Author Archives: laurencereade

Powerwalking

07 Monday May 2012

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Monday 7th May 2012 ko 2.30pm

North Berkshire League Charity Cup Final

ARDINGTON & LOCKINGE 0 James sent off 70 violent conduct

BERINSFIELD 2 (Ingram 40 Saunders 74)

Att 195 (h/c)

@Abingdon United FC

Entry and (8 page) Programme £3

It’s only about a mile from Abington Town to United, so I was in plenty of time for this one. In the car park I found a salutary reminder of the fact that no-one remembers a loser, a discarded runners up memento from the previous day’s Upper Thames Valley League Alan Alder Memorial Trophy.

If Abingdon Town has the cover, then United have both the clubhouse and the pitch. With only two areas of cover and a crowd over double that of my morning game, it was fortunate that the rain ceased, and the crowd could make use of all of the surround.

As is always the case, the committee was there en masse; why can’t other leagues do that for their blue riband events, and I witnessed the high levels of administrative efficiency as they made sure each player’s name did correspond to the number they were wearing.

And while all this was happening one person cut a nervous figure. Whilst Berinsfield’s AJ Stockford oozed confidence, club secretary Jackie Cullen paced nervously. Before the game, she kept busy putting up red and black balloons, during it she powerwalked round and round the pitch. So many finals, so many miles covered.

The game saw Berinsfield take on another Division 2 outfit more than capable of scoring goals. Ardington & Lockinge may be better known for racehorses, but they’re making their way back up the NBFL after spell away from the league. They made the brighter start too, Jonny James’ cross-cum-shot took a slight deflection and hit the bar. Berinsfield hit back as David Murphy fired  just over the bar after his intial effort was blocked by Ardington keeper Andrew Burt.

And as the half wore on Berinsfield worked out what would work for them. Captain Mark Ingram got an iron grip in midfield, and he fed AJ Stockford on the right who regularly outpaced his marker Ian Marshall. However, it was a different combination that created the opener. Brian Rawlings’ glorious cushioned lob bisected the Ardington defence and Ingram headed in, running through for a goal that would grace any stadium.

After the break Berinsfield made a fast start with Chris Murphy’s low drive grazed a post before the normally prolific David Murphy beat the offsite-trap to toe-poke the ball towards the goal. Burt somehow stretched behind to claw the ball away  then smother the loose ball just as Stockford was about to pounce. All the while Jackie paced…..

Although Berinsfield were very much in the ascendancy at 1-0 anything could have happened. The pivotal moment cam on 70 minutes when Jonny James chased a through ball, hugging the right touchline. He received close attention from Mark Ingram who shepherded him over the line none too gently. James’ reaction was to swing a punch at him. That missed, but it was not lost on either referee John Barlow, or linesman Adam Dewar, and James quickly was dismissed.

Luke Saunders replaced an exhausted Stockford and within 5 minutes he got Berinsfield’s winner. Again it was Rawlings who was the provider, his cross taking a slight deflection before finding Saunders who prodded the ball past a beaten Burt. The same combination saw Saunders’ bullet header hit the crossbar, before Burt saved brilliantly as Shane Harris followed up.

So the third trophy of the season, and as the final whistle went, the fans cheered, the players hugged, and Jackie finally stopped walking. She’ll have to go through it all again though, its the League Cup final. Same time same place, would you bet against Berinsfield making it 4?

Muddy Waters

07 Monday May 2012

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Monday 7th May 2012 ko 11.00am

Oxon Senior League Presidents Cup Final

MARSTON SAINTS 1 (Payne 75p)

RIVERSIDE 2 (Green 25 87) Green missed penalty 87 Harris sent off 73 (spitting)

Att 83 (h/c)

Entry & (4 page) Programme £3

@Abingdon Town FC

The Culham Road home of Abingdon Town is one of the County’s best grounds, in fact with Oxford United back in the League, I’d have thought it was the best non-league ground in Oxfordshire. The only problem is that in football terms, you’re in Berkshire, pesky pre-1974 boundaries still apply! There’s so much to like with cover on 3 sides, and 2 areas of seating. The clubhouse doubles up as a nightclub, and the offices as a campervan business, judging by the sheer volume of them parked up.

