Category Archives: C

The Dry Run

19 Monday Nov 2018

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Tuesday 9th October 2018 ko 19.45

Spartan South Midlands League- Premier Division Cup 2nd Round

CRAWLEY GREEN 1 (Silford 52)

BIGGLESWADE FC 3 (Cookman 35 Marsh 47 Coles 60p)

Att 53

Entry £6

Programme £1

Sat, as I often am at my PC I had a problem. I’d spotted an interesting weekend away involving flights to and from Luton Airport, but getting there on a Friday looked rather tight for time, especially during rush hour, with Robyn having no holiday allowance left at work. Then I spotted Crawley Green had a midweek game- it was time to try a dry run… Continue reading →

The Insurance Men

13 Tuesday Nov 2018

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Saturday 6th October 2018 ko 19.45

Western League Premier Division

CRIBBS 2 (Dowdell 4 Wanjah-Smith 83)

HENGROVE ATHLETIC 1 (Fear 74)

Att 227

Entry £6

Programme £1

I remember well my feeling of unease when I first visited Cribbs six years ago. Back then the ground and club were very much the works side of insurance company Friends Life, and as couple of years earlier that firm in its guise as AXA had turned me down for a job twice! It’s strange how things work out isn’t it, if on either occasion I’d have got the job, there would have been a fairly high chance that I’d have moved to Bristol. Now given my fiancee Robyn is from Bristol that would have been handy, but we didn’t meet for another 6 or so years… and if I’d moved then would we have ever met? Continue reading →

Knee Deep In the Hoopla

05 Monday Nov 2018

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Saturday 6th October 2018 ko 14.15

Western League Premier Division

CLEVEDON TOWN 1 (Camm 12)

BUCKLAND ATHLETIC 3 (Johansen 30 Bush 72 Richards 85)

Att 213

Entry £6

Programme £1

Without wishing to be in any way disparaging to the good folk at Clevedon Town, the Western Hop’s visit to the Hand Stadium was the one I was anticipating the least. That was for two reasons, I’d visited twice before, during their Southern League days, and that the ground is still relatively new, being opened in 1992. Of course, life being as contrary as it is, it turned out to be one I’ll remember the most! Continue reading →

Attack! Attack!

18 Thursday Oct 2018

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Monday 27th August 2018 ko 14.00

South Wales Alliance- Premier Division

CAERPHILLY ATHLETIC 7 (Tedstone 31 49 55 76 Leadbeater 44 74 Edwards 50)

CWM WELFARE 0

Att 252

Entry £3

Programme £1

I refuse to believe there isn’t a groundhopper out there that doesn’t have more than a healthy dose of O.C.D., it goes hand-in-hand with the hobby! My version of it is an odd variant, if I see a town’s name on a road sign, I want to go and see that town’s club. So after 15 or so years heading up and down the A470 passing Caerphilly each time, you can imagine how pleased I was to be finally seeing a game here! Continue reading →

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant

09 Tuesday Oct 2018

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Saturday 25th August 2018 ko 16.15

Gwent County League Division One

VILLA DINO CHRISTCHURCH 1 (Butler 61)

NEWPORT CIVIL SERVICE 3 (Eidoori 8 9 Ridler 80) Berry sent off 84 (2nd booking)

Att 201

Entry £3

Programme £1

Let’s start with by answering the obvious. The village is Christchurch near Newport, the chairman’s name is Dino Gulotta, and he owns an Italian restaurant called Villa Dino. So that ought to explain the name oughtn’t it? Well not quite…. Continue reading →

Returning The Favour

01 Monday Oct 2018

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Friday 24th August 2018 ko 18.30

South Wales Alliance – Premier Division

CANTON LIBERAL 2 (K Cotterill 4 49)

GRANGE ALBION 1 (Churchill 43)

Att 189

Entry £3

Programme £2

The Welsh Hop is an operation built on experience from top to bottom, and I do include the hill at our accommodation at the University of South Wales, in Trefforest! This year there seemed to be more to do, and at times it seemed that we were using more of our fail safes than usual. It started as early as Thursday when Caerphilly failed to deliver their programmes (they turned up Friday afternoon over 24 hours late!) and then after the driest summer since 1976 the rains came…
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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

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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 →

The Goose

30 Wednesday May 2018

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Saturday 21st April 2018 ko 12.30

Notts Senior League Premier Division

FC CAVALIERS 1 (Kolapo 35)

AFC DUNKIRK 0

Att 42

Entry & Programme £2

When Rob Hornby retired from organising the annual Notts Senior League Hops he left a cohort of clubs playing in caged 3G facilities that needed visiting if you wanted to complete the league. Now I doubt that any hopper would prioritise any such ground, they are designed after all for the participant rather than the spectator. But that would do the Forest Recreation Ground a massive disservice, its history makes it well worth a visit.  Continue reading →

For Pricey

18 Friday May 2018

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Saturday 14th April 2018 ko 18.00

South Wales Alliance Division Two

CARDIFF HIBERNIAN 2 (James 30 C Reffell 90)

AFC BARGOED 2 (A Williams 12 J Thomas 27)

Att 197

Entry & Programme £3

Let’s start this piece with the situation we found ourselves in a couple of weeks before the hop. We had the first two games sorted out, but they’d been scheduled anyway, and we really needed a third game for the Saturday. Obviously the original plan would have been that game being in the Carmarthenshire League, but with that avenue closed to us, Chris Berezai turned to an old friend. Continue reading →

Billings

21 Wednesday Mar 2018

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Tuesday 13th March 2018 ko 19.45

Southern Counties East League Premier Division

CORINTHIAN FC 3 (Jones 25 31 Hurcomb 65)

SHEPPEY UNITED 0

Att 72

Entry £7

Programme £1

One look at the name “Corinthian” will have the reasonably well-informed football watcher evoking the famous amateur club, now one half of the Corinthian-Casuals club in Tolworth. And while the amateur, football for football’s sake is similar the story of the Kentish Corinthian is rather different. You could say the whole story evokes “Field of Dreams.” Continue reading →