Author Archives: laurencereade

Chemical Works

26 Tuesday Aug 2014

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Friday 22nd August 2014 ko 18.30

Welsh Alliance Division Two

HALKYN UNITED 0

GREENFIELD 2 (Johnson 44 Gunther 67)

Att 219

Entry £3

Programme £1

Badge £3

So back on GroundhopUK duty, which turned out to be very much a case of “Everything the same, everything different.” Being based at the University of Chester was nothing new, as was distributing well over 130 programme packs and room keys, and running two coaches to all of the games. However much was different too; the rooms were newly built, and quite frankly huge, we were using a new coach company, and this second trip to the Welsh Alliance brought us challenges we’d never encountered before. We’ll always rate ourselves to find an agreeable solution to most things, but this weekend tested our abilities. More over the next 10 articles. Continue reading →

Bingo

26 Tuesday Aug 2014

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Wednesday 20th August 2014 ko 18.30

Gloucestershire County League

GALA WILTON 5 (Dyer 5 L Allen 19 Lee 37 68 Perris 89)

AEK BOCO 0

Att 39

Entry & Programme £2

The Gloucestershire County League is one of the better Step 7 leagues I frequent. The standard of play is good, the website is excellent, and for those interested in such fripperies, programme production is compulsory for all but those hastily-arranged midweek fixtures at the end of the season. Continue reading →

Paper

26 Tuesday Aug 2014

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Tuesday 19th August 2014 ko 18.30

Midland League Division Three

NORTHFIELD TOWN 2 (McGrath 6 Salademi 90)

INBERROW 2 (McManus 15 57)

Att 51

Entry & Programme £2

I always did like the Midland Combination, now restyled the Midland League after a close-season merger with the Midland Alliance, which has become its Premier Division. As a hopper I appreciate what it does well, excellent administration including a speedily updated website, and an active Twitter feed. I’ve seen a lot of Midland League football over the years, but Northfield Town managed to surprise even me! Continue reading →

Which

17 Sunday Aug 2014

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Saturday 16th August 2014 ko 15.10

FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

WINSFORD UNITED 0

ATHERSLEY RECREATION 1 (Bennett 56)

Att 107

Entry £6

Programme £1.50

 

There are two great motorways heading north in England, the M1 and M6 but it does pay to have a series of back-up plans if you decide to take either of them on! For that the best modus operandi is the The Football Traveller, in fact I’m sure there’s been many a hopper stuck in a tail-back on the M6 that, frustrated at it all, grabs the little magazine for somewhere to go.

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Scrumpy the Dog

15 Friday Aug 2014

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Wednesday 13th August 2014 ko 18.30

West Dean Charity League Intermediate Section

BREAM AMATEURS 1 (Ward 7)

RUARDEAN HILL RANGERS RESERVES 0

Att 15

Entry FREE

Programme NO

So dear reader, once more to the A48 and the Forest of Dean, this time just south of Lydney. During my trips to this part of the world I’ve got used to the idea that there’s precious little between the main road and the Severn. As ever I was wrong, there’s a good mile or so of land to work with in the pretty village of Aylburton. Its the type of village built as ribbon development, the land shelves steeply upwards rapidly as soon as you leave the road as I found out as soon as I tried to park!

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Wenchford

13 Wednesday Aug 2014

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Wednesday 6th August 2014 ko 18.30

West Dean Charity League Intermediate Section

BLAKENEY 5 (Lindsay 11 Rowles 24 51 Ellison 28 Hilton 50)

TIDENHAM 1 (Jones 84) Hansen missed penalty 84

Att 16

Entry FREE

Programme NO

So more Forest of Dean action from the North Gloucestershire’s pre-season tournament. The village is easy to find, its on the A48 south from Gloucester, but the Blakeney Playing Field is rather more difficult to reach. In fact you could say its pain in the Butt to find! Continue reading →

Synchrotron

11 Monday Aug 2014

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Tuesday 5th August 2014 ko 18.45

Pre-Season Friendly

EAST HENDRED 3 (Sutton 24 Riccio 65 Hummel 84)

GROVE RANGERS 1 (Vaux 51p)

Att 22 at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory pitch, Chilton

Entry FREE

No Programme

If you’re travelling along the A34 north of Wantage and south of what’s left of Didcot Power Station you’ll see quite an edifice. When it was built in 2007 I saw it and wondered if Wantage Town were making an unannounced tilt for the Premier League! It’s the Diamond Light Source, a scientific facility attached to the Harwell International facility, and no I wasn’t visiting the ground used by now defunct North Berks League outfit Harwell International.

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Crowland

10 Sunday Aug 2014

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Crowland Abbey and Trinity Bridge, Lincs

This is, I suppose a codicil to the United Counties League, and Peterborough & District League hop, we did after all use the town as hop HQ for the weekend. It’s the lot of the participant on the organised groundhop that you don’t see too much of the area other the hotels and football grounds, but this hop broke a few moulds, and me finding time to explore was one.

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What’s in a name?

10 Sunday Aug 2014

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Sunday 3rd August 2014 ko 14.00

Peterborough & District League Premier Division

COATES ATHLETIC 2 (Drane 16 Pell 53) Drane missed penalty 89

OAKHAM UNITED 5 (Forbes 15 18 Nelson 45 82 Caldicot 47)

Att 401 

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £3

Let me tell you a secret; on every groundhop that’s ever been organised, whether by GroundhopUK or our friends, there has always been a “Problem child,” club. They’re the club who don’t take advice, don’t communicate with the organisers, or in the case of one, fold altogether 2 weeks before the event! Its the task of whoever’s organising the hop to work with that club to get that club, at worst, up to an acceptable level.

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The Bouncy Castle

09 Saturday Aug 2014

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Sunday 3rd August 2014 ko 11.00

United Counties League Premier Division

PETERBOROUGH NORTHERN STAR 1 (MacLeod 8) Clay sent off 21 (denying clear goalscoring..) Stebbing sent off (2nd booking)

HOLBEACH UNITED 6 (Beeson 22p Fuller 34 Parker 49 Dube 71 78 Spencer 90)

Att 357

Entry £6

Programme £1

Badge £3

Picture the scene; Chris Berezai and I are at a GroundhopUK planning meeting with the host clubs on this hop. We’re new to each other, none of these clubs has ever seen a hop game, let alone participated in one, so at the end of it all, I wanted to give the clubs an idea of what good looks like.

Continue reading →