Saturday 30th March 2024 ko 18:30

South West Peninsula League – Premier East

IVYBRIDGE TOWN 6 (Rush 40 90+1 Pritchard 64 75 80 Mabin 78)

DARTMOUTH 0

Att 388

Entry £6

Programme £1

Teamsheet 50p

It felt like the end of an era as the groundhopping circus reached Ivybridge. It was the final game of this year’s Easter Hop but also the end of 3 hopping weekends in March. We’d visited Blackpool, Perth, and Exeter with a mere weekend off between each. I and others were exhausted so thank heaven Easter is later in 2025!

We arrived just before the coach and for the last time watched the programme enthusiasts dash off to get their paper fix. Organiser Phil Hiscox finally looked relaxed, so Robyn and I made sure we thanked him for an excellent event. I knew he’d still be hurting over the postponement at Honiton; as the organiser any call-off hurts but the first one hurts the most. The measure of the man is that that all the other games took place as advertised- no mean feat given weather in spring in this part of the UK!

I must admit I did enjoy a stroll alongside the River Erme before kick-off. The ground is all about its location and the hill behind the river with its trees formed the kind of backdrop that tempts the photographer to use it for every single shot.

With Ivybridge destined for the Western League it was clear that Erme Valley is very much a work in progress. They won’t get crowds of nearly 400 every Saturday but here the clubhouse was swamped as hoppers tried to fill up on food and drink before the long journey home. Incidentally, it was a clever move by Mr Hiscox moving the kick-off forward half-an-hour to get everyone home as early as possible. We were breaking our journey by spending a night in Bristol seeing family, but others had driving stints that looked brutal. The great advantage of the groundhop at the geographical extremes can sometimes be its difficulty.

The game was, on paper at least a complete mismatch. Ivybridge needed a win to all-but take the title (bar an unlikely goal difference swing), and visitors Dartmouth were rock-bottom, destined to relegation without a win all season. In golf terms Ivybridge could be dormie promoted.

Now if you weren’t there then I’m sure you’ve looked at the scoreline and assumed the game went completely by the formbook. Except for long periods it really didn’t; Dartmouth belied their lowly position and fought for every ball, and I’m sure Ivybridge nerves played a part too. Eventually though the floodgates gave way and Ivybridge won the game, and with it that “Dormie” promotion that was confirmed a few days later.

Thanks as always to Phil, the clubs, and the legions of volunteers that made the event work. We headed back part of a meander of groundhoppers heading north-east. While I’d greatly enjoyed my groundhopping March, I desperately needed a break. What I didn’t realise was just how long that break was going to be….