Title
John Godden Oral History Recording
Subject
John Godden
Description
A recording of an oral history interview with John Godden
Creator
Michael Romyn
Publisher
Kent's Sporting Memories
Date
Interview recorded on 25 August, 2020
Contributor
John Godden; Michael Romyn
Rights
Kent's Sporting Memories
Format
MP3 (1:12:23) ; also available in WAV
Language
English
Type
Audio Recording
Identifier
John Godden
Transcription
Kent’s Sporting Memories Oral History Summary
Interviewee: John Godden
Interviewer: Michael Romyn
Date: 25 August, 2020
Location: Remote Interview
0:00 Name, place and date of birth (John William Godden, 12 June, 1944, Folkestone); has lived in Hythe since 1975; parents and grandparents were born in Folkestone; the family owned a milk delivery business, which they eventually sold in 1983 due to competition from the supermarkets; his grandfather once owned a dairy farm; John went on to work for the company which bought his families business.
2:46 Living and growing up in Cheriton as a child, in a manor house attached to a dairy; John attended Sir John Moore School in Cheriton, a primary school, where there was not much in the way of sport, and no cricket at all; by this time, however, John was already playing cricket with his friends and father, and had received coaching at Doug Wright’s cricket school at Shorncliffe.
5:10 John’s father was captain of Folkestone Cricket Club (FCC) for more than 25 years, until the late 1950s; his father had an identical twin, who also played for FCC; how his father and uncle would dress similarly and how people couldn’t tell them apart; John thinks his father and uncle got started in cricket at the Harvey Grammar School, which they attended, and where they met and befriended future Kent and England cricketer Lesley Ames; John speaks about the famous Bodyline series of the 1930s, of which Ames played a part.
9:30 Memories of watching his father playing for FCC, and scoring for the club as a 12-year-old; John states that FCC matches would draw as many as 1,000 spectators – a far cry from today; how the FCC were well known in the town.
12:00 John played his first match for FCC (second eleven) in roughly 1956; playing cricket with his friends in Cheriton outside of a club setting, and playing at school, Morehall Secondary School for Boys, where they had a good cricket team and enthusiastic masters; playing against Harvey Grammar School – the traditionally stronger side; John speaks about his experience at Doug Wright’s cricket school, and Wright’s accomplishments in cricket.
17:00 Moving from the old ground to the club’s current location in Cheriton; John started scoring for the club in around 1954/55; vague memories of his first game for the Club, against an Ashford-based side; John speaks about a memorable game at the end of 1957 in which he played well – ‘I never looked back after that’; playing in the men’s side in his early teens – ‘I don’t remember being intimidating…there wasn’t anything too quick in the second eleven in those days’.
21:00 John was a ‘batting all-rounder’, but also dabbled in off-spin; progressing to FCC’s first team in the early seventies; the Kent League was formed in 1971, in which FCC performed ‘very poorly’ at first, before ‘picking up’ in the early 1980s; FCC won the Kent League in 1989, a time in which John was not so involved with the team because of work commitments.
24:55 The strength of the team and its players in the 1950s and 1960s, including Kent player John Spanswick; the absence of a league structure in Kent before 1971, the opposition to the league’s implementation, and how it affected the cricket – ‘it certainly got more competitive’.
29:00 Playing cricket with his father, a wicketkeeper, when John was young – ‘it was nice to play with your father’; John explains how he worked for the family business after leaving school, and describes how his role within the firm allowed him to play a lot of cricket – ‘I used to play most weeks three games a week at least!’; playing hockey for Folkestone Optimists (which shared grounds with FCC) for two or three years in the mid-1970s.
31:55 Selling the family business in 1983, and going on to work for the acquiring company as a supervisor – John stayed in that role until he retired in 2006 (although the controlling company changed many times); how his new role, based in Ashford, meant he could not play as much cricket on Saturday; getting married and moving out of his parents’ home in Folkestone – to Hythe – in 1975; meeting his wife on a cricket tour in Wales; John’s friendship with Dick Apps and his involvement with Hythe Cricket Club and the Lobster touring team.
41:45 Social life at FCC, and how socialising has diminished over the years – ‘it’s nothing like it used to be’; how the clubhouse was always full after a game – ‘both sides knew each other, and we started chatting to each other…reminiscing…it’s a great shame’; John speculates that the arrangement of the new clubhouse might have played a part in the diminished social scene, but notes that this is a phenomenon across all clubs.
45:10 John describes FCC’s old pavilion at the Cheriton ground, its gradual deterioration, and the development with Roger de Haan of Three Hills - including a new, more practical cricket pavilion - beginning in 2010 (opening in 2013); how the old pavilion was shared with the hockey club, and the FCC’s historical relationship with the hockey club; serving as a trustee with the development body that oversaw the Three Hills development; the opening ceremony attended by the Minister of Sport and the local MP, and how John almost missed it because he had just had a hip replacement.
54:10 John explains why he retired from playing cricket; highlights from his cricketing career, including scoring 137 runs away at Dover in 1967 – ‘everything clicked’ - and FCC winning the Kent League twice; John guesses his career average was roughly ‘mid-twenties’; John talks about some of the best players to play for FCC, including his friend and former Kent player, Jimmy Howgego; Roy Downey; and Gerard Crofton.
1:01 Memories of FCC winning the Kent League in 1989; taking up umpiring after he retired, and the extensive – and complicated – cricket rules; the various roles John has held at FCC, including captain, chairman, and now president; how the role of the chairman has become more onerous and convoluted.
