After watching the first team chase at Hickstead on Good Friday 1974, I realised this was to be the sport for me, unfortunately it took me another 6 years to find three more like minded nutcases who would make up the team, show jumping was beginning to bore the pants off me and I had become disillusioned with eventing and this new exciting sport seemed to tick all the right boxes. The name of the Marston Misfits came about due to the fact that the original team all lived within a few miles of Marston in Warwickshire and we were all shapes and sizes. The team has now competed every season for 27 years a record only beaten by the Boring Gorings.

The original team consisted of myself, Netty Nevill and my bay mare Boney M, Janet Naylor with Henry's Hero, Jane Hughes with Seal and Martin Gee with Calicott. Our very first team chase was the Atherstone, we all needed a stiff whiskey after walking the course, the hedges were enormous and the ditches at Oddstone were yawning caverns, but as we crossed the finishing line we knew we were well and truly hooked. Many riders have worn the red Misfits shirts over the years, at one time we had four teams running every week, the mainstays of the team over the years were myself, Janet Naylor, her husband Mick Naylor, Sally Hudson-Lund, Sam Beddoes and Jon Rivers whose acrobatic riding had to be seen to be believed, his wonderful horse Charlie looked after him for ten or more seasons, although they did not always finish together.

Netty Nevill - Libby and Sam Beddles - Harvey at N.Cotswold 1990

I have had some wonderful lead horses, the best of all a bay mare by the name of Libby, who could not only cover the ground, but would jump fences at amazing angles, unfortunately she developed Cushings disease and had to be put down. I also had several ex-racehorses, rescued from the track the best of these was a lovely looking horse by the name of Wyke, who unfortunately broke his leg at the Hereford. I have lost count of the number of horses I rode team chasing but it is in excess of twenty, some weeks I rode in all four teams. My team chasing days came to an abrupt end when riding a horse called Norman at the Bicester in 1995 I asked him to take off at an innocuous looking post and rail but Norman decided to put in an extra stride, hit the top of the fence pretty dam hard and we both came down from quite a height, Norman fell on top of me and as he got to his feet kicked me on the head, which put me in a coma for a week and the neck and shoulder injuries I received unfortunately meant no more team chasing for me. I continued to run the team, with Larry Brown riding my horses until I realised it was time I handed over to someone a tad younger and fitter than myself, so I handed the team over to Sally Main. I am still very much involved in the sport, being the longest serving member of the team chase committee and a Course Inspector for over ten years.

Jo Mannicom is 48 she is married to Jon and has a son Tom, Jo also grew up hunting with the North Warwickshire and then worked for Ivor Johnson where she met Ali Jones, who is still one of the Misfits staunchest supporters, Jo's first two point to point rides gave her a first and second at the Oakley and she held an amateurs licence for a while and rode in some hunter chases. The first pointer Jo bought was Tamtime, purchased from Sam & Ann Arthurs on whose land the Atherstone team chase is now run. Tamtime was one of those horses of a lifetime and after her racing career was over she bred some lovely foals, her first foal Tamally was in the Misfits team who were 10th in the 2003 championships. Her current horses are Pedro approx 15 years old now he is an ex Teme Valley Tiger horse, and is a horse with personality, who hates being clipped, but is very brave and loves to lead and Audity known as Alfie an ex 2.5 mile chaser who won 8 races and £55k he was given to Jo in October 2005 and has taken to team chasing like a duck to water

Lynne Deakin a 46 year old dentist has 18 year old twin daughters who are both at university. Lynne, hunts with the Warwickshire and the North Cotswold and events during the summer. Lynne has two team chase horses, Kia who is definitely a chestnut mare, she is 15.2 registered in the non thoroughbred register, bred by Jane Starkey she is now 9 years old, has hunted, evented, show jumped and taken part in hunt races. Beanie, Lyn's other horse is known as the "Pocket Rocket", as she stands just 15 hands, now a 7 year old she was home bred out of a thoroughbred hunter and was born in the garden of Lynne's cottage, she has hunted, evented and show jumped and when Kia was injured, Beanie went straight into open classes never having done it before this spring. Unfortunately when Hobby deposited Sal in the hedge at the Fernie, Lynne was unable to jump it and the team had to retire.

The fourth member of the team is Alan George, the shy member of the team Alan, a builder by trade has only been riding for twelve years, but his quiet and sympathetic, handling of his horses belies his inexperience. Alan is currently team chasing Dargins Lass, stable name Matilda, she is only a six year old and was picked up off the internet for a bargain price as she had raced five times over hurdles and could not make the distance, she began her team chasing career in intermediates and quickly progressed to opens proving very bold and athletic but as yet not a lead horse. Alan is aiming to take her hunter trialing this summer in order to improve her confidence.

So that is the history and team profile of the Marston Misfits, I hope they will carry on team chasing for many years to come and that one day the Misfits name will be on the championship trophy.

Netty Nevill
May 2007