FINALS fever is now in full swing as the Harlow schools cup competitions reach their climax on Saturday the 17th of May at Hare Street school.

The final of the Stacey-Pardoe trophy will be contested by Holy Cross and Freshwaters. Holy Cross (main picture) have been the standout team of the tournament and will undoubtedly go into the finals as favourites having netted a huge amount of goals, including the nine they scored in their semi final against Jerounds. Their opponents will be the talented squad from Freshwaters who eased through a quarter final with a win over St. Andrews from North Weald only to squeeze past a very talented Newhall outfit on penalties in the last 4.

The finals morning will be capped off with the Pat Walker shield final between Jerounds and Hare Street who were the beaten semi finalists.

This is the first primary schools cup final in well over a decade, having been re-established by Hare Street Headteacher Neil Coster on behalf of the Harlow schools sport partnership. The competition began back in September 2024 with 17 teams and has become an important part of the calendar alongside the regular programme of primary school sport.

Asked about the naming of the trophies for the revamped competition Coster reflected;

“As this was the first final in a long time I wanted to make it a huge affair and to use it to not only give the children an outlet but also to recognise the contribution that particular figures across the town have made to primary school sport and football.”

The Stacey Pardoe cup has been named after Church Langley teaching pair David Stacey (pictured) and Gill Pardoe, both of whom have been instrumental in primary school sport across Harlow and Essex for many years, right up to the present day.

The shield final pays homage to Mr Pat Walker who taught at Burnt Mill school for over 25 years as head of drama and performing arts. He was also a long time manager and chairman of the Harlow and West Essex schools FA, the Essex county schools FA as well as being a first team scout for West Ham United and Manchester United, a role he still holds to this day.

“These are three pivotal people” said Coster.

“David and Gill are responsible for what primary school sport is in this town and we’re delighted they’ll still be involved for a good few years to come, plainly they’ve created the best sports programme anywhere in Essex and this will ensure that their hard work is always remembered, even when the pair of them have moved into retirement”

Continuing, Coster said;
“The choice to name the other trophy after Pat was an easy one. There are many ‘footballing’ personalities across the town, and he is in that pantheon. I am lucky enough to call him a friend and previously a colleague, but regardless, if you ask around about his contribution to football in Harlow and West Essex – it’s undeniable. He’s one of the few people that David Beckham has ever called ‘gaffer’.”

Gates at Hare Street will open at 8.30am on the 17th with the cup final kicking off at 9.30am and the shield final getting underway at 11.15am, spectators from all 4 teams plus neutrals are very welcome and refreshments will be available.

“I’m really excited about the finals” summed up Coster.

“We’ll be welcoming 4 teams, their school communities and sending 2 teams home with silverware. This also provides the competition with a strong platform for next year where we can hopefully grow the amount of teams that take part, plus look to install a girls competition to run alongside. I have fond memories of being a pupil at Tany’s Dell and being knocked out of the cup in a semi final against Sumners (Water Lane) and it’s important to all of us at the Harlow schools sports partnership that we help create similar memories for our children.”