2015/2016
Bec 1
It was back to the Europa Shield to defend our title and to be the first English club to win the shield back to back.
The first game was against the German Club TuS Schildgen. Playing against the Germans on their home soil is always difficult, but playing 'fighting' Germans is even more difficult! The game got off to a shaky start but Bec kept the lead throughout the first half and were up 7-3 at half time. The Germans however came out fighting and took a 11-10 lead. The German drum was beating and the German crowd were alive and loud. After some great defensive work from Joe, Andy, Amy and Helen preventing them from taking a 2 goal lead Ben brought the game back to 11-11 and into Golden Goal we went.
The Germans had the first attack and the strong rebound of Ben gave Bec the chance to attack and now it was time for the Bec supporters to be loud and heard. A well worked goal taken by Andy and Bec had won!
Two more wins against the Catalans and the Hungarians and we were into the semi-finals to see us face the other German team Schweriner. We knew this game was going to be tough and not only did we have to beat the team on the pitch but we had to deal with the large home crowd beating drums! With a well fought game Bec found themselves up by 3 goals with 3 minutes to go and although further goals were traded Bec kept that 3 goal cushion to win 15-12 and into the final to face the other Catalan team, Barcelona!
The first quarter of the match went according to plan and silly mistakes by them allowed us to take the lead. However Barcelona had other ideas and upped their game and went into the break with a 3 goal lead. Coach Buckland told the team to have control in the next half. He reminded the team that they were the current champions of the shield, and the better team in the game, and that there was no reason why we didn't deserve to win.
Determination from Bec allowed us to pull back equal but Barcelona then stepped on the pedal again and Bec were 5 goals down with 4 minutes to go with the dream slipping away. If Bec were going to go down then they were not going to go without a fight! Four unanswered goals and Bec had pulled it back to 1. With 2 seconds left on the clock Joe pops up a shot… Golden Goal would be a great way to end the final and tournament… a little tap on the top of the korf… but it bounces out and the final whistle ends Becs dream!
The regular season ended with Bec finishing second on goal difference with Trojans ending top. For the 3rd consecutive year it was another Bec/Trojans final after Bec saw off Kingfisher in the semis.
This year the battle was more like the one 2 seasons ago, although this time it was Becs turn to be down at half time. Bec came out fighting in the second half and with the yellow and black army out in force again and behind them all the way Bec pulled it back equal. Both teams then traded goals and the title this year could go either way! Unfortunately, yet again it was not to be Becs year as Sam Brooks scored the winner with little time left on the clock.
Bec 2
Determined to finish in the top 3 this year and maybe even reclaim the title, many changes within the squad took place this year and saw young Bec International stars Chloe, Billy and Jessica make the squad. Some encouraging performances at the beginning of the season and Bec believed that they had the depth in the squad to achieve their aim. Everything went according to plan apart from the draw against Highbury 1 that gave Trojans the 1 point lead to take the title. One consolation prize was that our goal difference was higher than Trojans!
Bec 3, 4 & 5
This was a challenging year for Bec’s lower teams. Despite Bec 3 changing training nights to a Wednesday to join the squad and to benefit from the experience of head coach Buckland, this maybe wasn’t the year to return to the top London league. Although all 3 teams consisted of experienced players and youth players in their first year in the senior teams, for various other reasons they all had a difficult season.
2014/2015
Bec 1
It was the year of firsts for Bec 1!
Irina Casado Pozanco was the 1st Catalan Player to join the Bec family which helped fill the gap left by Ho Yei who moved to Germany.
