William Ponting

William Ponting
Personal information
Full name William Robert Ponting
Date of birth 1872
Place of birth Andover, Hampshire, England
Date of death 21 March 1952(1952-03-21) (aged 79–80)
Place of death Hendon, London, England
Position(s) Half-back
Youth career
Andover
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
18??–1897 Ryde
1897 Southampton St. Mary's 5 (0)
1897–???? Andover
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Robert Ponting (1872 – 21 March 1952) was an English amateur footballer who played as a half-back for Southampton St. Mary's in 1896–97, when they won the Southern League title for the first of six occasions over the next eight years.

Football career[edit]

Ponting was born in Andover, Hampshire where he became a schoolmaster. He was a leading amateur player for his local club and had been captain of the Hampshire County Junior XI in 1893.[1]

In March 1897, John Hodgkinson, the Southampton St. Mary's left-half was injured and the "Saints" called Ponting into the side for the remaining five matches of the season. Ponting made his debut in a 5–1 victory at Reading on 31 March[2] and played his part in the run-in to Southampton's first Southern League title.[1]

Later career[edit]

In the summer of 1897, Ponting returned to his teaching career. In the 1930s, he was working in the City of London as an insurance broker.[1]

Honours[edit]

Southampton

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. pp. 273–274. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  2. ^ Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. pp. 20–21. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.