Thursday 28th March 2024 ko 19:30

South-West Peninsula League- Premier East

HONITON TOWN P

SIDMOUTH TOWN P

postponed due to a waterlogged pitch

Friday 29th March 2024 ko 11:30

South-West Peninsula League- Premier East

TORRINGTON 1 (Davey 18)

Harper-Penman penalty saved 52

CREDITON UNITED 0

Att 422

Entry £6

Programme £2

It was good to be attending the Easter Hop without being too closely involved. We at GroundhopUK were pleased to have the Peninsula League’s Phil Hiscox along for last July for the United Counties League Hop, mainly for the company. I’m fairly sure we can’t teach him much about running one of these events, he’s been doing it longer than we have!

For me the great joy of attending one of Phil’s hops is not being the only game in town- I certainly don’t want be a small part of the only organising team doing these hops, half the fun of attending this hop was seeing how Phil does things, and that’s how you learn for your own events.

There are differences in approach as perhaps you’d expect. Our advanced ticket includes a pack of the matchday programmes, Phil’s doesn’t but he knows his league and clubs so he can predict print runs. Other differences are far more subtle and as I spotted them as we travelled between grounds.

One ground was an Easter Egg in both senses of the phrase. Advance ticket holders were treated to a guided tour of Exeter City’s St James Park by club historian (and groundhopper) Martin Weiler. It was both informative, and highly entertaining!

Phil was there, he is a Grecians fan after all, and as the tour finished he was on the phone to the evening’s referee explaining exactly what was riding on the game. It was of comfort, for anyone knowing the history of Phil Hiscox, and hops in the south-west will know there are two facts to consider. The first was that he’s never had a postponement and that the nearest he’s ever come was back on the 2018 hop was yes, Honiton’s game being switched to Exwick Villa as Mountbatten Park was waterlogged.

So to cut a long story short, a few hours later we arrived at Mountbatten Park, and roughly 30 minutes before kick-off the referee and assessor decided that one wet patch in front of the stand was enough to postpone the game. Now, I’m sure you’ll understand why my sympathies lies entirely with Phil and the club, and God knows I’ve been there, for Phil’s Honiton read my Preston Athletic. Two things will always stick in my mind about that evening. The fact that to my untrained eye the pitch looked better than any saw games played on the next day, and the looks on club officials’ faces as they offered refunds on entry.

It had all felt like a false start, but perhaps if you have to lose a game make it the first one. So the curiousity that is Good Friday feeling like any given Saturday on a hop saw the travelling circus travel to Torrington for two games in the same town, one in the centre, one on the outskirts.

The Vicarage Field’s central location meant no parking at the ground so the municipal pay and display looked close to full at a quite unusual time and the sight of groundhoppers trudging through quiet Devonian streets did turn a couple of heads!

On arrival the difference between a Phil Hiscox event and a GroundhopUK event was manifest. At the gate I’m used to having a big box of programmes and match ticket packs to distribute. Here Phil had posted out the tickets and the programmes were there to buy. It is a lot easier for the organiser but you do see the worry in those types who absolutely have to get a programme to validate their visit. We’d arrived early, and some had even fired themselves over to Torridgeside to buy their programme for the day’s second game. I’m sure some will pick holes in both methods, for me it was interesting to see how Phil does it, and I’m sure vice-versa. Will either of us ever change? Probably not, and that’s healthy.

Torrington have a long history in the Western League and some would opine that they’re slowly working their way back to past glories. They certainly had the facilities to cope with a large crowd, which they did with aplom. They’d clearly worked hard on the pitch although it wasn’t the easiest to play on at least we got a game, which I’m sure Phil was more than happy with.

Just Tom Davey’s goal settled it, although there was much mirth at Jed Harper-Penman’s miss following up his saved penalty. He I’m sure in the end will be relieved it didn’t matter, but for many of the crowd, it was clear. Just getting the game on was a victory in itself.