30 Tuesday Jul 2013
Posted in R
Tags
Adam Davies, county, Hildenborough Athletic, invicta, Kent, League, pre season games, Rusthall, sharp bend
Saturday 27th July 2013 ko 15.00
Pre-Season Friendly
RUSTHALL 1 (Parsons 94)
HILDENBOROUGH ATHLETIC 4 (Spenceley 16 Ashmore 39 Davies 45 Chandler 90)
Att 59
Entry FREE
Programme NONE
So dear reader, imagine its the 17th century and you are a Puritan. You’re in Kent and fancy some curative baths. Where do you go, Tunbridge Wells? Continue reading
14 Sunday Apr 2013
Posted in R
Tags
Culloden Monument, Jason White, League, Reece Marshall, Richmond Castle, Richmond Town, Wearside, Willington
Saturday 13th April 2013 ko 14.30
Wearside League
RICHMOND TOWN 0
WILLINGTON 1 (Marshall 78) White sent off (2nd booking)
Att 94 (h/c)
Entry £2
Programme £1
Tea 80p
Apparently Richmond is the UK’s most replicated place name with 57 instances so for the avoidance of any doubt, this beautiful place is in North Yorkshire! The Georgian Theatre here, is reckoned to be the most complete anywhere in the world. Its a town of narrow, cobbled streets, and seemingly is unchanged much since it was founded in 1071 by the Breton Alan Rufus, on lands granted to him by William the Conqueror. The name Richmond is an anglicised version of the Norman Richemont, meaning Strong Hill, there’s still a town of that name in Haute-Normandie. Richmond Castle, completed in 1086, consisted of a keep with walls encompassing the area now known as the Market Place.
The castle still dominates the scene, built at least in part as a response to the 1069 rebellion at York which was followed by his “harrying of the North” – an act of ethnic cleansing which depopulated large areas. As a further punishment he divided up the lands of North Yorkshire among his most loyal followers. Alain Le Roux de Ponthievre of Brittany received the borough of Richmond and began constructing the castle to defend against further rebellions and to establish a personal power base.
The castle was finished as a defence by the 15th century but remained as a tourist attraction and occasional military base, Robert Baden-Powell the founder of the Scout movement ran the barracks here from 1908-10, and during World War I as the base of the Non-Combatant Corps made up of conscientious objectors. It was also used to imprison some of those objectors who refused to accept army discipline and participate in the war in any way. These included The Richmond 16 who were taken to France from the castle, charged under Field Regulations and then sentenced to death, those death sentences eventually being commuted to ten years’ hard labour.
The Earl’s Orchard Playing Field gives the most spectacular view of the south side of the castle situated as it is just over the River Swale from castle walls. It used to be a jousting field and if you look to the right side of the castle walls you can still see the holes where a balcony was fixed so the Earl of Richmond and his retinue could watch the action!
Behind the near goal the Culloden Tower is clearly visible. It was built in 1746 by John Yorke, a Richmond MP and the architect is thought to have been Daniel Garrett. It was originally called the Cumberland Temple and was built to celebrate the victory of the Duke of Cumberland’s army over Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonny Prince Charlie) at Culloden Moor in April of that year.
All of the history means that the football club’s scope for improving facilities is more or less nil. The pavilion was opened by Jack Charlton in 1975, but the both the pitch rails and dugouts and removable. The club won the Teesside League last season and went into this fixture in second place. Its clear that for elevation to the Northern League the club will have to move to progress.
The game saw a contrast in ambitions. Willington are ex-Northern League, and are looking to return for next season. They’re top of the table, and this win makes that ambition likely now they’re 10 points clear from Stockton FC, who are now second. It wasn’t the greatest game to watch as a neutral, two good sides simply cancelled each other out, and it took the dismissal of Willington’s Jason White, moronically for an incident of dissent in each half. Oddly it was the visitors who responded the best as substitute Reece Marshall fired home to take the points home north.
For all of that, I could have witnessed a 7-6 thriller, and I still wouldn’t remember this place for anything other the view. Its quite something isn’t it?
