Saturday 6th January 2024 ko 13:45

Witney & District League Division One

WITNEY ROYALS 0

DUCKLINGTON 2 (Fisher 25 Williams 70og)

Att c15 at Pitch 1 Burwell Recreation Ground, Thorney Leys, Witney

Free Entry

I’d had all kinds of ideas as to where to watch a game. The determining factor was a triple of sorts, football, Oxford City Stars Ice Hockey unusually facing off on a Saturday evening, and the pub quiz at 9pm. But as much as I like being busy there was another factor to be considered- the rain.

There’d been flooding just about everywhere in the UK, and I must admit I thought I’d be watching a game in a 3G cage, plenty of other groundhoppers ended up doing just that. But the need to stay reasonably local to Oxford, actually worked in my favour- that and having connections to the Witney League! That allowed some confidence in what was scheduled would take place. A lot of the credit for that should go to John Smyth, stalwart of both League and Ducklington FC- thanks should go to him.

The drive to Witney was quite something. The A40 seemed to be more dyke and less road, as narrowboats on Oxford canal had the choice of the navigable route, or a detour on waterlogged fields. Anyone who attended the West Witney game on the final Witney Hop may have passed the Burwell Rec’ on the way there.

For me, Thorney Leys is part and parcel of my past, my sister and her husband lived here, and the area was part of my debit when I was an insurance man here in the mid-90’s. The ground is interesting, a QEII trust field, an attempt for the Diamond Jubilee to create a similar scheme to the National Playing Fields Association created by the late Queen’s father George VI. Perhaps it’s no bad thing that a team called Royals play there!

But this was a day of two games there. FC Mills normally play at West Witney but with that ground waterlogged their game with Kingham All Blacks was switched to pitch 2, with the kick-offs staggered at 1:45 and 2:15 to allow four teams to be able to use the single pair of dressing rooms.

It gave me a choice of games, and significantly a choice of referees. For the Witney Royals game the official was Tim Siret, former head of the Upper Thames Valley League and who officiated at my final ever six-a-side game! The FC Mills game was refereed by Dave Woodcock, Witney League stalwart and who had the distinct disadvantage of having to record every single scorer in the highest scoring game I’ve ever seen- a 10-all draw at Islip!

But it was Tim who had the dubious pleasure of my company, and those watching saw a good advert for local football. There wasn’t much it in, a good finish by Charlie Fisher, and a spectacular own goal from Tom Williams saw Ducklington home.