theyflysohigh : Steve Marsh
email: theyflysohigh@btinternet.com
West Ham United Club Historian : Welcome to the Private memorabilia collection of 'theyflysohigh'
Insert body text here ...
Combinado del Pacífico 1933-34
West Ham United entertain illustrious visitors from
South America
"Combinado del Pacífico" toured Europe from September 1933 to February 1934
West Ham United had made a decent enough start to the 1933/34 Football League Division Two campaign, winning four and drawing two of their opening nine matches to sit seventh in the table by mid-October.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about the Hammers’ season so far was the number of goals the team was scoring – 25 in just nine matches up to that point. At the grand old age of 36, Vic Watson – West Ham’s all-time record goal-scorer – was still banging them in, netting nine, while Tommy Tippett had five to his name. Jackie Morton had scored three times, while Jim Barrett, Len Goulden and Jack Landells had netted twice apiece.
PERU CHILE
While promotion to Division One was the priority following a disappointing 20th-place finish in 1932/33, West Ham took time out from league action for a very special challenge match played at the Boleyn Ground on October 16, 1933.
A team called "Combinado del Pacífico" toured Europe from September 1933 to February 1934.
West Ham United 2 - 2 Peru-Chile XI
West Ham United:
Jack Rutherford, Alfred Chalkley, Albert Walker, Edward Anderson, Jim Barrett, Joe Cockroft, Jimmy Wood, Jack Landells, Vic Watson, Tommy Tippett, Jackie Morton
Peru-Chile XI:
Juan Valdivieso, Arturo Fernandez, Antonio Maquilon, Eduardo Astengo, Vicente Arce, Alberto Denegri, Roberto Luco, Eduardo Schneeberg, Alejandro Villanueva, Lolo Fernandez, Mario Pacheco
Referee: Mr F Ratcliffe
Everybody at West Ham was clearly looking forward to welcoming their South American visitors.
In a short article entitled ‘Monday’s attractive game’ printed in the official programme for the London Combination visit of Southend United Reserves two days before the big game.
“We understand that our South American visitors intend fielding their strongest side against us next Monday. It is their intention, they say, to make London remember their visit. It seems as if they have saved all their energy for a super-exhibition in the Hub of the World – London.
“For our part, we are taking no chances. British soccer has suffered quite enough shocks (England had lost to Scotland and drawn with Wales in the 1932/33 Home Championship) and our full League side will be turned out to meet them.
“Apart from the competitive and novelty sides of this meeting, there should be much to watch in the methods of this Chile-Peruvian XI and, who knows, perhaps much to learn?”
The article also helpfully revealed that the K Div Met Police Band would be playing the Chilean and Peruvian national anthems before kick-off, while tickets would be priced at five shillings".
The official programme for the friendly match itself featured a welcome in Spanish to ‘our friends’ from South America.
The team was a combination of Peruvian and Chilean players, mostly internationals. The majority of the squad were Peruvian, and dominated by players from Universitario, with reinforcements from Alianza Lima, Atlético Chalaco, and Colo-Colo. The European press reported the team under various names, for example "Peru-Chile XI", "South American Team" or "All-Pacific".
The side was captained by the gifted Chilean midfielder Guillermo Subiabre, who had represented his country at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam and the 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay, where he had scored a group-stage winner against France and also in a 3-1 defeat by Argentina.
Lined up alongside Subiabre were no fewer than six members of Peru’s 1930 World Cup squad – goalkeeper Juan Valdivieso, defenders Arturo Fernandez and Antonio Maquilon, midfielder Eduardo Astengo, Placido Galindo and prolific forward Alejandro Villanueva, known as the ‘Peruvian Dixie Dean’.
Villanueva was such a legend in his homeland, where he is credited with inventing the bicycle kick, that his club Alianza Lima re-named their stadium in his honour following his death from tuberculosis at the age of 35.
Guillermo Subiabre
Juan Valdivieso
Antonio Maquilon
The fixture itself, the programme explained, had been made possible by a Mr Reginald Gubbins, an Irish emigrant who had settled in Peru and even launched an ambitious bid to become the country’s President.
Mr Gubbins’ brother Jack led the party of players and officials on their tour, which began with a 6,000-mile pan-Atlantic voyage from the Peruvian port of Callao to Liverpool.
It was clear the Hammers were anxious to avoid a defeat at the hands of their exotic opponents in a radio-gram sent from on board the steamer “S.S. Alkmaar” of the Royal Netherlands Steamship Co. bound for Liverpool, it read “Expect to arrive at Liverpool on September 26th. Have won games played at Colon by 5-1 and at Curacao by 7-0"
Lolo Fernandez
PLAYERS
From Universitario, Peru:
Juan Criado (GK)
Arturo Fernández (D)
Ricardo Del Río (D)
Eduardo Astengo (M)
Vicente Arce (M)
Alberto Denegri (M)
Plácido Galindo (M)
Enrique Landa (M)
Teodoro 'Lolo' Fernández Meyzán (F)
Carlos Tovar (F)
Pablo Pacheco (F)
Luis Emilio de Souza Ferreyra (F)
Alfredo Alegre (F)
From Alianza, Peru:
Juan Humberto 'Mago' Valdivieso Padilla (GK)
Carlos Alejandro Villanueva Martínez (F)
From Atlético Chalaco, Peru:
Antonio Maquilón (D)
Alfonso Saldarriaga (D)
From Colo-Colo, Chile:
Juan Montero (M)
Roberto Luco (F)
Eduardo Schneberger (F)
Alejandro Villanueva
Arturo Fernandez
Souvenir Flag presented to John Morton
With such playing riches at their disposal, West Ham would need their ‘full League side’ to keep their opponents at bay. With the threat of an unwanted defeat in mind, manager Charlie Paynter named a strong starting XI including Watson, Morton, Tippett, Landells and England international Jim Barrett.
