Ringmer AFC ready for Alan Washer Trophy final

The trophy, which is the Mid Sussex Football League (MSFL) equivalent of the Community Shield, sees MSFL Premier Division champions Ringmer take on MSFL Senior Charity Cup and Montgomery Cup victors Balcombe in a clash of the division’s titans.

It is the curtain-raiser on the 2024-25 season for the MSFL too, and gives both teams an immediate chance for silverware to add to their collections on what should be a thrilling night.

It has been the strangest of summers for Ringmer, having played their last competitive match on 20 April when they beat their upcoming opponents 4-3 in a furious match played at the Downlands Community School 3G pitch.

After having their intended season-closing fixture away at Sedlescombe Rangers postponed and then being told that Eastbourne United Association Reserves would be penalised six points for playing ineligible players, the Blues could finally celebrate being league champions in early July. By that point, pre-season preparations were almost underway, and since, Ringmer have been in promising form.

A goal-packed schedule has seen them beat Punnetts Town (3-2), Reigate Priory Reserves (3-2), Jarvis Brook (3-1), and a Haywards Heath XI (3-2), while also losing to Seaford Town (0-3) and Hailsham Town (2-3). They have retained almost the entirety of their league-winning squad, too, with the only exceptions being left-back Jacob Ashwood and central midfielder Jamie Blackford.

Ashwood and Blackford have departed for excellent opportunities at Seaford and AFC Uckfield Town respectively, but continue to have close ties to the rest of the squad.

Incoming signings to the Caburn Community Ground include long-serving Lindfield players Dan Oliver and Ryan Flack, who play at centre-back and left-back respectively, and former Eastbourne Town under-23 midfielder Harry Hughes.

All three featured in the final friendly against a Haywards Heath XI and impressed in their roles.

When these two sides met back in April, both were in contention for the MSFL Premier Division title amidst a six-way title fight.

The 4-3 win for Ringmer ended Balcombe’s title ambitions, and with a further defeat to Eastbourne United Association Reserves and a conceded match to Cuckfield Rangers, the West Sussex side went on to finish 7th in the final table.

The black-and-white-kitted side went on to exact a modicum of revenge in the MSFL Junior Charity Cup Final in May when their IIs beat Ringmer AFC IIIs 5-3 at Newhaven FC, but the real hunger will be from their first team to get one over on the Blues.

Last season, too, it is worth noting that they enjoyed great success at the CCG.

In January, they inflicted just one of two league defeats in 2024 for Ringmer when they collected a 2-1 win courtesy of goals from Tom Hawkins and Alex Pollard.

They went on to then win both the MSFL Senior Charity Cup and Montgomery Cup finals at the CCG, defeating Eastbourne United Association Reserves 3-1 and Lindfield 4-1.

Balcombe have kept all of their key players for the 2024-25 season as well, and with the likes of Pollard – who scored 29 goals in 33 games last season – and Hawkins – who bagged 16 in 28 – they will be a huge threat in the MSFL promotion picture again.

A busy summer has left manager Tommy Haddon with plenty of room for positivity as he revealed his desire to get back to action.

Asked about his feelings ahead of the game, Haddon said: “I’m excited. It's the first chance for us to pitch ourselves against a team in our league and see where we are.

“Pre-season is great, it's good for getting players minutes and looking at people, but you never know where you're at until you play somebody in your league, whether that's the first league game or this game.

“I’m looking forward to seeing where we are. We know Balcombe are a strong team, so it'd be nice to see where we pitch against them.”

The appeal of another piece of silverware is a huge motivation for the game, and Haddon was quick to reinforce the importance of that reward.

He said: “Some people call it a Charity Shield, but no, a trophy is a trophy at any level of football.

“To win a trophy is a great achievement. So I want to win it – I want to put it on the CV.

“We'll do all we can to make sure that we get our hands on it. And I'm sure Balcombe will be the same.”

On Balcombe, Haddon was full of praise for their style and performances last season too.

The Blues boss said: “They're a great team – I have to say, one of the best football teams we played last season. We’re very impressed with the way they play that formation and the interchanging.

“They're high energy, they're high intensity, but so are we.

“In the two battles last year, the one after Christmas I felt caught us cold. We hadn't trained and had a lot of players missing. There's nothing to take away from them, as they were good on the day.

“Obviously, the one at their place, which was the league-winning game in the end, was a very good game to win. A really good game of football.

“I like the management staff there too. They're nice guys, and we get on well with them.”

Match Info

The Alan Washer Memorial Trophy takes place at the Caburn Community Ground 3G pitch (BN8 5RB) on Tuesday, 13 August 2024. Kick-off is at 7:30PM.

First introduced in the 2017-18 season, the Trophy has been played on five previous occasions, with the reigning cup champions winning three editions, and the league winners – or their stand-ins – lifting the other two titles.

Ringmer featured in the Trophy at the start of the 2022-23 season in place of league winners Sidley United, who had recently folded.

The Blues lost 6-0 to Cuckfield Rangers on that occasion, and with Ellis Webster, Rhys Taylor, Jake Barber, George Maybury and Dan Fox all featuring then, they will be keen to forge happier memories in the competition.

With Lindfield having featured in three Trophy editions, the Blues can also lean on the experience of Oliver, who played all three times in 2017, 2018 and 2023, and Flack, who also featured in 2023.

Last year’s final was the pair’s first success, too, with a 4-0 thrashing of Ridgewood.

Ringmer AFC and Balcombe FC will both be going for their first Trophy win on this occasion, so it is set to be a cracking match.

Admission charges are in place due to MSFL rules, with entry priced at £5 for adults and £3 for concessions.