Monday 2nd January 2023 ko 14:00

Eastern Counties League Division One North

HEACHAM 1 (L Mitchell 42)

NORWICH C.B.S. 0

Att 131

Entry £5

Programme £2

There has been a running theme in my groundhopping for the last few years and that has been the Eastern Counties League. A lot of it is that there is no organised groundhop in that league, so I’m not likely to be helping guide a coachload of hoppers into these clubs any time soon. There’s also the fact that the ECL does seem to have a healthy intake of new clubs each season, to the extent that that without that process I’m certain I’d have finished the league years ago!

Heacham are certainly part of that process, having graduated from the Anglian Combination for this season. It does take a certain level of commitment to come here, you are on the western side of The Wash,  andyou have to drive via Kings Lynn to get here and that does involve the risk of some fairly substantial hold-ups! Once here though you are in one of the two seaside resorts in England, with Hunstanton that are on the East Coast, but actually face west!

Station Road, and no there isn’t a railway station anymore, it closed due to Beeching, reflects Heacham’s recent elevation. I’m glad the ECL does allow new clubs in its membership time to get their grounds up to standard. Here we caught the club’s final fixture without floodlights, and the stand was already in situ. More than anything else it was a treat to observe a club enjoying their adventure, and I would recommend the excellent tea bar.

Not every game can be a classic, and this wasn’t one. Heacham were top and visitors Norwich CBS (formerly Spixworth) were good enough to stop most of their attacks. But good sides always find a way, so Liam Mitchell’s strike just before half time was sufficient for the win and if Heacham win the title, the source of these 3 points will probably be forgotten.

As for me, it was a satisfying visit to another ECL ground. Not many to go…