It’s that time of year again – tickets for the ever-popular Cambridge United Hall of Fame 2019 induction ceremony and dinner go on sale today.

Make sure you're at the social event of the year by securing your tickets here.

​The ceremony, which will see a host of Cambridge United legends gather to see six personalities inducted to the Hall of Fame, will be held in the Abbey Lounge – home of Cambridge United Supporters’ Club – at 6.30 for 7.30pm on Thursday, March 21.

It was with great sadness that 100 Years of Coconuts learned of the death, on 31 January 2019 at the age of 92, of Teddy Bowd, a flying outside right who starred for Cambridge United in the early to mid-1950s.

Teddy was a speedy winger who earned the nickname 'The Touchline Terror' during a spell at United’s cross-town rivals Cambridge Town, who became Cambridge City in 1951.

He joined Bill Whittaker’s United in 1952 and, over four seasons, made 99 appearances in all competitions, scoring 16 goals and laying on many more for his teammates.

Proud, dignified and uncomplaining to the last, he was the last known remaining member of the Whittaker teams that first brought a little club founded a mere 40 years before to national attention.

Teddy was born in Cambridge on 28 September 1926 and at first lived in Ross Street. His parents, Rachel and Edward, ran the Five Bells in Cherry Hinton High Street from 1937 and he lived in the village for the rest of his life, apart from his time in the army.

The young Teddy soon made his football prowess clear, appearing for Cambridge Schoolboys and Cambridge Juniors. He played alongside another future U’s legend, Russell Crane, for the Central School team that won the the Schools Cup in April 1940.

At the age of 16 he joined Saxons – a new club on the Cambridge scene – before receiving his call-up papers in early 1944.

​He served for more than two years with the Royal Signals in Malaya during that country’s war of liberation. While in Malaya he played football for Malayan Command Signals and the Selangor state team.

Back home by 1948, Teddy found a job as a clerk at Marshall’s and returned to football at Saxons. In 1950 he married his Cherry Hinton High Street neighbour Elizabeth Lane and the couple had two daughters, Jennifer and Sandra.

He moved on to Camden United and, in 1950, having already gained his county colours by playing for Cambridgeshire, to Cambridge Town.
 
At Milton Road he was feted for his exceptional pace allied to a powerful shot, and he was described by the Cambridge Daily News as ‘sixty-four inches or thereabouts of human dynamite’.

In two seasons at Town he played 76 games and scored 24 goals. Notable appearances included his first game at Milton Road, against Bromley, which was also the club's first fixture in the Athenian League, and in a 2-2 friendly draw against Sparta Rotterdam in May 1951 that marked that year's Festival of Britain.

Teddy signed for United in 1952 and played 11 games in his first season, but it was during the club’s famous FA Cup run of 1953/54 that he experienced his finest hour in black and amber.

He was the outstanding player in a first-round 2-2 draw against Newport County at Newmarket Road on November 21, giving left back Doug Hayward a roasting as United laid siege to the County goal for the last half-hour. He also starred in the replay five days later in south Wales, which United won 2-1, and in front of 10,000 U’s fans as United lost 2-1 to Bradford Park Avenue in the second round.

It was in another Cup match against Football League opposition, at Torquay United on 20 November 1954, that Teddy sustained the cruciate ligament injury to his left knee that would eventually end his football career.

United, effectively down to ten men, lost 4-0. During the long train journey home, Teddy put an elastic bandage on the damaged knee, only to fall into unconsciousness when it restricted his blood flow. He woke up in the guard’s van, and recalled in 2014 that it was 12 months before he could walk well.

His football career came to an end the following season but his love of sport continued to manifest itself in a bowls career that saw him reach the national stage with a triples appearance in the English finals.

Teddy continued to work as a buyer for Marshall’s until his retirement at the age of 64.

It was great to hear from our old friend Vic Phillips recently, writing about another of his brushes with greatness.

​As Vic is always quick – a bit too quick if you ask me – to point out, he wasn’t quite good enough to make it as a professional footballer, but he did make seven first-team appearances for the U’s between 1957/58 and 1961/62.

He was a star of the highly successful United youth side of the late 1950s, and good enough to be selected to represent Cambridgeshire in a youth challenge match against West Ham’s youngsters at the Abbey Stadium on 1 October 1958.

Among the young Hammers, wearing the number four shirt that night, was a certain 17-year-old by the name of R Moore. He had made his senior team debut about three weeks before, against Manchester United.

‘It’s interesting to note,’ writes Vic, ‘that as our Brian Moore was leaving West Ham to join Cambridge United, Bobby Moore was showing Hammers scouts that he was worth another look. You might find this piece of history interesting.’

You bet your sweet bippy we do. Vic continues:

‘It was a big night for us lads of Cambs County. Bobby Moore, the kid who was going to stun the football world, was coming to town, with other young Hammers of some note.
​
'There were five of us from Cambridge United playing that night and one of them (Tony Willson) is still my mucker. I suppose we all hoped we would make it but it wasn’t to be.’

Here I should point out that Brian Hart, the first United player to be selected for international honours when he played for England Youth in May 1959, signed for West Brom a few months later. He spent several years at the Hawthorns before moving on to the Southern League clubs Nuneaton Borough, Cambridge City and Wellington Town, and played at Wembley in two FA Trophy finals. Watch Brian on Coconuts TV here.

Carry on, Vic.

‘However, to play against Bobby Moore and have him pull my shorts down was a privilege and I have dined out on the story a few times.’

The football coach and scout Michael ‘Kit’ Carson, who died on January 7 aged 75, had connections with Cambridge United dating back to at least 1980.

Carson, whose trial at Peterborough Crown Court on charges of sexual assault against 11 boys was due to start on the morning of his fatal, one-vehicle crash, had a strong reputation, developed over decades, for coaching and identifying talent in youth football.

His car hit a tree after leaving the A1303 road near Bottisham. He died at the scene and his body was later formally identified by his wife, Pauline.

The court was told of his death on the morning of January 8 and Judge Matthew Lowe ruled that the case file be closed.

Carson, who at the time of his death lived at St Bartholomew’s Court, Riverside in Cambridge, was appointed United's head of talent development in November 2001, moving from Peterborough United. He had also worked at Norwich City.

He became director of youth in January 2004 but left in the summer of 2005 when the club, in administration and heading for the Conference, was forced to make cuts to the youth budget.

​But Carson’s relationship with United had been established much earlier. 

An edited version of this article appeared in the Cambridge United matchday programme for the game against Stevenage on 5 January 2019.

Last Saturday’s sight of young Liam O’Neil lying motionless with his face in the Abbey turf brought back memories for some of us U's supporters of a certain vintage.

Was it really more than 50 years ago – was it 10 December 1966 to be exact – that we saw a near namesake of Liam’s knocked similarly unconscious on the field of play?

But it wasn’t a low-flying Imp that poleaxed the great U’s playmaker and net-bulger Alan O’Neill … the damage in the latter’s case was done when his bonce got in the way of a thunderously struck free kick.

Down he dropped and down he stayed, until judicious application of the magic sponge and a waft of the smelling salts brought him shakily to his feet. Sports medicine was a relatively primitive science in those days.