For the first time in the clubs history Bec got into Europe. After narrowly missing out on a place in the Europa Cup in the play-off finals, Bec 1 qualified for the Europa Shield. This took place in Bergisch-Gladbach (near Cologne) Germany. With the wealth of international players in the squad, Bec went into this tournament confident of bringing home the gold! The first round of matches did not disappoint with some really close and fiercely contested games. Bec beat the Germans 18-15, Portuguese 12-11 and Catalan’s 3-8. The semi-finals saw us up against the Czech; the experienced heads of the older players complimenting the exuberance of youth allowed us to dominant most of the game and led us to a comfortable 20-10 win. Heading into the final Bec were confident they could establish themselves as champions of Europe and a classic Germany v England encounter didn’t fail to impress the crowd. The final started with both teams trading goals and being exceptionally strong in defence; half time Bec lead 2-5. The second half started the same as the first, but first it was the Germans to up the pace and they clawed the goal difference to 1 with 5 minutes to go (7-8 to Bec). For these 5 minutes Bec showed why they deserved to be crowned champions with some brilliant play and won the game 7-11.
The final first for Bec 1 was that they finished 1st in regular season in the England Korfball league; the games between Bec and Trojans finished with one victory apiece but Trojans lost by 1 to Kingfishers which handed the top spot to Bec. After the epic play-off final last year, everyone was hoping for a replay again this year but unfortunately this was not to be – like Trojans, Bec were unable to convert many of their chances and never quite made it out of the blocks. For an encounter between the top two clubs in England the score line was disappointingly low and Trojans won the title 14-10. The only consolation was that Bec would get the opportunity to be the first English club to win the Shield back to back.
Bec 2
Bec 2 had a season with 2 very different halves - although the squad was strengthened with the arrival of Tiago Almeida, Anna Jordan, Beth Penhaligon and young international Under 16 player Marcus the season did not quite go according to plan. The pattern of the season was strong performances in the first half were counteracted in the second half. Places 3rd – 5th were decided by 1 point and goal difference and unfortunately Bec came out the wrong side and finished 5th.
Bec 3
After being demoted from the London Regional League last year, Bec 3 wanted to return to top London league action as soon as possible. Lead by new player coach Swaraj their season couldn’t have gone any better. They had a fantastic season with constant solid performances, scoring over 200 goals spread across the whole squad and only losing 2 games they finished top of the league.
Bec 4
Just like the London Regional League in the 2013/2014 season this year also saw LKA 2 change format and increase to 12 teams being split into two pools with the top two teams from each pool forming a mini-pool to decide the eventual winners. Bec 4 put in some good performances and scored some nice goals finishing 3rd in there mini pool and 9th overall.
Bec 5
After winning the league last year Bec 5 were confident that they could win the league title back to back. With the bond within the team developing even further and being consistent in their game play and tactics it was no surprise that Bec 5 made it to the cross over finals, scoring the most goals in the league with 135. Unfortunately after a well contested game they lost in the final to Croydon Swans.
Bec Youth
A decision was made by the Bec Youth coaches Danny Miles and Davesh Patel and the current youth players to enter the Bec Youth into the London Regional League 2 as a separate team to take their development to the next stage whilst helping to transition into the senior leagues. With a combination of ability within the squad, the season was a mixed one and although they finished bottom of their mini pool, they didn’t finish bottom overall and put in some great performances.
Juniors
Bec’s Under 9 and under 11 juniors participated in the monthly London mini games developing their games even further and coming away with several well-earned victories.
2013/2014
Bec 65th
Saturday 10th May saw Bec celebrate their 65th Birthday. There were 60+ past and present Bec members in attendance with some members dating back from the 1970s which just goes to show how grand an event it was. There was Bec’s Fizz on hand to welcome the guests in addition to novelty Bec water bottles standing as seating name tags. The night started off with another one of Mark Fenton’s now traditional, epic and immense Bec Montage. There are no more words to describe his masterpiece… let the viewing do all the talking.
This was followed by a speech from Eddie Buckland who featured for Bec in the 1970s and the audience were gripped to hear about the history of Bec and its tales. A short break later and the junior awards commenced with the young Bec members taking away accolades for Club, County and Country. With the juniors collecting so many awards there was a fuel stop before proceeding with the senior awards. With Bec in a healthy state 65 years on, the senior awards weren’t lacking in numbers either as awards were given across 5 teams. To bring the evening to a crescendo it was time to let the hair down and put on the dancing shoes. The night was a roaring success, thanks to all that came along.
