Category Archives: C

Grand Prix

24 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by in C

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday 22md July 2017 17.00

F.I.M. Speedway British Grand Prix

1st Maciej Janowski (Pol)

2nd Jason Doyle (Aus)

3rd Matej Zagar (Slo)

4th Bartosz Zmarzlik (Pol)

Att 40,234 at Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Entry £25

Programme £10

It had been roughly 10 years since my last speedway GP at the now rebranded Millenium Stadium, in Cardiff. I found myself using the old routine, parking in the side streets of Newport, then using a group saver to get a return the one stop to Cardiff Central for around £3.45. It still works well, apart from the bloke who’d had a beer in Bridgewater, tried to get to Taunton, and woke up in Newport. At least he amused the carriage-full of Poles! Continue reading →

Aerospace

12 Wednesday Jul 2017

Posted by in C

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

Saturday 8th July 2017 ko 14.30

Pre-season friendly

COSMOS UK 0

BROMLEY HEATH UNITED 6 (Nolan 15 20 62 Britton 62 Greenaway 72 Mitchelmore 80)

Att 6 at BAWA Club, Stanton Road, Filton, Bristol

Free Entry

The great advantage of an early kickoff was that it allowed a double with just about anything in Bristol. The only issue was that with family there, and a hop in the Western League, there isn’t much I hadn’t already paid a visit to. It needed me to travel to the Cosmos! Continue reading →

Dreams

13 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by in A, C, W

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Saturday 27th May 2017 ko 17.30

FA Cup Final

ARSENAL 2 (Sanchez 5 Ramsey 79)

CHELSEA 1 (Costa 77) Moses sent off 69 (2nd booking)

Att 89,472 at Wembley Stadium

Entry £45

Programme £10

I’m old enough to remember the FA Cup when it took over all of the television on whatever Saturday it fell. You could watch “Cup Final Multi-Coloured Swap Shop” if you so desired, such was the importance attached to the final game of the season. Then after lunch I’d sit with Dad and watch the game, preceeded by the marching band, and the singing of “Abide with me,” and it goes without saying that from the moment I first set eyes on the spectacle I wanted to go to a final. There were a few problems with my idea though….

Continue reading →

The Hidden Gem

09 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by in C

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

Sunday 14th May 2017 ko 15.00

North Devon League- Senior Division

COMBE MARTIN 3 (Taylor 6 Z Humphries 25 32)

STRATTON UNITED 0

Att 24

Free Entry

There are no end of hoppers who simply wouldn’t have discovered this little gem. Why I hear you ask? The North Devon’s second tier nominally slots in at the 9th step of non-league and so many hoppers’ radars won’t register below Step 6. Their loss…… Continue reading →

Decider

01 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in C, Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Sunday 7th May 2017 ko 12.00

Championship

BRISTOL CITY 0

BIRMINGHAM CITY 1 (Adams 16)

Att 24,404

Entry £16

Programme £3

This one had been pencilled in for some time, as it was my girlfriend Robyn’s team’s last home game of the season, and when the tickets were artfully discounted, the chance to explore the new Lansdowne stand too. Robyn and I had watched the reverse fixture back in November, Birmingham won 1-0 and we departed thinking that Bristol City would probably need to win the final game to guarantee safety. Little did we know… Continue reading →

The First Lap

27 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in C

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Thursday 13th April 2017 ko 19.45

Northern Counties East League Division One

CAMPION 4 (Davis 47p Cunningham 70 Kendall 77 Hey 87)

DRONFIELD TOWN 1 (Wood 46)

Att 268

Entry £5

Programme £1.50

With last year’s Easter Hop being based in Cornwall and organised by Phil Hiscox, it had seemed ages since we’d enjoyed the company of the Northern Counties East. A lot had changed, not least that we at GroundhopUK had been approached by the North West Counties League to run a hop there. We’d immediately thought that would end up replacing the NCEL as this hop saw us reach a point where there are insufficient clubs to run a full hop here. However next season the Easter Hop reverts to the South West Peninsula League for it’s final event, so we looked at ways of squaring the circle.  Continue reading →

Evenlode

27 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in C

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Tuesday 11th April 2017 ko 18.15

Witney & District League Premier Division

COMBE 1 (C Ibbitson 12)

HANBOROUGH 2 (Morton 5 77)

Att 45

Entry FREE

No programme

The great joy of unfloodlit midweek games is the chance to engage with the game at grassroots, and yes I am amused when I hear professional pundits refer to the National League as grassroots! Little do they know… The Witney League reminds me in many ways of a league I’m proud to serve- the North Berkshire League in that they both are off-pyramid village football competitions and are all the stronger for playing to their strengths.  Continue reading →

Unease

20 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in C, O

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Sunday 2nd April 2017 ko 14.30

Football League Trophy Final

COVENTRY CITY 2 (Bigirimana 11 Thomas 55)

OXFORD UNITED 1 (Sercombe 75)

Att 74,434

Entry £60

Programme £5

A trip to Wembley is an experience to be savoured isn’t it? It ought to be the pinnacle of your club’s ambition, and an experience where you take in every moment as if it were your last. So why did I come very close to not going, or even watching it on television? Continue reading →

Risk

10 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by in C

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Saturday 25th March 2017 ko 15.00

East of Scotland League

COLDSTREAM 0

TYNECASTLE 2 (Mayer 14 Crabbe 19)

Att 267

Entry £5

Programme £2

I’ll admit it, as hop organisers Chris Berezai and I took a bit of a gamble with this one. Here’s the dilemna we had, on one hand we listened to the hoppers and they often tell us that scheduling 4 games is too much. Scheduling three isn’t an issue in itself but the risk is that if you put a game at around 3pm you run the risk of some of the hoppers doing “Off piste” and taking in another game.

Continue reading →

Reputations

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by in C

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Sunday 12th March 2017 ko 15.00

South Wales Alliance Premier Division

CARDIFF CORINTHIANS 1 (Canley 52)

PONTYCLUN 2 (Moss 49p Woodington 71)

Att 189

Entry £3

Programme £1

It’s worth remembering that the roots of the Welsh Spring Hop lie with GroundhopUK organising a “Hop Up” in March for clubs in the South Wales Amateur League, who due to cricket couldn’t host during August Bank Holiday.

The idea was transferred along with the August Hop to the Mid-Wales League, but then one year we were approached by the Ceredigion League who offered us a games in Lampeter, and New Quay to pad out trips to UWA and Aberaeron and we enjoyed their company so much we completed the league before moving the event to the Carmarthenshire League last season. This return to both the roots of the Spring Hop, and the now merged Alliance League was a good chance to compare past and present. Continue reading →