27 Wednesday Mar 2013
Tags
By Pass Ground, Danny Phillips, Fareham Town, Luke Harry, Palmerston, Rev W Awdry, Romsey Town, Sports
Tuesday 26th March 2013 ko 19.45
Wessex League Premier Division
ROMSEY TOWN 2 (Phillips 41 Harry 90)
FAREHAM TOWN 0
Att 32 (head count)
Entry £5
No Programme
Until I researched this I had no idea why the small Hampshire town of Romsey resonated with me. It’s notable for fly-fishing on the River Test but I prefer my fish in batter with chips so it wasn’t that, but when I saw that Wilbert Awdry was born nearby the pieces began to fall into place. The Rev W Awdry wrote the Thomas the Tank Engine books, and is was him that got me to learn to read as a child. I remember meeting him as a small boy at a model railway exhibition at Oxford Town Hall, and being star-struck for the first time in my short life. You can blame him for what you’re reading now!
The Broadlands Country House is in the outskirts of Romsey too. Variously home to the inventor of Gunboat Diplomacy Lord Palmerston, and Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma, it was designed by Lancelot “Capability” Brown, and was where Prince Charles and Princess Diana spent their wedding night. I’m not sure whether that last fact is necessarily a selling point!
The factor that influenced this tie for me was the opposition. Fareham Town secretary Paul “Splodge” Proctor is a Continue reading
22 Tuesday Jan 2013
Posted in R
Tags
ashmolean museum, Benfield and Loxley, C.S. Lewis Foundation, car plant, Cheney School, Chronicals of Narnia, Clive Staples Lewis, CS Lewis, Headington Quarry, Kiln Lane, Oxford, oxford ring road, Risinghurst
Sunday 20th January 2013
This, I suppose should be read as a sequel for my previous entry, “In search of the Quarrymen.” The author CS Lewis worshipped and was buried in Headington Quarry, in Oxford but actually lived about half a mile away, in Risinghurst.
These days Risinghurst is a suburb on Oxford’s eastern edge, and is separated from Headington Quarry by the Eastern by-pass section of the Oxford Ring-Road. Unlike Headington Quarry there are fewer clues to its past. As you walk up the slight incline of Kiln Lane, you are unaware Continue reading
11 Thursday Oct 2012
Tags
Butlin Road, dreadful time, Fazel Koriya, Howard Forinton, Jamie Brassington, Josh Blake, Rugby Town, Rugby United, Steve Palmier, United Counties League, Valley Sports, VS Rugby, wessex league, Woodford United
Tuesday 9th October 2012 ko 19.45
Southern League Central Division
RUGBY TOWN 2 (Koriya 12 Palmer 90)
WOODFORD UNITED 0
Att 145
Entry £8
Programme £2
Ever had one of those evenings when things conspire to trip you up? This was definitely one of those! The original idea was to head south to the Wessex League to watch Hayling, but that called off before I left work (Thanks Splodge for letting me know!), so I headed north to watch Saffron Dynamo, in the Leicestershire Senior League. That, it transpired got postponed because the Cosby-based side didn’t fancy playing Desford twice in 3 days, so I was faced with a choice, do a revisit or head for home.
A call from Graeme helped no end with my options, so I parked up in Butlin Road with a couple of minutes to spare. It was about a decade earlier that I’d first visited, when the club were mid-way though their transformation from Valley Sports, to VS Rugby, to Rugby United. Nowadays its Town following the merger with the United Counties League side, and Butlin Road remains a magnificent ground, a league ground in waiting, totally out of step with the club’s position, 4 promotions from the supposed promised land.
They were always likely to a take a step in the right direction this evening as Woodford are having a dreadful time of it. Led by former Birmingham and Yeovil forward Howard Forinton, and featuring former Leamington striker Josh Blake, you’d have expected a lot more than no points from 7 games. It became clear why though, as every first step was a backward one. It gave Rugby a head start every time, and on a different night there could have been a bucket-load of goals.