1:06 The major changes John has seen during his time at FCC, including how the game has become more competitive and less friendly in match play, and the waning social scene around the sport – ‘you don’t players now like you used to’; the continued popularity of cricket in Folkestone, as evidenced by the growing colts section; how John’s cousin, Jo Krayenbrink, became involved in the club, and how FCC and cricket has been a major part of the family; the lasting friendships John has made as a result of the club.
Interviewee: John Godden
Interviewer: Michael Romyn
Date: 25 August, 2020
Location: Remote Interview
0:00 Name, place and date of birth (John William Godden, 12 June, 1944, Folkestone); has lived in Hythe since 1975; parents and grandparents were born in Folkestone; the family owned a milk delivery business, which they eventually sold in 1983 due to competition from the supermarkets; his grandfather once owned a dairy farm; John went on to work for the company which bought his families business.
2:46 Living and growing up in Cheriton as a child, in a manor house attached to a dairy; John attended Sir John Moore School in Cheriton, a primary school, where there was not much in the way of sport, and no cricket at all; by this time, however, John was already playing cricket with his friends and father, and had received coaching at Doug Wright’s cricket school at Shorncliffe.
5:10 John’s father was captain of Folkestone Cricket Club (FCC) for more than 25 years, until the late 1950s; his father had an identical twin, who also played for FCC; how his father and uncle would dress similarly and how people couldn’t tell them apart; John thinks his father and uncle got started in cricket at the Harvey Grammar School, which they attended, and where they met and befriended future Kent and England cricketer Lesley Ames; John speaks about the famous Bodyline series of the 1930s, of which Ames played a part.
9:30 Memories of watching his father playing for FCC, and scoring for the club as a 12-year-old; John states that FCC matches would draw as many as 1,000 spectators – a far cry from today; how the FCC were well known in the town.
12:00 John played his first match for FCC (second eleven) in roughly 1956; playing cricket with his friends in Cheriton outside of a club setting, and playing at school, Morehall Secondary School for Boys, where they had a good cricket team and enthusiastic masters; playing against Harvey Grammar School – the traditionally stronger side; John speaks about his experience at Doug Wright’s cricket school, and Wright’s accomplishments in cricket.
17:00 Moving from the old ground to the club’s current location in Cheriton; John started scoring for the club in around 1954/55; vague memories of his first game for the Club, against an Ashford-based side; John speaks about a memorable game at the end of 1957 in which he played well – ‘I never looked back after that’; playing in the men’s side in his early teens – ‘I don’t remember being intimidating…there wasn’t anything too quick in the second eleven in those days’.
21:00 John was a ‘batting all-rounder’, but also dabbled in off-spin; progressing to FCC’s first team in the early seventies; the Kent League was formed in 1971, in which FCC performed ‘very poorly’ at first, before ‘picking up’ in the early 1980s; FCC won the Kent League in 1989, a time in which John was not so involved with the team because of work commitments.
24:55 The strength of the team and its players in the 1950s and 1960s, including Kent player John Spanswick; the absence of a league structure in Kent before 1971, the opposition to the league’s implementation, and how it affected the cricket – ‘it certainly got more competitive’.
29:00 Playing cricket with his father, a wicketkeeper, when John was young – ‘it was nice to play with your father’; John explains how he worked for the family business after leaving school, and describes how his role within the firm allowed him to play a lot of cricket – ‘I used to play most weeks three games a week at least!’; playing hockey for Folkestone Optimists (which shared grounds with FCC) for two or three years in the mid-1970s.
31:55 Selling the family business in 1983, and going on to work for the acquiring company as a supervisor – John stayed in that role until he retired in 2006 (although the controlling company changed many times); how his new role, based in Ashford, meant he could not play as much cricket on Saturday; getting married and moving out of his parents’ home in Folkestone – to Hythe – in 1975; meeting his wife on a cricket tour in Wales; John’s friendship with Dick Apps and his involvement with Hythe Cricket Club and the Lobster touring team.
41:45 Social life at FCC, and how socialising has diminished over the years – ‘it’s nothing like it used to be’; how the clubhouse was always full after a game – ‘both sides knew each other, and we started chatting to each other…reminiscing…it’s a great shame’; John speculates that the arrangement of the new clubhouse might have played a part in the diminished social scene, but notes that this is a phenomenon across all clubs.
45:10 John describes FCC’s old pavilion at the Cheriton ground, its gradual deterioration, and the development with Roger de Haan of Three Hills - including a new, more practical cricket pavilion - beginning in 2010 (opening in 2013); how the old pavilion was shared with the hockey club, and the FCC’s historical relationship with the hockey club; serving as a trustee with the development body that oversaw the Three Hills development; the opening ceremony attended by the Minister of Sport and the local MP, and how John almost missed it because he had just had a hip replacement.
54:10 John explains why he retired from playing cricket; highlights from his cricketing career, including scoring 137 runs away at Dover in 1967 – ‘everything clicked’ - and FCC winning the Kent League twice; John guesses his career average was roughly ‘mid-twenties’; John talks about some of the best players to play for FCC, including his friend and former Kent player, Jimmy Howgego; Roy Downey; and Gerard Crofton.
1:01 Memories of FCC winning the Kent League in 1989; taking up umpiring after he retired, and the extensive – and complicated – cricket rules; the various roles John has held at FCC, including captain, chairman, and now president; how the role of the chairman has become more onerous and convoluted.
1:06 The major changes John has seen during his time at FCC, including how the game has become more competitive and less friendly in match play, and the waning social scene around the sport – ‘you don’t players now like you used to’; the continued popularity of cricket in Folkestone, as evidenced by the growing colts section; how John’s cousin, Jo Krayenbrink, became involved in the club, and how FCC and cricket has been a major part of the family; the lasting friendships John has made as a result of the club.