7th April 2005 - Huw Edwards MP

Simon Clare will tell the story of how we got in touch with Carshalton old boy Huw Edwards, MP for Monmouth and give details about our meeting with Huw on Monday 5th April at the Houses of Parliament (when these photos were taken).

From left to right - Buzz, Huw Edwards MP, Simon enjoy a drink on the terrace at Westminster

Huw proudly poses with his old Carshalton top

Huw has very fond memories of the Club and has given us valuable advise and letters of support for the Club's Development Plan.  Below is an extract from a letter written by Huw and sent to the Club.  

"I played for the club as a smallish centre forward from 1969-79 having joined after leaving Elmwood School. Peter Huggett persuaded a few of us from the school team to join Car including Peter Burdett and Stefan Toms. I played for every team but was most settled in the 4ths when Dave Etheridge was captain. Unfortunately I missed several seasons while away at university at Manchester and York. 

You are right to say that many former players have great nostalgia for the club. I certainly do. It helped me mature and develop social skills me as a teenager, gave me the opportunity to play on good quality grounds and introduced me to many guys who were fine players and had great character and many great characters who were not such fine players. I was always grateful for the support Bill Backers gave me and later Ian Wigham.  Overall, I just appreciated the camaraderie and dressing room humour of playing in the lower sides with Etheridge, Stoker, Carpenter, Huggett, Mick Gold and others whose names I would remember with a bit of prompting.

I still dream of the time I scored four goals in a 5-2 victory against Lloyds Bank at home.  My worst memory was missing a chance with a few minutes to go when the score was 0-0 in the AFA Junior Cup Final against Old Josepehians in 1972 at Guardian Royal Exchange. I will also never forget the bollockings from Jake Jacobs for missing chances when we had been beaten 8-0 or 8-1in the 3^rds.

Like a lot of my colleagues, I stopped playing regular football when I got active politically. I was first elected as MP for Monmouth in a big by election in 1991, lost in 1992 and came back in 1997 with the Labour victory and was re elected in 2001.

I have continued to play occasional football but in recent years have taken up rugby and cricket since getting into the Commons. We have parliamentary teams in most sports. The parliamentary football team plays a few games each season, generally against other parliamentary sides. The tough games area against the Russian, the Hungarian and the German parliaments. As you can imagine we have some interesting away venues and have to play home games at such grounds as Wembley and Old Trafford. Our coach is Laurie McMennemy who is pretty strict but a great ambassador for the game.

Thanks for the memory and good luck to the club. 

I would buy a pint (on the Terrace at HofC) for anyone who remembers playing with me and a crate of champagne for the team that gives me the opportunity to put the old green shirt on again and play. I still have my last Carshalton shirt!

Best wishes

Huw Edwards MP"

 Buzz