And for the life of me I don’t understand why there weren’t! The game was so one-sided I placed myself each half towards the end Rugby were attacking, as Woodford had almost no answers, to the obvious frustration of Forinton. But if the Woodford goal was a barrel of fish, for the most part the hundreds of bullets fired, missed. Fazel Koriya was there to finish off a neat through ball in the twelfth minute, but then a mixture of poor finishing, over-passing, and inspired goalkeeping from Jamie Brassington kept the game within reach of the beleaguered visitors.
Every time you thought “They’ve got to score with this,” Rugby found another way to miss, and on the odd occasion Woodford ventured forward, you wondered if they could steal the most unlikely of points. They didn’t, as with yours truly already moving towards the exit, an reverse pass from Seb Lake-Gaskin found subsitute Steve Palmer, and he did the simple thing, stroking home from just inside the box. If only his team-mates had done the same…..
08 Monday Oct 2012
Posted in R
Tags
Birmingham Senior Cup, Championship, Gavin Caines, Kriistian Kostrna, Liam McAlinden, Northern Premier League, Rushall Olympic, Sarah Garrett, Wayne Daniel, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Zeli Ismail
Wednesday 3rd October 2012 ko 7.45pm
Birmingham Senior Cup First Round
RUSHALL OLYMPIC 0
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 5 (Ismail 43 62 Kostrna 63 McAlinden 71 80)
Att 101
Entry £7.50
Programme £2
Badge £3
Team Sheet FREE
I first attempted to see a game here on New Year’s day around 5 years ago. I’d attended my cousin’s party the night before and slept, more than slightly worse for wear underneath his Christmas tree. I drove north with needles in my hair, and when I reached Dales Lane, they’d just postponed the game due to a frozen pitch.
Back then Rushall played in the Midland Alliance, now they’re 2 promotions further up the footballing pyramid, and are now in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, and so are now just 3 notches from the football league. That would be a huge leap for this friendly, well organised club from just south of Walsall. The town seems out of step these days with its industrial neighbour, being a quiet and leafy suburb with views over and above the M6 of the Birmingham skyline. That belies its history as a mining town, and before that a major Parliamentarian stronghold during the English Civil War.
The ground reflects the club’s rapid elevation in status. The two seated stands are nothing to write home about, but I could have happily settled down for an evening in front of the telly in the bar, and the club shop was a Mecca for programme hunters. I did wonder why it wasn’t open before the game though. There’s plenty about the place to interest the football ground geek, but more than anything else Dales Lane is worth a visit for the friendly people who make the whole operation tick.
The scoreline was highly unfortunate for the hosts, as in no way were they walloped by the Championship side’s under-18 team. Yes, the correct side won, and it was odd seeing a side in gold and black NOT be Wolves, but Rushall played a full part in an entertaining game, and the real difference between the sides was finishing. Zeli Ismail looks to be a very good prospect and on a more selfish night he would have got a hat trick, giving up an easy chance for his third to allow Liam McAlinden his first. There wasn’t much wrong with a Rushall defence featuring the likes of Wayne Daniel and Gavin Caines, formerly of Kidderminster and Cheltenham respectively, but they won’t be facing players of this calibre very often!
The game was refereed by Sarah Garrett who, coincidentally ran the line at my game the previous night at Oxford United. She was excellent in both games, and is clearly one to watch for the future. What this game taught me though, is that Rushall aren’t at the limit of their ambitions just yet.
01 Monday Oct 2012
Posted in R
Tags
Bavaria, DFB, Etap, fc st pauli, Francky Sembolo, Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, Germany, Jahn, jahn regensburg, Jahnstadion, Jim Patrick Muller, Marcus Thorandt, Müller, Moritz Volz, oskar schindler, Regensburg, Schindler, St Pauli, TSV Oberisling, Zweite-Liga
Friday 28th September 2012 ko 18.00
2 Bundesliga
SSV JAHN REGENSBURG 3 (Sembolo 24 55 Müller J-M 44)
FC ST PAULI 0
Att 12,181
£1=€1.21
Entry €18 (Stehplatz/ Terrace)
Programme €1
Wimple/Pennant €8
Pin/Badge €4
I sometimes think that organised groundhops ought to be graded in terms of how hard work they are. Grade 1 would be a gentle 3 games in a day on the coach, whereas the last Welsh hop (11 games in 3-and-a-bit days) would be, perhaps a Grade 8. This trip, 6 games in two countries in 3 days covering over 900 miles would definitely be a Grade 10!
