Goodbye and thank-you to the man in the middle
LONG-SERVING referee Jim Conway was the centre of attention at the Ashbourne Summer League’s Ian Gallimore Memorial Consolation Cup at Mappleton as he officiated in his last match after more than 40 years as the man in the middle.
A good crowd turned out to watch and the two teams, Red Lion and Rose & Crown, formed a guard of honour to welcome him to the pitch.
Spectators then formed one as he left the field after the game for a man who is both popular and deeply respected.
Jim was presented with a meal voucher and his wife Wendy was given a bouquet of flowers, before Jim presented the trophies to the teams on the night, as well as to the league champions, Doveridge, to Biggin as the winners for the fourth year running of the Sony Jeffery Disciplinary Cup, to Tom Mellor of Biggin, who won the Charles Burton Memorial Cup as the league’s leading scorer this season and to J Griffin of Weston, who won the Player of the Year award with the most votes from the clubs after each match.
The Ian Gallimore final was won 3-1 by Rose & Crown to complete the Summer League season.
RESULTS, August 23, Trophies & Awards Challenge Cup Final (at Longford): Mayfield 1 Biggin 2. League: Vaults 3 Lime Kiln 7, Ashbourne Old Boys 0 Mappleton 1.
August 28: Biggin 4 Brassington 2, Mappleton 1 Mayfield 0 (Mayfield failed to field a team).
September 3, Ian Gallimore Memorial Consolation Cup (at Mappleton): Red Lion 1 Rose & Crown 3
Top scorers: T Mellor (Biggin) 34, J Avery (Doveridge) 32, J Redfern (Brassington) 26, R Farr (Mayfield) 19, A Goodall (Rose & Crown) 18.
Player of the year (votes received by each club): 1 J Griffin (Weston) 11, 2 A Goodall (Rose & Crown) 10, 3= T Mellor (Biggin), 4 S Swarvett (FC Hulland, J Barker (Kirk Langley all 8.