In the first half the South Americans gave the Hammers a lesson in the finer points of football; excellent ball control and neat ground passing had the home side in a tangle. Following a pin-point pass in the 25th minute by Villannueva, Pablo Pacheco ran in a crashed the ball into the net for a half-time lead. After the break the Hammers infused more life into their play and were more dangerous. Within ten minutes Watson had levelled the count with a header from a Morton corner kick. On 73 minutes a clever reverse pass by Landells gave Jimmy Wood and easy opening for the second goal. Shortly before the end the Americans equalised from a free kick for hands. Carlos Villanueva gave a short pass to Roberto Luco who easily beat Jack Rutherford the Hammers’ ‘keeper.
Image courtesy of Jay Morton
Newspaper Sources:
The Times (London), The Manchester Guardian (Manchester), The Scotsman (Edinburgh),
Het Vaderland (Den Haag), El Mundo Deportivo (Barcelona), La Vanguardia (Barcelona),
The New York Times (New York City), Reichspost (Wien), Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad (Rotterdam).
"Combinado del Pacífico" 1933-34
DATE VENUE OPPONENT SCORE
11/09/1933
14/09/1933
01/10/1933
02/10/1933
04/10/1933
09/10/1933
11/10/1933
16/10/1933
25/10/1933
28/10/1933
29/10/1933
01/11/1933
11/11/1933
12/11/1933
18/11/1933
19/11/1933
24/11/1933
30/11/1933
04/12/1933
08/12/1933
08/12/1933
17/12/1933
26/12/1933
06/01/1934
07/01/1934
13/01/1934
15/01/1934
18/01/1934
21/01/1934
25/01/1934
03/02/1934
09/02/1934
14/02/1934
17/02/1934
??/??/1934
??/??/1934
??/??/1934
??/??/1934
??/??/1934
0-7
1-5
1-1
1-1
2-1
3-0
6-1
2-2
0-3
2-1 40th anniversary Sparta Praha
2-2 40th anniversary Sparta Praha
2-1
3-1
2-2
2-2 Racing Club de Paris & Club Français
2-1
2-5
4-4
4-4
4-1
10-1
DRAW
1-1
2-1
3-1
2-3
0-2
3-1
2-2
2-2
0-3
0-1
1-1
1-7
1-0
1-2
0-0
0-0
0-0
Curaçao
Colón Rangers
Bohemian FC
Glentoran FC
Celtic FC
Heart of Midlothian
Newcastle United
West Ham United
Sparta Rotterdam
AC Sparta Praha
SK Slavia Praha
FC Bayern München
Berlin XI
Club Français
Paris "Entente" XI
SO Montpellier
OGC Nice
OGC Nice
Côte d'Azur XI
FC Barcelona
Madrid XI
AS Saint-Étienne
US Pro Vercelli
Marino FC
Real Victoria
Real Victoria
Marino FC
CD Tenerife
CD Tenerife
UD Salamanca
Athletic Las Palmas
CD Gran Canaria
Real Victoria
Marino FC
Sportivo
Real Victoria
Real Victoria
CD Tenerife
UD Salamanca
Curaçao, Willemstad
Panamá, Colón
Irish Free State, Dublin
Northern Ireland, Belfast
Scotland, Glasgow
Scotland, Edinburgh
England, Newcastle
England, Upton Park
Netherlands, Rotterdam
Czechoslovakia, Praha
Czechoslovakia, Praha
Germany, München
Germany, Berlin
France, Paris
France, Montrouge
France, Montpellier
France, Nice
France, Nice
France, Nice
Spain, Barcelona
Spain, Madrid
France, Saint-Étienne
Italy, Sanremo
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Santa Cruz de Ten.
Spain, Santa Cruz de Ten.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Las Palmas de G.C.
Spain, Salamanca
“We must confess that we did not expect such strong opposition from our South American visitors as that shown here last Monday. “There is no doubt that they are capable of playing very good football. Individually, some of the members of the side are extremely clever.
“It was pleasing to note that, although the winning of the game meant so much to them, and the prevention of their so doing so much to us, it was one of the cleanest possible.
“We were told by Mr Reginald Gubbins that the diplomatic side of the tour was really of much more importance than the football point of view.
“That being the case, we can assure him that as far as we are concerned, we shall retain most pleasant memories of their visit.”