The idea was Lee West’s, seeing that his team St Pauli had a Friday evening fixture at Regensburg. He then found cheap flights to and from Birmingham to Frankfurt, so he was joined by Graeme, Martin and I and so we found ourselves at a Car Hire station at the Frankfurt airport, with a beast of an itinerary! Continue reading
09 Thursday Aug 2012
Posted in R
Tags
Casteton Gabriels, Cyril Smith, Gracie Fields, James Marshall, Jason Hill, Kwame Barnett, LIsa Stansfield, Mayfield Sports Centre, Northwich Victoria, Northwich Villa, Ricardo Brandao, Rochdale, Town, Wale Kwik-Ajet
Sunday 5th August 2012 ko 3pm
North-West Counties League Division One
ROCHDALE TOWN 2 (Barnard 3 Adams 77)
NORTHWICH VILLA 3 (Barnett 3 28 Marshall 55)
Att 103
Entry £5
Programme £1
Tea 80p
The reason for this game being on a Sunday is rather convoluted. Originally slated to be at Northwich on the Saturday, Villa’s new pitch at the former Flixton ground was not ready so the fixture was reversed. However the Mayfield Sports Centre is first and foremost the home of Mayfield Rugby League Club, and they had a home game on the 4th. Handy for me, and judging by the attendance handy for a lot of hoppers.
Rochdale, is probably best known as the birthplace of of the Co-operative movement. The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, founded in 1844, was the first modern co-operative; the Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals that current co-operatives are based on. For two decades the local MP was Liberal Sir Cyril Smith, reckoned to have been the heaviest British MP ever, having had a peak reported weight of 29 stone 12 pounds. Other famous people to hail from the town are singers Gracie Fields, and more latterly Lisa Stansfield. Actress Anna Friel was born here too.
The club used to be known as Castleton Gabriels and until the 1960s, the club’s players had to be Catholic and regularly attend both church and Sunday school. Once these restrictions were lifted, the club began to progress. The name was changed as a means of attracting more support and sponsorship from the wider Rochdale area, rather than just the Castleton area of the town. Judging by the club’s average attendance of around 30, that gambit hasn’t exactly paid off!
The larger than normal attendance completely threw the Gabriels. The 15 programmes produced had long since sold out when Lee and I had arrived at 2pm, so I suggested they take down names and addresses and do a re-print after the game. In fact they went one better and dashed off to do the re-print there and then. When I finally bought my copy I was even more impressed. The programme wasn’t photocopied, this was professionally done. It made an excellent impression, as did the NWCFL committee who took time to come over for a chat. They couldn’t do much about the fact that the food ran out before half-time, but full marks to this friendly club’s honest endeavour.
The game was fascinating, if only for the opposition. Northwich Villa, in essence are Northwich Victoria’s reserves. Of course, these days things aren’t as simple as that. With Victoria now homeless they are now playing at Stafford Rangers, whilst Villa at Flixton are 55 miles away, and playing under a seperate registration. There’s a new manager, Wale Kwik-Ajet described as “Former Pro'” on the Villa website, he seems to be most famous for missing an absolute sitter for Hamilton Academical against Queens Park, and never being seen again afterwards! This is his first managerial position, and he seems to have put together a decent team.
That said, he was shocked as Ricardo Brandao fired Rochdale into a early lead only for Kwame Barnett to equalise a few seconds later. Barnett was to be the key to the tie, and I suspect the season for Villa. Obviously talented, but suspect of both fitness and attitude, he did enough to win the game for his team but you wonder where he’ll be when the going gets tough. When James Marshall made it 3-1 and Gabriels lost Jason Hill to a suspected broken wrist, the thunderclouds gathering over the centre of Rochdale seemed somehow indicative of the home team’s chances. Nathan Adams’ goal with 13 minutes to go it made the finale interesting but unlike the previous day’s game there was to be no comeback.