The ground does have issues though, and its clear that the ground is beginning to reflect the clubs lowly status these days in the Hellenic League. Turnstiles have been removed and some of the roofs are leaking. Not good on an appalling wet morning, on a riverside pitch, notorious for its propensity to flood.

The game saw two Oxford based sides go head to head. Marston Saints play at Boults Lane, in Old Marston. That’s just a stone’s throw from Oxford City’s Court Place Farm ground, and the John Radcliffe Hospital. Riverside are new to the OSL this year and are yet another reincarnation of Headington Quarry, using the Margaret Road ground that the now defunct Quarry Nomads called home. Their kit even had a “Quarry” badge on it!

The game was extremely one sided. Riverside dominated throughout, and should have won this far more easily than they did. They spurned an early penalty, given for handball, but continued the press until Ben Green atoned for his poor spot kick by being at the right end of a goalmouth scramble to open the scoring. This pattern continued through the rest of the first half and well into the second, with Riverside asking all the questions and Saints keeper Dave Newbold keeping them out.

All that changed with around 15 minutes left. Riverside keeper Chris Harris, bizarrely sporting a woolly hat dashed out to collect a ball but had to challenge an onrushing Ben Green. Green caught him, but play continued briefly only to be stopped as the linesman was frantically flagging. There was a brief conflab, then referee David Stanley dismissed Harris for spitting. Harris later claimed he shouted, “And spit came out.” Unsavoury to put it mildly. Riverside captain Arron Armstrong went in goal, but was unable to stop Tom Payne’s penalty.

For a brief time it looked like Marston could steal an unlikely and undeserved victory. Armstrong saved well down to his right, but the crisis was soon dealt with and normal service resumed. Green collected his second, as Marston quickly ran out of ideas in the mud. There was a little tension as a lot of injury time was played, due to the dismissal, but as the trophy was presented, I felt most sorry for the two sides arriving for the afternoon final, the pitch was a mess.

The Sweet Smell of Champagne

05 Saturday May 2012

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Saturday 5th May 2012 ko 2.30pm

North Berkshire League Division One

FARINGDON TOWN 2 (Harrington 40 Sutton 77)

CROWMARSH GIFFORD 2 (Allum 55 Currell 84)

Att 38 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Badge £3

Tea-in-a-mug 40p

I like Tucker Park,with its rural views and good facilities. There’s a large clubhouse and the bonus of a covered 3-step terrace. Best of all there’s a view of the West-Oxfordshire town’s most famous feature-the Folly.

It was designed by Gerald Wellesley, Marquess of Douro, for Lord Berners and built in 1935. It is 140 feet high and affords panoramic views of the Vale of White Horse.  During the Second World War the Home Guard used it as an observation post. In 1982 Robert Heber-Percy restored it and gave it to the town in trust. It’s actually on the site of an ancient ditched defensive ring.  This was fortified by supporters of Matilda sometime during the Anarchy (1135–1141) – her campaign to claim the throne from King Stephen but was soon razed to the ground on Stephen’s orders . Oliver Cromwell fortified it in his unsuccessful campaign to defeat the Royalist garrison at Faringdon House.

This fixture was the stand-out in today’s NBFL programme. Two long-time front-runners for the championship it had boiled down to Crowmarsh needing just a point to take the championship, just 7 years after forming from the nucleus of a boys’ club.

It was clear from the outset that Faringdon would not roll over easily. Whilst Crowmarsh were clearly in the ascendancy, Faringdon looked dangerous on the break. Faringdon’s Louis Bouwer’s last-ditch sliding tackle kept Crowmarsh out, before a Faringdon corner got caught in the wind, hitting the bar with keeper Chris Sutton beaten. Faringdon took the lead on 40 minutes, when Matt Pill’s right-wing cross was met by Derren Harrington. His low drive took a wicked defection, wrong footing Sutton.

The tension was palpable with the trophy present, but artfully hidden in a box in the teabar. Crowmarsh took 10 minutes to equalise as Andy Allum was put clean though and was brought down by Faringdon keeper Ryan Curtis. Curtis was booked, and Allum dusted himself off to beat Curtis from the penalty spot.

