King's Lynn 10 Beccles Caxton 0
29th November 1902
Saturday's match on the Walks Field did not attract a large or enthusiastic crowd of spectators. Lynn were to meet Beccles Caxton in the Norfolk and Suffolk League, and people expected an easy win for the homsters. It is doubtful, however, if the expected to see such a clear sweep as a 10 to 0 victory. The teams were lined out as follows:-
Lynn - E Gay, goal: W Pearman and F Begley, backs; F Medlock, F H Rackham and J Chamberlain, half backs; J Backham, E W Bannister, W W Martin, S Stevens and A Ransome, forwards.
Beccles Caxton - R Warnes, goal; W Laws and A J Balls, backs; S Westbrook, E Allgar and S Davey, half-back; A Pye, E Hall, C Phillips, Rowe and Boyce, forwards.
Referee, Mr Geo L Miller.
Lynn won the toss, and Beccles set the ball rolling. the homsters at once made tracks for the visitors' citadel and the forwards had several unsuccessful attempts to net the leather, nice passing tactics being spoiled by erratic shooting.
After a considerable amount of goal practice Lynn's first point came by one of the Beccles' backs. Pearman took the ball well past the half-way line and centred into goal-mouth. One of the backs attempted to head out but missed, and the ball fell within his own goal, the custodian having no chance. Having made a start, Lynn quickly added to their score, Rackham doing the needful with a penalty kick.
From a foul a corner conceded to Lynn nothing occurred. The flag kick as a result of a second corner was nicely placed, and twice Stevens headed the ball into the mouth of goal, but the custodian prevented him from scoring, tipping the second shot over the bar. Another flag-kick accrued, but this time Rackham kicked out. The homesters third point came through Bannister, and from a pass by Ransome, Martin secured the fourth with a fine shot.
Almost immediately from the kick-off the custodian took a fluky goal-kick, and Stevens rushed in and notched a fifth.
Bannister, having made rings round at least half-a-dozen of his opponents, concluded by netting the sphere again, this making Lynn's sixth goal. From a flag-kick Chamberlain placed the ball right on Martin's foot, and he had no difficulty in securing the seventh and only other goal up to half-time. When the whistle sounded the score stood - Lynn Town 7, Beccles Caxton 0
Play during the second moiety was in no way dissimilar from that of the first, except Lynn did not put on quite so many goals. Soon after the restart Stevens got possession and ran the ball right through a crowd of opponents, scoring with the neatest and prettiest shot of the game.
Martin, from a pass by Bannister, secured the ninth very quickly after, and Lynn's tenth came from the foot of the same player. Up to time, play was of the same one-sided character, although Beccles did manage to force a corner towards the finish. No further scoring, however, took place, and when the whistle sounded for the cessation of hostilities the score stood - King's Lynn 10, Beccles Caxton 0