03 Friday Aug 2012
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Tags
No date, no fixture for this post, and I’m going to have trouble coming up with a title for this. Just the one photo too.
A few days ago I received a message from groundhopper Mark Wilkins that his Dad Ron had died. For years I’d seen Mark and Ron at games around the country, but particularly in and around west London. They were a cheery pair, and always stopped for a cup of tea and a chat, and asked where the next groundhop would be. They were often seen in Royal Marines baseball caps, picked up, like mine on the South-West Peninsula hop.
Typically of me, I knew them, but not their names, just two lovely fellows I’d catch up with at a few games each season. That changed at the first game at the first North Berkshire League Groundhop. I was nervous as to how many people would turn up to a new league so I was pleased as punch to see them, and many others at Steventon FC. They’d brought fold-up chairs, and had relaxed before kick off. Trouble is, Ron had dozed off so out came my camera….. Apparently Ron liked the picture!
I saw them last at Benson AFC near the end of last season. Ron was feeling the chill so they watched the game from Mark’s car, but as ever we stopped and had our usual chat.
On September the groundhop will return to the NBFL, and hopefully Mark will be there, and as ever we’ll stop for a chat. It won’t however quite be the same without Ron. Rest in peace my friend.
03 Tuesday Jul 2012
Posted in R
Tags
Anthony Blackburn, Ashbourne, Chris Smith, Derby Summer League, derbyshire town, Lee Mosedale, Longford, Mammerton, Red Lion, Sean Jones, The Summer League, Wheel
Monday 2nd July 2012 ko 7.30pm
The Summer Football League
RED LION 3 (Blackburn 38 Smith 51 Mosedale 68)
WHEEL 0
Att 19 (h/c)
Entry FREE
Nothing for sale
There are of course no lack of summer football leagues in the British Isles. Football is a summer activity these days in the Republic of Ireland, and there are no lack of summer “Welfare” leagues in the north of Scotland. In England and Wales, they’re far more unusual, with amongst others the Llandyrnog, and Catforth leagues together with the Tunbridge Wells Veterans League.
The Summer Football League tends to get referred to as the Derby Summer League by groundhoppers, but is actually based around the North Derbyshire town of Ashbourne, famous for its Shrove Tuesday “Football” match. The league isn’t affiliated to the Football Association, and there’s a rule that precludes players who play in winter football taking part. The league started in 1930 as an agricultural league, with kick offs timed around the needs of farming. Even today, the league retains a rural feel, with minimal facilities, and each team having a base at a local pub. Games are over 80 minutes, except for the cup competitions where the full 90 minutes are played.
Red Lion are based at the David Naylor Transport Ground in the tiny village of Mammerton, near Longford. Last season they played as Ostrich, in Longford, but moved for this season, swayed by a pitch for free and uncertainty over a change of landlord at the Ostrich pub. Its basic, a pitch where a field could be, but for a league where changing rooms are deemed unnecessary, it suits the team well.
The opposition was Ashbourne-based Wheel, who I once saw in their previous incarnation as Wheel Inn lose 19-0 at home to Bradley, one of the leading lights of the league. Time hasn’t seen much change to Wheel’s fortunes, at kick off rock bottom of the table with just one draw to show for their efforts. With Red Lion a place above them also with just a point, there was little chance of a high quality game.
In fact the game greatly exceeded expectations, even though Wheel played with just 10 men throughout. In the drizzle, Red Lion had most of the possession, but it took until near to half time for them to force home the advantage, Anthony Blackburn shooting low into the left corner from 10 yards out. Wheel showed great spirit, and in Sean Jones a goalkeeper capable of excellence. His save in the dying embers of the half was worthy of a far more lofty stage.
As the second half wore on, and Red Lion made use of their bench Wheel noticeably tired. Red Lion’s left winger Lee Mosedale, a contender with Jones for man-of-the-match, found the key to Wheel’s defence, a quick “Give-and-go” with central midfield then cut across the right-back. It set up Chris Smith for the second, and Mosedale himself fired home for the third.
A deserved win for Red Lion, but Wheel fought well enough to suggest that with luck and a full complement of players, better fortunes lie ahead.
Football: Wherever it may be 