Maidstone Sports and its sportsmen and women

John Shears

Maidstone I remember it well: Hi again Peter, would it be possible to open a Blog on Sport in Maidstone ? Especially Footbal & Rugby, I played for Aylesford (Reeds Paper Mill)Rugby Football Club in the early 70's and would love to hear from anyone who played at Aylesford, Brian Swaffer, Dave Bowden-Brown, Neil Wiltshire etc, regards to anyone who remembers me, John Shears

Douglas Warren

Maidstone I remember it well: I have a record of an Aylesford Paper Mills rugby team playing against Bournemouth RFC in the Bournemouth Easter Rugby and Hockey Festival at the end of 1953/4. It was played on the Monday 19 April 1954 and the score was Bournemouth 26 Aylesford Paper Mills 5. I have no more information than that. I presume the Aylesford score was a try and a conversion. I do not even know the make up of the Bournemouth score. Hope it is of interest.

David Weekes

Maidstone I remember it well: Kent Messenger Walk, May 6th 1967. I still have the certificate issued by H R Pratt-Boorman, Editor in Chief and Proprietor of the Kent Messenger. Thousands of people from schoolkids to pensioners took part every year, starting from Dreamland in Margate to Maidstone via Canturbury and Ashford. The certificate says I took 17 hours and 44 minutes - it felt much longer and I was very pleased to reach Maidstone. I'd given up at 32 miles (Ashford) the previous year but some of my schoolmates had finished. In 1967 I was going to finsih if it killed me - it nearly did!

David I thought about doing it myself at the time but then I thought better of it. To everyone that completed the walk I had and have every admiration. Incidently I remember there were one or two who actually ran the course, they were the mad ones. Peter