Chessington F.C. during 1930's could never be said to be a force in local football, the club seemingly embarking each season in a struggle just to maintain a place in Division 1V of the Kingston league.

Matches continued to be played on the Sir Francis Barker Rec., under the control of the ambivalent Barker family who now lived in the Manor House at Barwell Court.

The facilities at the ground were at best, four buckets filled with cold water were used, allowing the visitors first use, whilst the home team took down goals and returned everything to the confines of the hut.

A cup of tea after the match was much appreciated. These were produced for many years by Mrs Henry Hiscock. She also produced lunch for away fixtures with most of the players working Saturday mornings. Travel to away games was by courtesy of "Whetstones ", the log and fencing merchants at Malden Rushett crossroads. He provided the team transport - an open backed lorry with the players sitting on sacks to make them selves as comfortable as possible from the elements, as they toured the district picking up players en-route to the matches.

A team comprised eleven players, the practice of substitutes wasn't introduced until 1965 and if a player had to leave the field through injury, the team continued to play short until the finish. Physical fitness was a matter for the individual; there were no organised training evenings, since most clubs of the time, tended to operate from Public Houses, this became the venue for training.

At the conclusion of the war years, Chessington joined the newly resurrected Sutton and District League. The first was 1945-46 and the League comprised one division of ten clubs. The standard of the team and its probable success could fairly be determined after the first game 15-0 drubbing by Banstead Juniors. The team didn't achieve even one victory and could only muster two draws throughout the season. Fortunately no record of goals scored "for' or "against' was included.

Thus concluded another decade of playing mediocrity. The players have to be admired in that they regularly fulfilled their fixture programmes knowing they were consistently out-classed. During the last three years of their return to the Kingston football they played 54 league games, winning just 5, scoring on 59 occasions and conceding 281.

A most positive step was taken in 1947 when the club adopted a youth policy. A team was entered in the Minor League comprising a number of the former Moor Lane School First X1 and introduced emerging young players such as Mike and Peter Barnard, Don Biggs, Brian Broadhurst, Peter Corner, Terry Dapp, Gary Fallon, John Gale, Don Harper, Pat Kidwell, Dennis Maile, Mike Rosewell and Dave Warwick to league football.

SEASON LEAGUE COMPETITION

1930-31 Kingston District League Div 1V Sect A 6thPlace from 10

1931-32 Kingston District League Div 1V Sect A 9thplace from 10

1932-33 Kingston District League Div 1V Sect A 4thplace from 10

1933-34 Kingston District League Div 1V Sect A 4thplace from 8

1934-35 Kingston District League Div 1V Sect A 5thplace from 10

1935-36 Kingston District League Div 111 Sect A 10thplace from 10

Reserves Div 1V Sect A 9thplace from 9

1936-37 Kingston District League Div 111 Sect A 10thplace from 10

1937-38 Kingston District League Div 1V Sect A

1938-39 Kingston District League Div 1V Sect B

1939-40 Kingston District League Div 1V Sect B

1939 - 1945 PERIOD OF WORLD WAR 11

1945-46 Sutton & District League (one division) 10thplace from 10

1946-47 Sutton & District League Div 11 6thplace from 12

1947-48 Kingston District League Div 11 10thplace from 10

1948-49 Kingston District League Div 111A 10thplace from 10

1949-50 Kingston District League Div 111A 8thplace from 10