But still Faringdon wouldn’t lie down. Gary Sutton picked up a rebound, and 20 yards out hit a real missile of a shot past the other Sutton. It looked like the trophy might have to remain in storage until Tuesday. But then a free kick was played into the Faringdon box and Liam Currell got just enough force on his header to get the ball over the line despite a desperate lunge by a Faringdon defender.

That finished the game as a spectacle and the celebrations at the final whistle were heartfelt. There was a nice touch as the Faringdon captain ordered his players out of the changing room to applaud Crowmarsh as the trophy was awarded. A class act applauding another. I like that.

Outvoted

05 Saturday May 2012

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Saturday 5th May 2012 ko 11.30am

North Berkshire League Division 4 East

WESTMINSTER 1 (Silence 50)

HARWELL INTERNATIONAL RESERVES 3 (Smith 37 44 Thompson 45)

Att 3 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

If ever there was a club name that gives absolutely no clue as to where they play is Westminster! For the record, I spent this morning in the Botley district of Oxford, a few hundred yards from the A34. The club takes its name from its home pitch, in the grounds of Westminster College. So how did the college get the name? It was they who started in Westminster, London in 1851 and originally specialised in the training of teachers for Methodist schools. The site was severely damaged by an incendiary bomb during the blitz of early World War II, and the buildings were never repaired. They were demolished in the 1960s and the headquarters of the television station Channel 4 now stand on the site.

In 1951, Westminster College moved to a purpose-built campus in Oxford, which is noted for its fusion of Oxford quads with a “New England” style of architecture, evident particularly in the large and distinctive chapel. In 2000, financial pressures prompted the Methodist Church to cease operations and deal was struck to lease the site to Oxford Brookes University, and the college buildings became the Westminster Institute of Education, a school of Oxford Brookes University, thus continuing the use of the Westminster name.

The football club have nothing to do with Westminster College, being a group of friends who post-university wanted to carry on playing together. They played their first two seasons in the Oxford City League before transferring across, for this season. They’ll finish comfortably mid-table, while their visitors are champions, played 18 won 18.

It was cold and windy as the referee Harry Moore admitted to be that is always cold here. The ground is uphill from the A34, and it may well be the last time Harry officiates here. The NBFL’s very own Justin Bieber look-alike has justifiably been promoted and as a result will be plying his trade in the Hellenic next season. If his fine performance here was anything to go by he’ll go far.

The game went, predictably by the form book. Stuart Smith tapped in twice neatly before Jake Thompson pounced on a defensive error, to give International an unassailable lead.

The second half was noticeably less exciting than the first. Westminster gained a consolation as a weak parry from International keeper Chris Marks, allowed Dean Silence to prod home. It wasn’t the start of anything, and it never looked that way. The game meandered pleasingly enough, Harry had nothing much to concern himself with, and the International bench told me a tale of how their former club linesmen kept winning lineman of the year by consistantly giving offside decisions AGAINST his own side, knowing that the opposition always gave him his marks!

So, one game left for International, can they make it 20 from 20?

 

 

Wacky Races

05 Saturday May 2012

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Friday 4th May 2012 ko 6.45pm

Cambridgeshire County League

LINTON GRANTA 7 (A Palmer 7 30 Greathead 23 Elston 73 Stanley 76 82 84)

NEWMARKET TOWN RESERVES 1 (Williams 90)

Att 90 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Programme £1

The idea for this extravaganza was Wavendon-based Chris Garner’s. He pointed out that a sharp exit from work in Banbury at 4.30 meant I could pick him up in Milton Keynes at 5.30. That gave us 75 minutes to knock off 50-or-so miles to Linton, the wrong side of Cambridge, simple? Not on a Friday, and the Black Cat (roundabout on the A1) wasn’t so lucky on this occasion. Still we only missed a minute or two, and what a great tick to get, and Len Spierenburg and Don Scott filled in the gaps.