Bec U16s: 2nd League & Cup
With many of the previous year’s U16s now too old to play for the U16s it was time for some of the younger members to make the step up. Did they step up? Read on and make your own judgement…
The first half of the season got off to a great start with the Bec winning 6 out of their 7 opening games. This continued post-Christmas with Bec finding the right gears at the right time to keep on the toes of the 1st placed team and arch enemies Tornadoes. In the must win game against their title contenders Tornadoes, Bec put in a valiant performance but fell short as Tornadoes won 6-10. This meant the highest Bec could finish was 2nd place. Much like the 1st team Bec U16s finished in second place.
However… this wasn’t the end of the Bec U16 campaign as they still had an opportunity to claim glory in the Kent Cup. This wasn’t going to be an easy task as in the semi-finals they faced Tornadoes. In what can only be described as an epic encounter Bec made history as they got an unprecedented win edging out to a 10-9 victory.
This meant that Bec had an encounter with Bearsted and got their first taste of playing with the pressure of a supporting crowd as the atmosphere was buzzing. It was a very tight affair as both teams traded goals and went into half time on an even keel at 3 apiece. The second half continued in the same fashion as both traded another 2 goals. At 4-4, one team managed to get the crucial 2 goal turnover… unfortunately for Bec it was Bearsted who established this 2 goal cushion and from here on in the pattern of trading goals continued as Bearsted ended up eventual winners with a 6-7 victory.
Another “so close yet so far” moment for Bec as the U16s finished runners up in both the Kent League and Cup Finals.
Bec U16 Squad: Chloe, Jessica, Megan, Grace, Jessie, Carmen, Callum (C), Billy, Sid, Scott, Javier & Ignacio
Bec 1: 2nd
And so the time came for Bec 1, led by new and current England senior coach Dave Buckland, to battle it out for the title many years after their last opportunity. With a blend of youth in the girls (new Bec 4 coach Ho Yei Chow being the only non-teenage girl) complementing the experience in the guys (bolstered by the arrival of Joe Bedford and Ben King) it was going to be a great challenge to see them up against the might of Trojans who had a wealth of international experience amidst their clan. The game got off to a great start for Bec 1 as they stormed into a 5-0 lead as they piled the pressure on Trojans which seemed to show as Trojans uncharacteristically missed some of their simpler chances. Once Trojans sunk their first shot they settled and from this point forward both teams traded goals meaning Bec 1 went into half time with a healthy lead at 9-4.
If recent history was anything to go by then Bec knew that Trojans would come storming out at the start of the second half. This is exactly what happened as there was a period where Trojans scored 9 to Bec’s solitary goal. This meant for the first time Trojans lead 12-13. After another period of going goal for goal the final whistle brought the game to an end… who came out on top… no-one… 17-17 and into golden goal!!! Trojans started with the ball and with their second shot they scored which meant Bec had to score in their first attack to continue. With a decision going against Bec, Trojans intercepted the ball and now all they had to do to seal victory was to get the ball back into their attack. In what seemed a lifetime Bec were resilient in defending the ball out but ultimately it was Trojans who kept their cool and secured victory. Whilst not being the result wanted it can only be described as one of the best games of korfball seen in England for a long time and was a great showcase for English korfball. If you can bear to watch the game in full then courtesy of fellow korfballer Nick Wilkins the epic battle can be seen here (also featuring former Becster Tom Brady on commentary) .
Bec 1 Squad: Ho Yei Chow, Jo-Anne Wilson, Claire Dique, Amie Swain, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Davesh Patel (C), Andrew Hall, Joe Bedford, Ben King & Blake Palfreyman.
Bec 2: Win the League
After finishing third in the 2012/2013 season, Bec 2 were looking to regain their title from the 2011/2012 season. Bec stormed out of the blocks with a convincing 28:9 victory over their neighbours Mitcham. The matches that followed saw the goals dry up a tad, culminating in a thrilling (genuinely) 8:5 victory over fellow Becsters Bec 3. Bec 3’s sterling performance knocked the confidence of Bec 2 as they lost to title challengers Trojans 2 in their next game. Bec 2 dug deep and got back on track with their winning ways and also rediscovered their shooting form averaging 24 goals in their next 3 games. Bec carried this momentum throughout the rest of the season as they won all of their remaining fixtures to end the season as CHAMPIONS!!!
