Phil Chamberlain: Pivotal Centre-Half

[anthony.brown]

20th April 1932 marked the first team debut of Phil Chamberlain, who would go on to be the popular captain and centre half of Hitchin Town FC, and a cup-winning county player for Hertfordshire. Patiently waiting for the regular centre-half Rom Furr to move on, he would play the odd game at back until becoming first choice centre-half at the start of the 1934/35 season. In November 1936 he was unanimously elected captain by the team after Stan Burden signed for Apsley to play for a team nearer to his home. Fishponder's Stats record his Hitchin Town playing career as 237 appearances and 23 goals scored. For such a dependable centre-half, it is amusing that his first and last games for the Canaries were both heavy defeats. Playing at left-back on his debut on 20th April 1932 Hitchin were beaten 0-6 by the powerful Met Police; his swan song on 22nd October 1949, returning to the club to assist a struggling Hitchin team at Bromley resulted in a 0-9 defeat.
Philip Edwin Chamberlain was born in Pirton on 5th March 1910. He died on 4th July 1953 of coronary thrombosis at Hitchin Hospital at the early age of 43. The Biggleswade Chronicle of 10th July 1953 carried the folowing details:
DEATH OF LOCAL FOOTBALLER
Phil Chamberlain, former Hitchin Town and Herts county centre-half, died at Lister Hospital on Saturday morning after being taken ill with coronary thrombosis three days previously. He was 43, married, with a 12-year-old daughter.
In a soccer career of 20 years he distinguished himself with Hitchin Town, Letchworth Town, and Shefford Town (where he was player-coach). Of fine physique, he was at his peak in 1936-37, when he helped Hertfordshire win the Southern Counties Amateur Championship (as he had done in 1934-35) and was selected for the South against the North in an Amateur International Trial, only to be prevented from playing by injury.
A tee-totaller and non-smoker, he was noted for his fine sportsmanship as well as for his ability. Only last season he assisted the Waders at March, when they were short for a mid-week match.