Author Archives: laurencereade

Serenity

13 Friday Jul 2018

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Tuesday 22nd May 2018 ko 18.30

Coventry Alliance Division 2

CRICK ATHLETIC 3 (Pritchard 39 54 Hull 40)

AMBLESIDE SPORTS RESERVES 2 (Vaughan 4 Morris 35)

Att 15

FREE Entry

When I read about some hoppers self-imposed rules and regulations I usually allow myself a wry smile. There’s the one who won’t go to a game unless its on the Groundhopper App and then there’s the ones who won’t go to a game below the 6th step of non-league “Because its all fields.” Each to their own of course, but for me the beauty of the hobby is digging up the little gems, and you’ll never be able to do that with an App- you are inevitably using someone else’s research. To find a little gem like Crick you have to dig that little known seam of football that is (nominally) Step 11. Continue reading →

Convenience

09 Monday Jul 2018

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Saturday 19th May 2018 ko 13.30

Welsh League Division Two

AMMANFORD AFC 1 (Frater 19p) Glendon sent off (dangerous play) 62

PONTYPRIDD TOWN 3 (Hooper 48 Boddard 57 Hillman 68)

Att c150

Entry & Programme £4

It seems a common theme of this season has been me stretching the concept of “its on the way home” to its extremes! Here the plan of action was to collect Robyn from a few days holiday in Weymouth, and I was tasked to find us a game between there and Oxford. Well, South Wales and one of the most westerly clubs in the Welsh League is close enough isn’t it? Continue reading →

The Rivals

07 Saturday Jul 2018

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Saturday 12th May 2018 ko 18.00

North Berkshire Cup Final

BERINSFIELD 2 (Ingram 43p Palmer 71) Kenny sent off 77 (2nd booking)

SAXTON ROVERS 0

Att 341

At Abingdon United FC

Entry & Programme £4

Something a little different, but perhaps it’s also just the same as normal! As a very proud committeeman at the North Berkshire League it was inevitable I’d be at our Blue Riband event, the North Berkshire Cup Final. But with Benno the press officer away attending a wedding- his own- I was pressed into service to write a report, and Robyn became official photographer. Here are the results.  Continue reading →

The Swap

07 Saturday Jul 2018

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Wednesday 9th May 2018 ko 19.45

United Counties League Division One

LUTTERWORTH ATHLETIC 2 (Hobert 20 Pegg 66p)

STEWARTS & LLOYDS 1 (Mpofu 88)

Att 31

Entry £5

No Programme

Half the fun of this one was working out exactly who Robyn and I would be watching! In the beginning there was Lutterworth Town and Lutterworth Athletic with one playing the centre of town the other on the edge. Then one left, the other moved into the other’s former ground, and the first moved into other’s an out-of-town location. I’d seen Lutterworth at the in-town location back in the day but in the day’s leading up to this day the mechanics of football in Lutterworth did take a little working out!

Continue reading →

The Revenge of the Sixth

05 Thursday Jul 2018

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Sunday 6th May 2018 ko 14.00

Bridgend & District Sunday League- Division One Cup Final

GARTH VADER 3 (Roberts 55 66 Evans 58p)

THE SEAGULL 1 (Jones 9)

Att c70 at Llangeinor FC

Free Entry

To some people’s logic, driving from Long Eaton via Bristol to the valleys north of Bridgend to watch a Sunday League game doesn’t make a lot of sense. In fact to some groundhoppers it made no sense either, and we’re a breed that’s used to travelling long distances for the most obscure of games. But when you boiled this one down it meant complete sense for the purest of reasons- you may not drive for 4 hours for football, but you would to support your friends.

Continue reading →

Harry

28 Thursday Jun 2018

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Saturday 5th May 2018 ko 17.00

Central Midlands League- South Division

HILTON HARRIERS 1 (Jones 14og)

HUCKNALL TOWN 0

Att 236

Entry £3

Programme £1

On one hand the hop had been hugely enjoyable, and a fourth game would have been welcome, on the other, the red faces told the story of sunburn on a hot day. Perhaps it was no bad thing it was only a 3 game day!

The Derbyshire village of Hilton is famous for being the birthplace of Herbert Massey the leader of the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III in March 1944. He was fortunate to escape the fate of 50 of the escapees who were shot on Hitler’s orders. Massey’s birthplace is marked with a blue plaque. Continue reading →

Kilbourne

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

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Saturday 5th May 2018 ko 13.45

Central Midlands League South Division

AFC KILBURN 1 (McCready 84)

SHERWOOD COLLIERY 3 (Wiesztort 26 Sawter 56 Beardsey 80)

Att 207

Entry £3

Programme £1.50

Maybe it’s because I’m a southerner but when you mention Kilburn, I tend to think of the suburb in north-west London near Maida Vale. In fact I think we took the Hellenic Hop there a couple of times back in the day!  The Kilburn in Derbyshire is in the Amber (river) Valley, which made the “Jade” Garden choice of name for the local Chinese takeaway seem rather inappropriate!  To confuse things further until roughly a century ago the village was known as Kilbourne! The area was the setting for ITV tv drama “Peak Practice.” Continue reading →

Fergie Time

24 Sunday Jun 2018

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Saturday 5th May 2018 ko 11.00

Central Midlands League-South Division

HOLBROOK ST MICHAELS 5 (Sanders 19 65 Kirl 30 Collingwood 47og Hayes 80)

LINBY COLLIERY WELFARE 2 (Gill 50 Butler 90)

Att 212

Entry £3

Programme £1

One of the advantages of being involved in organising these events is knowing you’ll be at each and every game come what may. Because as you ground count gets higher and higher you run the risk of forgetting exactly where you’ve been! The Derbyshire village of Holbrook I knew to have 2 football teams, and I remembered seeing Holbrook Miners Welfare for ground #500 back in the day. Time blurs memories so when I saw Holbrook Sports and Holbrook St Michaels I wondered which one I’d visited! Continue reading →

The Flock

20 Wednesday Jun 2018

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Friday 4th May 2018 ko 19.00

Central Midlands League -South Division

SWANWICK PENTRICH ROAD 3 (G Wilding 52 Brooks 77 83)

ASLOCKTON & ORSTON 0

Att 194

Entry £3

Programme £1

If there was ever a league with a history with the organised groundhop it was the Central Midlands League. It reached the national consciousness in 2004 when the league hosted the first and so far only 5-in-a-day hop with the Times in tow to cover it! The hop also managed to be the first to feature 8 games in 48 hours in a freezing March in 2008. Who could forget the snow in Calverton? Of course at the centre of the hops were Chris Berezai at GroundhopUK and the league’s Rob Hornby. Continue reading →

Horwudu

19 Tuesday Jun 2018

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Wednesday 2nd May 2018 ko 18.30

North Bucks & District League Premier Division

GREAT HORWOOD 7 (Broom 20 Dixon 32 65 85 Tappin 36 Hawkins 60 Cronin 67)

WING VILLAGE 1 (Robinson 1p)

Att c15

Free Entry

This one definitely was one to salve my slice of OCD that tells me I simply have to watch a game at any ground I drive past more than once. Great Horwood lies on the main A421 between Buckingham and Bletchley, the village to your left and the Castlefields playing fields to your right. There’s been a village here since Saxon times, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records this place as “Horwudu” meaning muddy wood in 792! Continue reading →