2012-2013
This was the season of many 'bad luck' moments with the squad riddled with injuries throughout and many close games not going in our favour. Despite this, going into the last game Bec were in a position to make the playoffs. This time it wasn't a case of winner takes all in the game against Kingfisher, however Bec had to win to go through. With the absence of Patel through suspension, this didn't help matters and Bec fell just short and ended finishing 5th. Blake Palfreyman proved his worth scoring 64 goals in his first full season in the top flight.
With the final game, Bec head coach Danny Miles announced that he was stepping down and going to focus once again on the Bec juniors, a decision that was made at the start of the season.
2011-2012
With Donald having external commitments he had to step down. Stepping up to the 1st team coach was Danny Miles with Jackie Hoare taking the role of assistant coach. Following the trend of changes the year before, this year saw the introduction of the new playing ball. Bec added further depth to their squad with the signing of Matt Brooks from Trojans and half way through the signing of youngster Blake Palefreyman also from Trojans. Bec youngster and rising star Jo-Anne Wilson made her debut in the first team. Following in the same steps as Donald the season before, Coach Miles led Bec to a consecutive 3rd place finish. This time the route to the playoffs was not as much of a spectacle as the previous season as Bec secured their place in the playoffs with games to spare. The playoffs themselves were a repeat of the 2010-2011 season.
2010-2011
With the groundwork put in place the previous years, the foundations were now set for Bec to start mounting a campaign towards the top end of the league. This seemed to be the season for many changes:
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For the first time there were going to be multi-game venues (MGVs).
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The league expanded to 10 teams.
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Lia Matthews joins from rivals Trojans.
The biggest change this season saw Scorpions join Bec. This brought back a junior setup to the Bec club back to the old days with teams in the category of U9s, U11s and U16s. Alongside the juniors came their crazy parents which helped expand the Bec senior teams to 6!
This season proved to be Bec's most exciting season yet in recent years as leading into the final weeks there was still all to play for going into the last few games to determine who would get the last spot in the playoffs. With a couple of games to go, both Bec and Mitcham were able to reach the playoffs at the expense of one another. The MGV event at Medway Park provided the first part of this story. Bec were up against Nomads followed by Mitcham against Norwich Knights. If Bec beat Nomads then they were going to the playoffs. However the result did not go in favour of them so they now had to rely on Norwich Knights to pull off a shock victory against Mitcham. Spurred on by the Bec army, Knights did Bec a massive favour and beat Mitcham which meant Bec were still in with a shout of that final spot.
Crystal Palace - Final MGV - Bec vs. Mitcham - Crunch Time: Winner takes the final playoff spot. Showing the tight links with the juniors, Bec 1 ran out into the Crystal Palace arena hand in hand with their mascots, with Captain Patel leading the way with Chloe!!!!
The final score of 15-16 in favour of Bec only tells half the story. Both teams were toing and froing and neither were able to take full control of the game. The game proved to be the spectacle of the season... exactly the purpose of MGVs with supporters and other teams looking on from the side as the crowd were gripped. Ultimately, it was Bec who came out on took that final spot. If ever a picture tells a story then it's this one...
IT WAS FRICKENAWASOME!
As far as the playoffs were concerned, the first match against eventual league winners Trojans was a non-event as Trojans stormed into a commanding lead and never looked back. However, Bec still had one game to go with the 3rd/4th playoff up against Nomads. This time Bec ended up on the right side and took home the bronze medal. After many years Bec were back on the podium!
To cap the season off Sparrow proved her worth ending up top female league goal scorer with 65 goals.