The village lies on the southern edge of the county, and is best known for its zoo. There’s also a Festival each May Bank Holiday, with participants dressed in comedy costumes racing down the High Street, stopping in all the pubs for a pint, and then racing through the fields next to the village and back down the High Street. Continue reading →

T E A M

02 Wednesday May 2012

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Wednesday 2nd May 2012 ko 6.30pm

Oxon Senior League Division One

LONG CRENDON 4 (C Scott 17 R Scott 51 Duke 61 75p)

OAKLEY UNITED 10 (Baylie 9 59 Shaw 15 76 Woodfine 33 41 49 84 C Davies 83 Pooke 86)

Att 12 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

Its a quirk of the league that this second tier game was in fact played by two Buckinghamshire sides! Mind you Long Crendon is only just over the border, around a mile or so, as you leave Thame.

The village used to be known as simply “Crendon” but during the English Civil War, to avoid confusion with nearby Grendon that village had “Underwood” added, and Crendon gained a “Long” a remark on the ribbon development that is still in evidence today. In the 13th century Crendon and Aylesbury were the only two settlements in England where Continue reading →

Airplay

01 Tuesday May 2012

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Tuesday 1st May 2012 ko 6.45pm

North Berkshire League Division Two

BENSON LIONS 1 (Taylor 25)

BERINSFIELD 8 (Ingram 22 Stockford 24 49 Rawlings 44 Kenny 47 Saunders 62 73 Marshall 75)

Att 23 (h/c)

80 minute game

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

It would be easy for the unitiatied to confuse Benson AFC with Benson Lions. There isn’t much distance between the two grounds, about a mile or so, but there’s one massive difference, the Lions are a Forces team, and play their football within RAF Benson. That of course means you have to get through security.

All it takes is a little forward planning. You need to produce photo ID at the guardhouse, and they’ll take your photo and issue you with a pass to flash at the gate. From there, it’s a short drive through the Domestic Site of the base to the sports ground on Lancaster Way. There’s football, rugby and cricket, as well as a fitness trail, and its as sick and span as you’d expect at a military base. This game was played on a different pitch than normal, as with cricket taking precedence, the football was shunted away from the clubhouse.

The security factor didn’t stop a fair few Berinsfield fans from making the short trip to follow their team, in fact one admitted she’d driven past her “Weightwatchers” class in Benson to attend this game. However I’ve been sworn to secrecy as to her identity!

With both sides normally wearing red, Lions opted to change their kit, only to discover their green change kit was dirty. So they decided to wear the RAF Benson team’s new 2nd XI kit. Have a look at the photos, it’s quite something!

The afternoon had seen the pitch used for an inter-base game. This had two impacts on our game. Firstly there was a small muddy pool in one goalmouth, the second proved pivotal. 4 Benson Lions players played in both fixtures, and while Berinsfield as befits the divisional champions were worthy winners, the fatigue had an obvious impact on the hosts.

Berinsfield took the lead, Mark Ingram’s deft flicked header, steering AJ Stockford’s cross from the left past Gillespie in the Lions’ goal. It was quickly 2-0 as Stockford’s cushioned volley after a quickly taken free kick wrong footed a Lions defence arguing that the free kick was taken in the wrong place. It was, but play to the whistle lads.

Lions, found a lifeline as Dan Dixon parried a shot right to Matt Taylor who stabbed in at close range. At half time the servicemen were unfortunate to be losing as they’d matched their visitors.

All that changed as the players visibly tired, during the second half. Simon Kenny fired home to make it 3, and Stockford tapped home to get himself a brace. Lions bad evening got worse when Steve Morley collected a second yellow for elbowing David Murphy, putting unnecessary strain on an exhausted team. The Lions bench had seen it coming, the assistant manager had offered a £20 bet. There were no takers, but they couldn’t substitute him as they has to prioritize the players who’d played in both fixtures.

Substitute Luke Saunders collected a late brace, both times Gillespie got something on his shot, but both times he watched the ball trickle agonizingly over the line. Ian Marshall’s late strike was a neat coda to a league season that’s seen Berinsfield lose only twice.

