Author Archives: laurencereade

Meaning

10 Wednesday Aug 2022

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Saturday 25th June 2022 ko 15:00

Pre-Season Friendly

LINGFIELD 2 (Redfern 20 83)

CROYDON 1 (Peacock 46)

Att 81, at Coombe Field, Edenbridge (Edenbridge RUFC)

Free Entry

Football watching takes several forms, even when you break away from the “I follow my team only” principle. Some groundhoppers will only deal in competitive games, others only within certain levels of the the footballing pyramid, and others will look at what the ground looks like before committing. Others, like me will think “Here’s a game on an unusual ground, ” and that will be enough. This was one of those occasions. Continue reading →

Constabulary

04 Thursday Aug 2022

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Tuesday 28th June 2022 ko 19:30

Combined Midland Police League- Daniel Rigley Plate Semi-Final

WARWICKSHIRE POLICE 8 (Dobson 11, 15 43, 80 Moore 74 Stanton 84 Hicks 87 O’Mahoney 88)

LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE 0

Att 10 at Warwickshire Police HQ, Woodcote Drive, Leek Wootton

Free Entry

Quite honestly I thought that the Sungate game was going to mark the end of my football season. I’d metaphorically put my feet up, a month had gone by but then a game popped up that was entirely out of my experience. I mean who couldn’t fancy a game competed by serving police officers at a Police HQ?  And yes, I did check whether I could attend and take photos! But this site isn’t an exercise in obscurantism, this was also a competitive game at new, and unusual ground. I was always going to interested, and I’m a little surprised more groundhoppers didn’t share my opinion!  Yes, I did check my car tax was up to date before I left Oxford!!!

Continue reading →

Coda

03 Wednesday Aug 2022

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Saturday 28th May 2022 ko 14:00

Essex Olympian League Premier Division

SUNGATE 0

CANNING TOWN 3 (Newson 82 90 Thogo 89)

Att 58 at Ilford Wanderers RUFC, Forest Road 

Free Entry

After something like 126 games it finally felt like the football season was coming to an end. It wasn’t that there wasn’t a lack of games, it was just that I wasn’t looking in the normal places any more. And the Essex Olympian League is one of those places that does seem to be a go-to league at the end of the season. Continue reading →

Viennetta

28 Thursday Jul 2022

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Wednesday 25th May 2022 ko 18:00

East Berkshire League Premier Division

HYPE TRAIN 1 (Mannion 90)

BRITWELL 4 (Taylor 4 Kelly 15 23 Hartridge 36)

Att 114 at Longfurlong Drive ( Britwell FC)

Free Entry

On a purely personal level it was good to end my little run of cup finals, even if this one felt like another! The mathematics of it all were straightforward. Britwell needed to win this game to ensure they couldn’t be caught in the race for the title by Old Windsor and they had the advantage of the away tie being switched back to their home ground of Longfurlong Drive. Continue reading →

(Back on) My Old Stomping Ground

21 Thursday Jul 2022

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Saturday 21st May 2022 ko 14:30

South Wales Alliance W John Owen Cup Final 

CARDIFF CORINTHIANS 1 (Withers 90 +1)

LLANRUMNEY UNITED 1 (Rees 90+5)

No extra time, Cardiff Corinthians won on 5-4 on penalties

Att 507 at USW Treforest (Pontypridd Town FC)

Entry £4

Programme (superb) £1

Teamsheet Free

The truth of it is that all reputations are earned. The sheer numbers of groundhoppers at the South Wales Alliance’s Cup Final bore testament to that league’s efforts over many years welcoming groundhoppers, on no end of organised events over the years. As committeeman Phil Sweet put it, “We thought there might be groundhoppers, so we thought we’d do a programme.” They are a league that grasped what the hobby is all about a long time ago and have continued that knowledge throughout my time hopping. 

Continue reading →

Coal Light

13 Wednesday Jul 2022

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Tuesday 17th May 2022 ko 18:30

Coventry Alliance “Peter Toogood” Division Two Cup Final

COUNDON COURT 2 (L Hawthorn 2 J Dixon 30)

CRAVEN ATHLETIC 1 (Dixon 86)

Att c150 at Hawkesmill Sports Club, Allesley, Coventry

Free Entry

The temptation was to compare this with the previous evening’s entertainment at MK Irish but the only thing the two finals had in common was that they were both divisional cup competitions. The manifest difference was that one was an on-pyramid competition; this one wasn’t. Continue reading →

Monsieur Madeleine

07 Thursday Jul 2022

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Monday 16th May 2022 ko 19:45

Spartan South Midlands League Division One Cup Final

SHEFFOLD TOWN & CAMPTON 1 (Renney 90+2)

STOTFOLD 0

ATT 147 at Manor Fields, Bletchley (MK Irish FC)

Entry & Programme £7

Over the years this blog has explored the where, the how, and the why of groundhopping. Here the where was somewhere I’ve visited several times before, the how the usual short drive, but the why was a first- it was all due to a musical! Continue reading →

Steve & Pete

05 Tuesday Jul 2022

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Saturday 14th May 2022 ko 14:30

North Berkshire Cup Final

DRAYTON 3 (Jacks 7 Dennis 16 25)

EAST HENDRED 0

Att 489 at Abingdon United FC

Entry & Programme £5

So from the Witney League’s  league finale, it was the chance to head east for the North Berkshire League’s own final bow. I am, of course still on the NBFL’s committee, and will be while they think I can add something as their token “Outsider!” As with any league’s major final it’s all hands to the pump so I found myself manning a gate in the warm sunshine with plenty to look forward to. Continue reading →

The Finals Section

28 Tuesday Jun 2022

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Tuesday 10th May 2022 ko 19:30

Witney & District League- Senior Cup Final

STONESFIELD 0

S Kemp sent off 22 (DOGSO- handball)

C Rice missed penalty 80

HAILEY 1 (Foster 23)

N Kimber penalty saved 23

Att c200

Entry £3

We’d got to that stage at the end of the season where just about every game was a final of some kind, the only decision was where? Not that needed much thought, Robyn had never visited Kilkenny Lane, and I didn’t need any excuse to visit my friends at the Witney & District League. There was no small issue with Carterton FC’s ground though. Continue reading →

Betty

26 Sunday Jun 2022

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Saturday 19th February 2022 ko 15:00

EFL League 2

HARROGATE TOWN P

LEYTON ORIENT P

Postponed due to snow

Saturday 7th May 2022 ko 15:00

EFL League 2

HARROGATE TOWN 0

SUTTON UNITED 2 (Eastmond 8 Olaofe 79)

Att 2,484 (440 away)

Entry/Hospitality/Programme/Teamsheet £80

My regular reader will have long since worked out that I’m not target driven, I don’t set out each season to complete a division, or league or tier of the game, it isn’t what makes me tick. I’m more the kind of bloke that will look through a set of fixtures and something will take my fancy. Being a contrary soul though, there is an exception to that rule and that’s the 92. Continue reading →