A Tribute to Sidney Rowles

The whole of Wherwell and many other areas beyond, were saddened by the untimely death of Sid Rowles at the age of 60, Born and brought up in the village of Wherwell he left the local school at the age of 14 and was apprenticed as a carpenter to Taskers of Anna Valley.

Sid, who developed into an all round sportsman played his first football with Taskers Youth team. He left Taskers to serve for 2 years in the Army Catering Corps where he gained greater football experience in playing with several International players in Army games.

Later he worked with Test Valley Borough Council as a carpenter before joining his brother David at Patchington Estate, Longparish.

 

Finally Sid joined the ground staff at Red School, which became Farleigh School, as a general maintenance man where he was very popular with all the pupils and the school staff and he remained a loyal servant until the day he died. Sid took part in all the village activities. I suspect that his great love was cricket. I could be wrong but being a skilled carpenter he knew all about wood especially Cricket bats, stumps and bails.

Sid also took a great interest in the Wherwell Football Club. He played for many years and after his playing days were over he spent a great deal of time as a referee and later still gave the team his sustained support from the touchline.

Sid was also a great supporter of Hampshire Cricket and a keen Pompey fan. He also showed a considerable skill at Darts and cribb, winning several trophies in the late fifties, playing for the Home Guard Club.

He was a life member of the Wherwell Playing Fields Association and the local Cricket team, which he captained for 10 years. His great ambition was to build a new clubhouse at the playing fields and in this the late Chairman Mr Tom Hutton and Sid worked very closely together.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Sid’s life was that he put so much back into the games he loved when his playing days were over, spending 25 years as a groundsman.

Our final farewells to Sid were said at a memorable funeral service at the church of St Peter & the Holy Cross conducted by our vicar the Rev. Errol Williams. The church was packed, a clear indication of the love and high regard we had for Sid.

It is interesting to note that the magnificent sum of £1700 was collected for the Wherwell Playing fields Association in Sid’s memory.

 

Wherwell Anthology XX - First published August 1993
T.K.N. Wilson