After the game I had long chat with Benson Lions about how they could host a NBFL groundhop game. The base does have procedures for open-days, but security isn’t something that can be compromised but that I’m sure that can be worked with, and the club have great plans for the visiting hoppers.

To finish, I need to correct one element of my previous reports on Berinsfield. They had let me know that they have only been asked to leave one league, not the three I previously mentioned. I apologise, and am happy to set the record straight.

Whitley Would

01 Tuesday May 2012

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Monday 30th April 2012 ko 6pm

Reading League Senior Division

SOUTH READING 3 (Lyden 37 86 A Kingsbeer 90)

COOKHAM DEAN 1 (Lennon 41)

Att 32 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

It’s fair to say that Whitley Wood isn’t the most salubrious part of Reading. In fact when I entered the Reading half marathon, and my ex-wife discovered that the race starts here, she commented that was because no-one in their right mind would run towards the place. Not that there’s anything much wrong with the facilities on the Basingstoke Road, a clubhouse, car park and a roped off pitch. At this level, what else do you need? There was also a the backdrop of Reading FC Madjeski stadium as a backdrop. I do like the small game/big ground visual gag!

This was a game with something riding on it too, as South Reading with 3 games left were 8 points from leaders Westwood, who’ve finished their fixtures. Also in the mix are Woodcote/Stoke Row who are 6 points behind with 2 to play. I’d seen South Reading before, winning easily away at Bisham Abbey against Marlow United. That day they’d featured former Farnborough bad boy Ray Spence, and they won that day at an arrogant canter. That was a division down, bizarrely called the “Premier Division” and it was clear at the outset that the arrogance has disappeared now they’re not winning every game easily. Spence incidentally is now at Reading Town.

In fact while this game was eventually won, and won well, it was as much down to profligate finishing from Cookham Dean then any great superiority on the hosts part. Chief culprit for the visitors was Xavi Etienne who miss a hat trick of gilt-edged  chances IN EACH HALF. Ben Lyden eventually opened the scoring for the hosts who were were almost immediately pegged back by Cookham’s John Lennon; it was all coming together nicely as a spectacle.

But then the ideas just stopped. The game needed an inspiration and it came from Ben Lyden. A decent cross arrived from the right, and he did well to steer the ball into the net. He was immediately substituted due to work commitments, and he just got changed when referee Peter Hitt gave a great advantage to allow Adam Kingsbeer to race through in stoppage time to give the score a slightly flattering feel.

 

The Crunch

28 Saturday Apr 2012

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Saturday 28th April 2012 ko 3.00pm

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 0

SOUTHEND UNITED 2 (Hall 19 Mohsni 31)

Att 9,356 (1,106 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3 (incl Ox Mail)

Right let’s get one thing straight, Southend were by far the better team and deserved their win. One look at the two benches shows you why. For Oxford the youth team keeper, a loanee, and two players returning from injury to complement Adam Chapman. For Southend fire power from Elliot Benyon and almost unbelievably, Freddy Eastwood. It says something that neither were needed.

It was game with plenty resting on it for both teams. For Oxford a chance to return to the playoff zone, and for Southend the chance to keep in the chase for automatic promotion. With goalkeeper Wayne Brown having damaged his knee in training Middlesbrough’s youth keeper Connor Ripley was drafted in late yesterday. Peter Leven’s shoulder was deemed to be the wrong side of acceptable, and Cristian Montano made way for Jon-Paul Pittman. A fit-again Damian Batt allowed Supporters’ player of the year Andy Whing to return to midfield. Adam Chapman was relegated to the bench in favour of a supposedly fit-again Simon Heslop.

Oxford made a bright start with the impressive Dean Morgan seeing his shot blocked by Cameron Belford, only for Asa Hall to blast the rebound over. Southend soon took control over the midfield, and two through balls saw Southend forwards make forward runs only to be stopped crudely by firstly Jake Wright, then Michael Duberry. Both were booked but it was the free kick as a result of the second that took the game towards the visitors. Ryan Hall’s 19th-minute effort had power, but was straight at Ripley, who somehow let the ball pass through his hands and into the net.

