Category Archives: C

The Ginger Tree

21 Thursday Sep 2017

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Sunday 27th August 2017 ko 14.00

South Wales Alliance Division 2

CWMBACH ROYAL STARS 0

TYNTE ROVERS 1 (Richards 2)

Att 267

Entry £3

Programme £1

We left Penrhiwceiber and traveled up the Cynon Valley through the narrow streets of Abercwmboi (remember them from the 2005 hop?) then up the valley passing through Abersdare. From there we crossed both the railway and the River Cynon to the pit village of Cwmbach. Continue reading →

Coke

10 Sunday Sep 2017

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Friday 25th August 2017 ko 18.45

South Wales Alliance Premier Division

CWM WELFARE 2 (Williams 24 Whitfield 90)

CARDIFF CORINTHIANS 3 (R Withers 6 90 Misbah 57p)

Att 233

Entry £3

Programme £1

Seldom have I felt so relaxed travelling down to a hop I’ve been involved in. The South Wales Alliance are the main reason why life is straightforward, we at GroundhopUK have been working with them and their predecessors, the South Wales Amateur League for years. Chris Berezai and I know that as and when an issue arises its simply a question of phoning either Dave or Phil at the league and it’s dealt with. We understand their needs, and they ours, and not every league can claim that! Continue reading →

The Ting Tang Tin Mine

03 Sunday Sep 2017

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Saturday 19th August 2017 ko 15.00

Cornwall Combination

CARHARRACK AFC 8 (R Stephens 11 15 79 Shaw 27 Davies 48 Powell 55 Pope 86 A Stephens 90)

WEST CORNWALL 1 (Knuckey 20)

Att c30

Entry £2

It was 2010 and I was driving a carload of hoppers to a pub just outside of Falmouth for a surprise party for then South West Peninsula League Press Officer Mike Sampson. We drove near to Redruth and then passed through the former tin mining village of Carharrack. But then I spotted a ground, the brakes screeched, there was 3-point-turn and seconds later 4 blokes were gazing at the Howard Beauchamp Memorial Ground slack-jawed. Continue reading →

Grand Prix

24 Monday Jul 2017

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 →