Saturday 13th May 2023 ko 15:00

Hampshire Premier League- Senior Division

PAULSGROVE 1 (Boxall 20)

CLANFIELD 0

Att 48

Free Entry

I must say, I rather like the Hampshire Premier League. Now I’m sure part of it is that it is a Step 7 League that’s easy to get to from Oxford, and that it hasn’t been used as depository for reserve sides with nowhere else to play. But wait a mo’ I did say easy to get to, didn’t I?

Quite honesty I had a nightmare with this one. The normal route would involve taking the A34 south, then the M3 and M27 to Portsmouth. But there were planned roadworks on the A34 at Oxford, which meant the A34 was shut southbound, and the diverted traffic headed round the ring road, choking all routes round, through and anywhere near.  So I aimed for a route of M40, M23 and A3, and hit the aftermath of two separate accidents. In the end I was lucky to make kick-off and yes I did question my sanity! That of course is the mindset of the groundhopper. You hope that the effort you put in is rewarded by what you’ll find at the end of the journey. 

I think most would recognise Paulsgrove as being a district of northern Portsmouth, although you can see the Spinnaker Tower from Marsden Road, and if you are wondering why there’s that wide expanse of grass beyond the far goal the ground was originally a horse racing course, with occasional use for speedway. That all stopped with the outbreak of World War I when the site was requisitioned as an arms dump. Although the site was returned after the war, with the armaments disposed of by blowing them up (!) the racing never returned there with the site sold for housing. 

But let’s face it the name of Paulsgrove is best known for the riots in 2000 as some residents attacked homes of suspected sex offenders in the wake of the murder of Sarah Payne. I’ve been to no end of supposedly tough estates over the years. I tend to find that they all have a strong sense of community, and what trouble there is, is invariably caused by a tiny minority. And of course what better way to engage with and help your local community than by a football club. 

You see it here, a club by and for Paulsgrove if you’re able to look beyond the high fences. There isn’t much parking here, so do plan a little and do remember to take in the view of Portsdown Listening Station in the cliffs above, it does look a little like a partially buried ship!

What we saw was the classic end-of-season encounter. Clanfield were already headed for the Wessex League as runners-up to Colden Common, courtesy of a groundshare at Havant & Waterlooville, and Paulsgrove were down to the bare bones, only being able to name one substitute. 

Perhaps inevitably it wasn’t an easy game to watch, on a hot day and on a bumpy pitch. All credit through to Paulsgrove for both playing and managing to win the game, however dead a rubber it all was. So was it  worth it? Of course it was, it always is when you can frame somewhere differently from its reputation.