At a stroke Oxford’s confidence and fluency evaporated and the struggle got more up-hill in the 31st minute. A looping cross from the left should have been dealt with, but Bilel Mohsni peeled off the back of marker Liam Davis to glance a header perfectly into the bottom right corner.

Ripley was beaten for a third time 6 minutes before the break, when Neil Harris’ chip beat the young debutant, but Duberry raced back to hook the ball off the line. The ever reliable Whing forced a decent save from Belford, but at half time the Shrimpers would good value for their lead.

For the second half Chapman replaced Heslop, but at no point did the hosts regain full fluency. Pittman scuffed a Scott Rendell cross, then saw a better effort blocked by Belford.  As Oxford got more desperate Tom Craddock replaced Morgan and then Montano the hard-working Andy Whing, who’d done nothing wrong. Chapman fired a free kick just over the bar, and Montano’s jinking run into the box resulted in him being hacked down. To everyone’s amazement referee Lee Collins saw fit to award only a goal kick.

As the game wound down I listened to the supporters’ comments. Yes, OUFC were very second best, but sat as I was in front of the press box, you could see what the problem was. For sat in the press area were the likes of Ryan Clarke, Peter Leven, Alfie Potter, and James Constable, all injured. That’s where Oxford season has disappeared to, mournfully sitting with the journalists, unavailable. Much has been made of Chris Wilder’s use of the loan market, but if those and others had been available for more of the season, I’m certain we’d be at worst, in the playoff zone.

As it is, Oxford need to win at Port Vale next Saturday, and hope Crewe lose at home to nothing-to-play for Aldershot to sneak an unlikely play-off slot. At the final whistle the people I sit with wished each other a happy summer, in the cold and gloom.

I’ve been hearing some supporters call for Chris Wilder to be sacked. Well, I’d be careful what you wish for. What manager would want to come to a club that’s sacked a manager who’s improved the club’s league position each season of his tenure? And that’s not considering who’s available either, although I’m sure there are a few that think that Pep Guardiola could be convinced by a club flat on Greater Leys. Patience is a virtue, it took 4 years to get out of the Conference, and simply throwing money at it isn’t a long-term solution, just ask the likes of Plymouth…….

A Thankful Village

27 Friday Apr 2012

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Thursday 26th April 2012 ko 6.45pm

North Bucks & District League Intermediate Division

STOKE HAMMOND WANDERERS 1 (M Read 30)

CITY COLTS 1 (Greening 12og)

Att 11 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

Stoke Hammond is a small village about 3 miles south of Milton Keynes, and if you were deaf you’d never know you were near the new town! That’s because the village is right next door to the A4146 and the main northern railway line. The impact is a constant rumble, and a regular whoosh as the next pendolino blasts by. It is one of the 51 “Thankful Villages” which lost no men in the First World War, as first identified by the writer Arthur Mee in the 1930s.

The home team is a result of quite a merger. Stoke Hammond had a Sunday side but no Saturday side. Bletchley Trees (named after the Three Trees pub in the town) were dissatisfied with their home in a public park so merged with Woburn Sands Wanderers to become Stoke Hammond Wanderers. They decamped to Bragenham Side in search of better facilities, so I was surprised to see the visitors complaining at the size of the changing rooms. I had a look, and yes they were suitable for a tennis doubles competition! With City Colts having drafted in 4 reserve players, their reserve team manager Paul came along to watch, and spotted me from last week’s game at University of Buckingham and we had a good chat before kick off.

With a double rainbow above the ground, two sides with ambitions for the runners-up spot behind Great Horwood kicked off rather late I thought. As usual I was wrong as we got the full 90 minutes in with sufficient light.

Sadly the game failed to live up to the talents of both sides. Colts took the lead when a cross from the right was turned into his own net by Steve Greening. I fully expected the floodgates to open, but Colts were unable to kick on, and the game settled into a pleasant enough but ineffectual passing competition. Hammond equalised mid way through the first half, Michael Read evading his marker to fire home.

After that the main source of entertainment was club officials convincing the local constabulary that the alarm going off wasn’t the clubhouse one, and that therefore we were all there legitimately!

This draw will have gained little for either side, and for these two friendly sides another season in intermediate football beckons.