2009-2010
With the departure of big man Tom Brady who ventured back up to his home town of Birmingham, Bec welcomed back an old friend in Donald Forrester to take over the reins at the top. Having played a big part in producing the talents of Dinos and Dav through the junior system Donald was looking to test his expertise in the top flight of English Korfball. Bec also welcomed Danny Miles as assistant coach and current England international Karen Sparrow as a player to the black and yellow army. Despite a good end to the season, Bec's shaky start cost them a place higher up the new Haven Sports Korfball League, ending up in 6th place.
2008-2009
Coach Tom Brady continued in his role as player coach but this time was managing the whole squad. Bec had an up and down season with mixed fortunes. This was reflected in their final standings as they finished 6th.
2006 - 2007
Steve Green from Mitcham coached the squad. Ian de la Mothe coached the club. The first team finished 7th in the premier league and beat North Downs in the relegation play off to maintain their premiership status. The second team finished 4th behind Mitcham 2, Trojans 2 and Kwiek 2 in the reserve league. Bec 3 finished 3rd in the London premier league behind promoted Wildcats and Highbury 1. Bec 4 finished bottom of the London 1st division - 36 different players played for Bec 4.
2006 - 2007
Graham Box and Dave Synott continued to coach the club in the first year back in the Premier League.
2004 - 2005
Bec Korfball Club appointed Graham Box and Dave Synott as squad coaches for their promotion campaign. The first team achieved promotion at the first attempt, winning every game.
1st Team
From back left: Graham Box (Coach), Nsemeke Upkong, Anne Rheason, Beth Baker, Tamara Burnell, Mel Meshkat
Mike 'Really Fast' Brayne, John Bracey, Stuart Ironmonger, Tom Brady
2003 - 2004
Bec 1 appoint Liam Clarke as coach and are relegated in a tight Premier League campaign on 6 points. Bec needed 5 points from their last three games against Nottingham, Trojans and Kwiek. Nottingham were beaten convincingly away and Trojans held to a draw at home. Bec led Kwiek until the final minute when Kwiek equalised, relegating Bec. Bec 2 finished 7th in a 9 team reserve division. Bec 3 finished 5th in the LDKA first division.
1999 - 2000
Bec finished 4th in the league, behind Mitcham, Nomads and Croydon with a record of won 7, drew 1, lost 6, goals for 193, goals against 220
1998 - 1999
10 April 1999: Cup Final, Crystal Palace - Mitcham (26) - Bec (6): Pete Broome, Phil Crafter, Tonya Crafter, Barabara van Neirop, Jackie Hoare, Sarah Stalker, Richard Crabb, Steve Johnson, Ian Budhu, Steve Wright, Abi Cook, Jo Ross
Under 14's: Mitcham (10) - Bec (9) - After watching the first 5 minutes one could have been excused for thinking one was going to see a Mitcham walk over. Bec had not managed to get the ball into their attack once and Mitcham had swept to a 2 goal lead. But the beauty of our sport is that attackers must become defenders and vice versa. Bec won and converted a penalty, then at 3-1 down won and missed a penalty only to be given a second penalty successfully converted within just a single minute. The tension hotted up. Bec had lost their nerves and were playing for all they were worth. Half time saw them equal 4-4.
The excitement continued into the second half with Bec taking the lead only to give away another penalty and watch Mitcham as they stormed away to lead 10-7 with just 2 minutes to go. Bec chased scoring 2 goals in ust a single minute and the crowd held their breath as Liam Sollis took final aim - but the golden goal was not needed. Mitcham breathed a sigh of relief and took the prize. Well done both teams.
Bec: Daniel Carter, Hayley Cuffie, Tara Edwards, Amy O'Neil, Davesh Patel, Liam Sollis, Sam Wilson, Francine Woolcock, William Buttinger, Paul Furtado, Monica McLean. Coaches: Donald Forrester and Jackie Hoare.
