I am delighted to forward details of the TWENTIETH ANNUAL BEDALE FOOTBALL CLUB SPORTSMAN’S DINNER to be held on FRIDAY 4th MARCH 2011 at BEDALE HIGH SCHOOL starting at 7.00pm for  7.30pm.

This year to mark our 20^th anniversary we have revamped the evening and have engaged DEXTER’S outside caterers for the first time in an attempt to improve the quality of the meal. I have also engaged the services of two highly sought speakers in the 1968 Man Utd European Cup Winning goalkeeper Alex Stepney and ex Grumbleweed, Maurice Grumbleweed who is in heavy demand as an after dinner speaker especially on the cruise ships, so we are very pleased to have both men with us. The evening as usual will comprise a four course sit-down meal with the THEAKSTONS bar being operated by members of Bedale Athletic and Sports Association. Formal attire is the usual preferred dress on this occasion and but after 5 years, we have had to increase the ticket price slightly to £33.00. Should any guests have any special dietary considerations, please let me know in advance and I will attempt to ensure your needs are satisfied (well I’ll try).

The evening will once again include games of Heads & Tails, OGNIB and a Picture Quiz as well as the Grand Draw for a one-off £10 entry to these games. The main prize in the Grand Draw is a 26”, 18-geared mountain bike as well as lots of replica shirts etc. Bedale Association Football Club will be donating the proceeds of an auction  to a local charity. Last year we raised an incredible £891 towards a sports wheelchair for Benjamin Symonds through the one-off auction for this very worthwhile cause. This year we are hoping to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support who help with all the things that people affected by cancer want and need. They fund nurses and other specialist health care professionals and build cancer care centres.

In May 1966, Alex Stepney joined Chelsea for £50,000. Manager Tommy Docherty initially intended to play Stepney and fellow goalkeeper Peter Bonetti in alternate weeks, but just three months later Stepney was sold to Manchester United for a record fee of £55,000, having made just one appearance for the club. With Stepney in goal, Manchester United won the  L:eague Championship in 1967, entitling them to entry into the European Cup the following season, a competition which no English club had yet won. Stepney featured throughout United's progress to the final at Wembley, memorably making a late close-range save from Benfica striker Eusebio in the closing stages with the score at 1–1. Eusébio was so astonished at Stepney's save – he caught a vicious close-range shot – that he stopped to applaud the keeper as Stepney threw the ball back into play. United eventually won 4–1 after extra time.

Having returned to the stage as a solo act after a seven-year absence Maurice Grumbleweed has come back to find he is in demand all over again with a new impetus and the most original of stage names. In the mid-nineties he decided he had simply had enough and gave stage partners, Robin and Graham, two years notice that he was going to quit the act. After 35 years in The Grumbleweeds as a key member of the act, he had achieved practically everything he had hoped for. Today Maurice performs a mixture of songs and comedy presented in his own style making him one of the most original entertainers around.

Please let me know asap how many tickets you require and/or send cheques payable to BEDALE FOOTBALL CLUB to me at Roker House, 44 Firby Road, Bedale, North Yorkshire, DL8 2BH. My telephone numbers are 01677 423475 or 07885 228097.  Please contact me asap re number of tickets you require , preferably by email, at your earliest convenience                   

Martyn