The future looks bright for Kingdown Rangers under-12 A side - after they were lucky to stay together last season.

The team had gone through three managers and many of the boys left due to the continual upset.

Then Steve Brookes, who has managed Benfleet Youth and Concord Rangers, took over towards the end of the season.

They managed to stay in the A Division and, at the start of this term, did not have a sponsor - despite winning the Safways Hadleigh Cup during the summer. Then the Noble House Chinese Restaurant, of The Ridgeway, Leigh, offered to sponsor the home kits.

An uncle of one of the boys, John English of John English Travel Service Ltd, which operates an executive chauffer business based in Hockley, backed the away kit.

As a way of saying thank you to Noble House, Kingdown held a fund-raising "Chinese and Karaoke Evening" to raise funds.

During this the parents presented the proprieter with a framed photo of the team and 92 people attended and raised £900 for the club.

In safe hands - Kingdown Rangers Under-12 A side won the Safeways Hadleigh Cup in the summer

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.