasplayed at the Hawthorns, the home of West Bromwich Albion FC. In the first of the national rounds, they The team had been the West Midlandsdefeated Abbey High School from Redditch champions for two years running. The boys5-1, before playing John Hampden School from Handsworth secured their place in thefrom Buckinghamshire in round two. Another final 64 of the countrys finest U18 teams byfine victory 3-1 saw them into the third winning the West Midlands championshipround, to play away against the Glamorgan before Christmas. They defeated localchampions from Wales, Gowerton rivals Wolverhampton Grammar to proceedComprehensive School. A fine 6-1 victory through to the national rounds. brought the Handsworth boys into the last eight, where they would play against another Mike Millington, now aged 54 and living in 34'