Category Archives: A

Furness

09 Sunday Nov 2025

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Saturday 23rd August 2025 k0 11:00

West Lancashire League Division

ASKAM UNITED 0

CROOKLANDS CASUALS 1 (Armstrong 19)

Att 374

Entry £3

Programme £2

With my duties for the West Lancs Hop mainly adding up to driving I felt the sense of anticipation keenly. Craig, Robyn and I formed the GroundhopUK advance party ferrying boxes of programme packs for those ticket holder who’d opted to miss the Wren Rovers game but also to offer help where needed. Truthfully, I don’t remember anywhere that needed our help. Glorious redundancy is a good thing sometimes!

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Cricket?

10 Thursday Jul 2025

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Thursday 24th April 2025 ko 18:30

Witney & District League Hughes Supplementary Cup Semi-Final

ASTON RESERVES 3 (Harper 18 Wain 53 Pawar 60og)

SHERBORNE HARRIERS 0

Att 30 at Stanton Harcourt Cricket Ground

Free Entry

I know I’ve said it before, but I do think every football fan ought to go and watch the Sherborne Harriers at least once. I was honoured to take 120 or so hoppers there during the days of the Witney Hop and the day turned into something far more than a fundraiser, important though that is at grassroots.

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Wee Help

06 Tuesday May 2025

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Saturday 15th March 2025 ko 10:45

Lowland League

ALBION ROVERS 0

BO’NESS UNITED 0

Att 379

Entry £11

Programme £2

Sometimes I do worry that people forget one of the points of the organized groundhop. Yes, part of it is to allow groundhoppers to tick off multiple grounds over a weekend, but it’s just as much there to act as a fundraiser for the host clubs, and perhaps never before has that side of these events been so important as here.

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Upper and Lower

06 Sunday Apr 2025

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Saturday 8th March 2025 ko 14:00

Banbury District & Lord Jersey League Division One

ARNCOTT ATHLETIC 2 (Dawistan 16 Davenport 60)

TYSOE UNITED 1 (Gardiner 40)

Att 15

Free Entry

When it comes to the leagues local to me in Oxford, I reckon I know most of them fairly well. Clearly organising hops for the North Berkshire and the Witney & District and sitting on a committee for the Oxfordshire FA helped for the Oxon Senior League, but the Banbury District & Lord Jersey League remains something of a mystery to me.

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Purple Heys

25 Tuesday Mar 2025

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Sunday 2nd March 2025 ko 11:30

North West Counties League Premier Division

ABBEY HEY 0

PRESTWICH HEYS 0

Bardsley-Rowe penalty saved 81

Bardsley-Rowe sent off 90 (violent conduct)

Att 610

Entry £7

Programme £2.50

For Sunday’s fixtures on the North West Counties Hop we returned to suburban Manchester and a club who in my eyes we owed a game to. Abbey Hey had been the visitors at Stafford Town, Wythenshawe Town and even featured on the very first NWCL Hop at Maine Road. That was on 2017, so no withstanding the break due to Covid, Abbey Hey were certainly due!

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The Ref

03 Monday Feb 2025

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Saturday 25th January 2025 ko 14:00

Witney & District League Premier Division

ASTON 1 (Cuss 19)

Collins sent off (serious foul play) 72

BAMPTON UNITED 3 (J Fleming 53og Colville 58 M Norridge 90)

Att 8

Free Entry

Sometimes your plans have to adapt. My car was being serviced but it took longer than expected, so I had to pick somewhere a lot closer to where I was in Eastern Oxfordshire. Stood in a cold garage I manipulated Fulltime. I knew there was nothing new for me in either the North Berkshire League or the Oxon Senior League but there were a couple in the Witney & District League that represented a new tick for me. But here’s the thing; in over 3,800 games watched I then did something new. I made my choice based on who the referee was!

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Holloway

12 Monday Aug 2024

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Saturday 6th July 2024 ko 12:00

Pre-season friendly

ASCOT UNITED 2 (15, 34)

FLEET TOWN 3 (9, 21, 84)

Att c30 at 3G pitch, Royal Holloway College Sports Centre, Egham

Free Entry

I must admit, pre-season friendlies for me are little more than an excuse to get back on the road after the close season. With that in mind I try to make a virtue of them, such as seeking out games where the club plays at home when normally groundsharing or in this case playing at a completely 3rd party ground!

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Coda

30 Sunday Jun 2024

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Saturday 11th May 2024 ko 18:30

North Berkshire Cup Final

WOODCOTE 2 (Scoffham 59 Wallace 83)

Gray sent off 120 (dangerous play)

BERINSFIELD 2 (Palmer 2 Holdsworth 21)

Chainey sent off 102 (violent conduct) 102

A.E.T. Berinsfield won 4-2 on penalties

Att 284 at Northcourt Road, Abingdon (Abingdon United FC)

Entry & Programme £5

Well, it had to end at some point. The previous week I’d announced my intention to stand down from the North Berkshire League’s committee after the North Berks Cup Final, the league’s finale for the season. There were many reasons, mainly me not having the time to devote to doing the job as I would like, and I feel the league needs. There was a straw that broke the camel’s back but that isn’t for here.

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A Long Way To The Top

02 Tuesday Apr 2024

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Friday 15th March 2024 ko 19:45

East of Scotland League Division Two

ARMADALE THISTLE 3 (Jackson 13 Strickland 84 Wood 86)

ORMISTON PRIMROSE 2 (Adrian 11 43)

Att 436

Entry £6

Programme £2

Ridin’ on the highway,

Goin’ to a show 
Stop in all the byways
Playin’ rock ‘n’ roll…

I tell you, folks
It’s harder than it looks

Bon Scott 1975

The coach had already been on the road for over 4 hours before it reached Robyn and I in Lewknor. From Cardiff to Perth via London isn’t most folks’ idea of normal, but I don’t think there’s too many folks who think us hoppers are entirely sane…

I felt under certain amount of pressure for this hop. Part of it was the loss of the two Blackpool games on the North West Counties Hop, we really didn’t want to lose a game on each of the last three hops. But much more than that, was where were heading.

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(Kent)

11 Monday Dec 2023

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Saturday 18th November 2023 ko 15:00

Isthmian League Division One South-East

ASHFORD UNITED 3 (Draycott 16 Brand 41 Carney 90+4)

SHEPPEY UNITED 2 (Willis 4 Bessey-Saldana 14)

Att 478

Entry £10

Programme £2

We’d reached the part of the season where the weather makes sure you either pick a game that’s on 3G or have a whole slew of backup plans. Added to that I had two thoughts on the back of my mind. The first was that I wanted something with seating and cover, Robyn’s ankle was still causing her pain, and there was the vexed question of the Southern Counties East. I took the view to cash in a 3G insurance policy.

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