HARWICH & PARKESTON BECAME FOUNDER MEMBERS WHEN THE BORDER LEAGUE WAS FORMED IN 1911. THEIR FIRST OPPONENTS WERE CLACTON TOWN; WINNING 3-2 AT HOME ON SATURDAY 6th SEPTEMBER. THEY ACHIEVED MID TABLE FINISHES IN THEIR FIRST TWO CAMPAIGNS. HOWEVER, AT THE THIRD ATTEMPT HARWICH FINISHED AS UNBEATEN CHAMPIONS IN THE 1913/14 SEASON. THE FINAL WEEK INVOLVED THEM PLAYING FOUR MATCHES ON FOUR CONSECUTIVE DAYS AT THE END OF APRIL.
THE GREAT WAR MEANT THAT THE COMPETITION DID NOT RESUME UNTIL 1920. HARWICH RETAINED THE LEAGUE TITLE BOTH THAT SEASON AND THE FOLLOWING ONE. AS ONLY FIVE AND FOUR TEAMS RESPECTIVELY TOOK PART, HARWICH ALSO COMPETED IN THE IPSWICH & BORDER LEAGUE. THEY LIFTED BOTH LEAGUE TROPHIES IN 1922/23 WHEN THE BORDER LEAGUE HAD INCREASED TO SEVEN TEAMS. THE NEXT SEASON THE SHRIMPERS ONLY PARTICIPATED IN THE I. & D.L. A YEAR ON THEY SWAPPED LEAGUES AND RETURNED TO THE E.& S.B.L. THE HAD A MEDIOCRE LEAGUE CAMPAIGN BY THEIR STANDARDS. OVER THE NEXT THREE SEASONS BETWEEN 1925 & 1928 THE SHRIMPERS CHALLENGED FOR HONOURS AND FINISHED THIRD, RUNNERS UP AND THIRD AGAIN.

IN 1928 THE E.& S.B.L. CONSTITUTION INTRODUCED A PREMIER DIVISION. HARWICH, IN ONLY DROPPING ONE POINT IN TWENTY ONE LEAGUE GAMES, BECAME THE FIRST WINNERS OF THE CROWTHER CUP. THE FOLLOWING SEASON THEY FINISHED SECOND BEHIND 2nd RIFLE BRIGADE, WHO HAD ALSO EDGED THEM OUT THREE YEARS EARLIER. AFTER ONLY FINISHING FIFTH IN 1931/32 THE SHRIMPERS SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED A HAT TRICK OF CHAMPIONSHIPS OVER THE NEXT THREE CAMPAIGNS. AN UNCHARACTERISTIC 6-0 HOME DEFEAT BY THE 2nd MIDDLESEX REGIMENT ON SATURDAY 28th APRIL 1934 MARKED THE END OF HARWICH'S FIRST TEAM'S DIRECT ASSOCIATION WITH THE BORDER LEAGUE......UNTIL NOW!!!!!

HARWICH RESERVES HAVE A MORE RECENT CONNECTION WITH THE BORDER LEAGUE. THEY FIRST WERE MEMBERS FROM 1924 UNTIL THEY FOLDED IN 1927. RE-ESTABLISHED IN 1933 THE RESERVES JOINED THE SECOND DIVISION. BY 1935/36 THEY WERE IN THE PREMIER DIVISON, DESPITE FINISHING BOTTOM THEY WERE NOT RELEGATED. THE NEXT FEW SEASONS PROVED A STRUGGLE. PLANS TO DROP DOWN TO DIVISION ONE IN 1939 & REVERT TO JUNIOR STATUS WERE POSTPONED WITH THE ONSET OF WORLD WAR 2. IN 1946 THEY RETURNED TO COMPETITIVE FOOTBALL & CONTINUED IN THE PREMIER DIVISION. IN 1952/53 WHEN THEIR AVERAGE HOME GATE WAS 386 HARWICH RESERVES FINSIHED RUNNERS UP TO SUDBURY TOWN.

WITH THE FOOTBALL CLUB JOINING THE ATHENIAN LEAGUE IN 1964, HARWICH WITHDREW THEIR RESERVES FROM THE BORDER LEAGUE. THEY REJOINED IN 1975 & THAT SEASON GAINED PROMOTION AS DIVISION ONE CHAMPIONS. IN 1979/80 THEY FINISHED RUNNERS UP TO MERSEA ISLAND. TWO YEARS LATER THEY WON THE TITLE WITH SUDBURY RESERVES SECOND. HOWEVER A DISASTEROUS SEASON FOLLOWED WHEN WITH ONLY FOUR POINTS THEY FINISHED BOTTOM. A PERIOD OF EXILE IN DIVISION ONE ENDED IN 1987 WHEN THEY FINISHED SECOND BEHIND STANWAY ROVERS. THEY WERE PREMIER DIVISION CHAMPIONS IN 1992. HARWICH RESERVES SWITCHED TO THE NEW RIDGEONS LEAGUE SET UP IN 2005.