William Whiting was a loyal club-man for Southampton for six years, being content with but 17 first-team appearances in the half-back line, while playing more than 200 times for the Reserves and being part of the tour party that went to Argentina in 1904 (see Edgar Bluff profile for more details). His reward was a Hampshire Senior Cup medal in 1905, but after a trial with newly-formed Chelsea and featuring in their Reserves he eventually settled for Southern League Division II football with Salisbury City in 1907. He later became a referee, graduating from the Southampton list to the Southern League list in 1921 (scroll across to his scrapbook section).

In the 1911 census he declared his occupation to be that of a chimney-sweep which begs the question which past-time rendered him the dirtiest. A muddy feature in Southampton’s half-back line, or his day job wallowing around in soot. His sweep business was based, a stone’s throw from The Dell at No. 5 Bedford Place.

In 1965 he contacted the Echo after the death of Harry Wood his one-time captain at The Dell. He recalled playing in Wood’s benefit match against Aston Villa, then the game’s top team. “I remember I played right-half”, he said. But there was an “extra thrill” for him. “Playing at right-back was one of my great cricket heroes….the one and only CB Fry”. By the time he died in 1968 he had moved to the Isle of Wight.