1998
"Bec has been celebrating its 50th anniversary in some style. A magnificant formal dinner/dance was held in June for 100 people - it gathered together many `golden oldies' as well as current members. It was brilliant to see so many people of such different ages having fun. The LDKA made a presentation of a banner to the club while the club recognised the following people for their outstanding contributions: Peter Saunders (co-founder), Barry Almond (club captain for many years), Audrey and Eddie Buckland (for their input over 4 decades) and Fiona Keyte and Graham Anderson. The event was organised by Fiona Cockburn with her customary aplomb. Not content with this we went on to hold a brilliant tournament. I heard the pre-tournament bash was good, but unfortunately I have little recall of it (!) The tournament itself was fantastic, with bright sunshine and a very friendly atmosphere - as you might expect with six teams of juniors and about 10 of seniors (some very senior). Thanks are due to Graham Anderson for pulling it all together and to everyone who helped."
1997 - 1998
National League: Premier Division consisted of two pools. Bec finished 3rd in Pool B behind Nomads and Croydon and above Borough Green, Invicta and Cambridge City, having played 10 games, won 6 and lost 4. Scoring 161 goals, letting in 135. In the second round (playing off for places 5th-8th) Bec finished 7th below Trojans and Nottingham and above Borough Green. Bec 2 finished 4th in the reserve league, behind Mitcham, Croydon and Nomads.
1994 - 1995
The last season before the introduction of the reserve league.
1993 - 1994
Bec 1 were in the premier division and with two-thirds of the matches played were 5th in a 7 team league.
1991 - 1992
The outdoor London league became a 2-zone competition. Bec enlisted the services of Doug McKenzie, the former Trojans player, as coach who helped out at the end of the previous season when Cej Burgess departed.
Late 1980's
Bec travel to the tournaments in the Hague. An e-mail from one of the Dutch teams taking part:
Hi,
I'm frank from korfball club Olympiaan at the Hague Holland. In the late 80's we played some tournaments with Bec at Easter. The team with Gary and Mick, Michelle and Dave Buckland Ian And the lot..
Always had a great time with you guys !! They were crazy !! Cheers!
Met vriendelijke groet,
Frank Dorsman
1988 - 1989
Bec 1 finish last in the summer micro (2nd division) competition.
1987 - 1988
Bec play their national league games at Croften (while Nomads play at Tooting!) There are no Bec teams in the London indoor league. Bec 1 are 7th half way through the London Outdoor league, just above North Downs. There is no mention of Bec 2. But there is a league in Surrey? "Finishing fourth last season must be seen as a success for Bec after they had to rebuild their club. Coach Cej Burgess will settle for the same position, or maybe a place higher, in what he calls their second rebuilding year. Early setbacks this season include the loss of both Michelle Buckland and Shareen Behardian to injury, leaving a very much weaker four of Sharon de la Mothe, Fiona Keyte, Jill Hill and Lynn Nicholls. Much better prospect for Bec from the boys, with rejuvenated Gary Tilbrook joining Ian de la Mothe, Ridwaan Behardian, Mick Hooker and Graham Anderson. The decision not to supplement club training with a special first team training night has to be called into question. Burgess aims mainly for fitness and technique in his players and says that he will not constrain them with a rigid system to play to. Bec should do well against the weaker teams but will struggle against the bigger clubs' professionalism. Bec finish 4th in the Summer Micro league competition.
1986
National League begins.
1979
Bec 1 finished 4th in the London 1st division behind Mitcham, Croydon and Vultrix and ahead of Nomads, Vultrix 2 and Mitcham 2. Bec 2 finished the division 2, just above Old Pelhamians. Bec 3 finished 2nd in Division 4. Wandsworth again lost to Croydon in the borough championships. Bec played Nomads in the London Winter Micro (2-zone) cup and drew 10-10 in regular time. Bec won on penalties 4-3. Bob Rengers was the top scorer in the winter micro competition scoring 19, Pete Evans was 4th with 10, Jackie Slaughter and Barry Almond were joint 6th with 8 goals a piece. Bec changed their ground and instead of playing on Tooting Bec common they went to play at Openview Sports and Social Club, Openview off Burtonwood Lane.
1978
Bec 1 finished 4th in the outdoor league behind Vultrix, Mitcham and Croydon and above Nomads, Mitcham 2 and Warlingham.
Bec 2 narrowly avoided relgation finishing 6th in Division 2 just above Nomads 2.
