Bashley FC kick off 75th anniversary celebrations

IT is one of the smallest villages in the New Forest but with one of the mightiest local football teams.

Bashley is home of Bashley FC, which this year celebrated its 75th anniversary with a long and glorious sporting history.

Known as The Bash, the club was founded in 1947 by Messrs Ingram and Whitcher who decided to get a few local lads together to form a team.

Its home ground had a hedge and stream running down the middle, which may have been why the club decided to play only friendly games for two years.

From those small beginnings the club went on to become one of the most successful in the area – paid testament to the glittering array of trophies in the club’s boardroom.

In 1950 Bashley FC joined the Bournemouth League. It left in 1983 to join the Hampshire League and, three years later, was a founder member of the Wessex League.

Among its proudest moments was playing against Swansea City in an FA Cup second round.

The team has been led by former European Cup winning footballer Jimmy Case, while former Premier League player Wade Elliot started his career with The Bash.

The village itself has a population of around 750 but on match days it seems every single one them turns out to support the team.

One person who the club has been able to rely on for the last 20 years is Mike Cranidge.

Former manager but now president of Bashley FC, he said: “At one stage I was doing everything from filing match reports to the A&T, to painting the dugout, to driving the players’ coach to matches.

“I have always loved it here – it has become my life. One of the highlights of my time in charge was the second-round FA cup match against Swansea where we had 4,000 in the ground.

“But there have been many more. Bashley has always been known as a successful club who give great entertainment.

“Celebrating our 75th anniversary this year is just amazing, but we have many more years to come.”

In 2020 Bashley’s future was in doubt, with finances looking dire. Rescue came in the form of businessman Paul Lucas who heard about Bashley’s problems in an unusual way.

Paul, from Ringwood, said: “I was in a taxi and the driver, who turned out to be Bashley’s chief steward, was telling me about the financial difficulty the club was in.

“I came down to watch a match and was just blown away by the village’s total passion for the team.

“I knew I had to step in to help.”

Paul’s investment saved Bashley and has seen the club prosper.

A football fanatic, his great-grandfather played for Watford while his father was with Tottenham Hotspur from 1966-69.

Bashley’s ground is now known as the GlenMex Stadium, dubbed after a company which was itself named in honour of Paul's son who died when he was just three years old.

He said: “I feel so proud every time I see his name at the stadium.”

Paul, who runs construction company Banbury Builders, took over as chair from Mike in March 2021.

He said: “Mike has done a fantastic job and my role really is to stabilise the future of the club.

“The people here are a brilliant bunch.

“The dedication of the players is incredible, and I have great faith in them. I want to take the club to where it has never been before – I think we can reach national league football.”

Paul, like Mike, praises the backroom people – mostly volunteers – for “keeping the club going”.

He said: “To a person they are a great bunch of people. So are our fans. Their love and support for the team was what made me want to get involved.”

“It is also what has kept Bashley FC going for 75 years.”