Bec 3 finished second in Division 4 just below Croydon 3.
Bec 1 finished 6th in the first Winter Micro League. Rob Rengers finished 4th in the outdoor league scorers with 22 goals (4 goals behind top scorer Allan Robson of Vultrix). Anne Rheason of Vultrix was top female goal scorer and 5th overall with 17 goals.
Eddie Buckland was joint 14th top goal scorer with 14 goals.
Bec 3 put 17 goals past Old Pelhamians 2 in the first round of the BKA cup. Anita Lucas was in the GB squad for the World Youth Tournament.
1977
London League: Vultrix won the league because of a better goals per game ratio than Mitcham. Mitcham would have won on goal difference. "This is Vultrix's third successive title but they nearly lost the title when they drew 6-6 with Bec at the end of the season but increadibly Mitcham were held 9-9 by Croydon on the same night." Wandsworth came second in the inter-borough championship, losing to Croydon. Bec 1 were defeated in the Semi-Final of the cup by Croydon 6-2. No Bec players made the top 22 goal scorers.
Bec 1 came second in the LDKA league to Vultrix.
1975
London League: Wandsworth inter-borough champions
1973 - 1974
Bec 1 Division 1 winners
Bec 1 beat Vultrix in the BKA Cup
1972 - 1973
Bec 1 Division 1 winners
1970 - 1971
Bec 1 Division 1 winners
Bec 1 beat Mitcham in the BKA Cup
1967 - 70
Bec 1 Division 1 winners
1966 - 67
The first ever micro tournament was held at Crystal Palace in 1966 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Wandsworth korfball club.
Winners of 1st Micro Tournament 1966
Boys from left to right: Peter Evans, Douglas Mackenzie, Barry Almond, Mick Mander, Roy Moynes.
Girls from left to right: Rosemary Hayes, Jackie Wright, Esme Chantrill, Lynda Almond (now Mackenzie) and Pam Brenchley (now Hooks)
1965 - 66
Bec 1 Division 1 winners
Bec 1 beat Mitcham in the BKA Cup
1961 - 62
Bec 1 beat Wandsworth in the BKA Cup Bec 2 Division 2 winners
1955
Rudy Muller, one of the first GB captains, joins Bec at the start of a successful period during the late 50's and 60's.
1952 - 54
Wandsworth London Division 1 winners.
1952
At that time London was only one of a number of korfball centres and not even the largest nucleus of the game. In Yorkshire clubs like Rotherham & District Boys Welfare Club were running three teams including seniors and juniors and Spartan K.C. from the same area had two sides.
1949 - 1950
Bec Korfball Club established.
Wandsworth London Division 1 winners.
1948 - 49
Preliminary discussions are held regarding the formation of Bec Korfball Club.
Wandsworth London Division 1 winners.
1947
Wandsworth played Croydon in the first national club match in May 1947. Wandsworth won 15-1.
Pre-History
"The first organised game [of korfball] ever to be played in England took place at the `News of The World' sports ground in Mitcham on 17th July 1946. It was a demonstration game between two Dutch sides sent over by the Dutch Korfball Association. The Dutch sides did further demonstration matches around England. They were all well received and it is perhaps surprising that the foundation of Korfball here was not more widely spread. The following month saw the foundation of the British Korfball Association before any actual club was established. The area of interest in Korfball was then centered in London and the Sheffield/Rotherham area of Yorkshire, but the formation of clubs was slow.
After the visit of the Dutch teams a large party of English sportsman and women travelled to Zeist in Holland to learn how to play the game. From this trip the first two clubs were founded - Croydon and Wandsworth. The London and District Korfball League was founded two years later in 1948. The first season was due to start in January of that year but due to bad weather, the league was postponed to March when an abridged series was played. The results of this series was:
Wandsworth A
Croydon B
Wandsworth B
Croydon A
The league properly got underway in September 1948 when Mitcham Korfball Club entered. The club had its origins in the 1946 demonstration match but despite several practice sessions the club did not start competitive games until 1948. The 1948-49 season ended with Wandsworth even stronger than before.