Category Archives: S

Understanding the Culture

17 Sunday Mar 2013

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Sunday 10th March 2013 ko 10.30

Ceredigion League Division Two

TRINITY ST DAVIDS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE 1 (Parkinson 34)

DEWI STARS 0

Att 161

Entry & Programme by Hop Ticket

Badge £3

Cake £1

The big change for this year’s event was the introduction of a Sunday programme of games, but very much with an eye on getting the travellers home at a reasonable hour. Given that I got home around 9.45pm it worked well, and its a format we’ll use again.

It was noticeably colder and windier as the coach pulled outside the University Playing Fields in Lampeter. We arrived to a scene of disorganisation, and I know that a couple of hoppers had pointed the students in the right direction. Chris and I watched the students organise themselves, and soon realised that things were in hand. When you deal with students you understand that things will happen, but they’ll happen in their own time and at their own order. Continue reading →

When it Levitates

17 Sunday Mar 2013

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Saturday 9th March 2013 ko 16.10

Ceredigion League Division One

ST DOGMAELS 0 Walters sent off (Foul & Abusive Language) FT

NEW QUAY 2 (D Evans 38 90)

Att 284

Entry & Programme by Hop Ticket

Badge £3

Leek & Potato Soup £1

Club Mug £4

Marmalade £3.50

Despite playing in the Ceredigion League St Dogmaels is just over the border into Pembrokeshire. Nevertheless St Dogs are one of the leading sides in the league and this fixture was billed as a potential shootout for the championship, as St Dogs had a record of played 10, won 10, but New Quay are the champions and were second in the table.

The village lies on the banks of the River Teifi and is best known for its 12th century Abbey. It was founded for a prior and twelve monks of the Tironensian Order, by Robert Fitzmartin and his wife, Maud Peverel. The buildings are now mostly ruins, though extensive walls and arches remain.

On arrival at the School Field it was the River Teifi that proved to be the more influential factor. I’ve seen some odd-shaped grounds but St Dogmaels is up there with the best of them. It slopes from goal to goal, but from side to side the pitch drops away markedly from half way across. When Chris and I did the crowd count we stopped behind one of the goals and paused. Are the goals in line, or were my eyes deceiving me? Here though is the best compliment I can raise for the club, who were one of the best host clubs I can remember. It didn’t matter a jot, and for some it actually enhanced the experience! There was also the added bonus of the, “Dog Kennel,” a small stand-cum-dugout that added more to an already characterful location.

What was obvious is that the club had decided to make their day a community event. Volunteers had knocked on doors, and sold programmes and taken donations so that the club was £500 up before a hopper arrived. Every notice board in the village sported a St Dogmaels poster, telling everyone what was going on and why! The gates at the top and bottom of the pitch were manned so those watching were charmingly charged and sold a programme. The St Dogmaels fans took their position at the bottom end and created quite an atmosphere! There was even the local primary school choir singing in Welsh just before kick off which I thought was a lovely touch.

Once inside the ground the club had clearly read the briefing notes we send all clubs, but had exceeded by far what we would normally expect. Yes, the normal catering was there, plus some delicious crab rolls and hot soup, but there was a wide range of cakes, drinks, and that massive money spinner on groundhops- locally produced Real Ale. The club seemed surprised at just how many bottles of the stuff they sold!

As an organiser you spend a lot of time seeing clubs do really well hosting games, and yes occasionally one or two make mistakes. Just occasionally you see a club take the idea and make their day, well levitate. St Dogmaels joined a select band of clubs I’ve seen do just that. Oddly, so did New Quay on the previous year’s event. Perhaps they picked their brains!

The game wasn’t the goal-fest one or two were predicting but it did live up to its billing. I was reminded of the old South Wales Amateur League hops where you’d see two village sides play their hearts out for their crowd. What they lacked in skill, they’d make up with endeavour. This was one of those games, although Daniel Evans’ two goals would have graced any pitch.

The Dogs had the majority of the possession, but the New Quay defence looked solid, and as the teams grafted I noticed that while the home fans behind the goal were shouting for their team the hoppers were quietly engrossed in the action. It really was a game you couldn’t take your eyes from, to the extent neither Chris nor I wanted to go and do the crowd count, but needs must, and we’d agreed to draw the draw for the Bay Cup 1st and 2nd rounds in the corner at half time.

The deadlock was broken by right back Daniel Evans. A free kick was conceded 30 yards out and he thumped the ball home into the top right corner, giving the St Dogs defence no chance. The second half continued in much the same vein, with St Dogs applying more pressure until they finally managed to fire home only to see the New Quay club linesman rule it out for offside. It was hard to tell whether it was offside from where I was standing, but two of the coach party were stood behind the linesman, and they opined that he’d made an error. It didn’t really matter as another free kick was won by the visitors, this time a mere 20 yards out, and Daniel Evans this time placed the kick just in the bottom left-hand corner. The St Dogs players kept their cool until the final whistle, but then the remonstrations began, which resulted in goalkeeper Casey Walters receiving a post-game Red Card.

It may well mean that New Quay will win their third Ceredigion League title, their pitch is too narrow to progress, but I suspect the result won’t be what most of those present at this game will remember. That will be the amazing hospitality, which future host clubs can learn from.

Pre-dating Hardy

17 Sunday Feb 2013

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Friday 15th February 2013

Stonehenge, near Amesbury, Wilts

Entry £7.80

Maiden Castle, near Dorchester, Dorset

Free Entry

Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, Dorset

Free Entry

then, at 19.45

Wessex League Premier Division

HAMWORTHY UNITED 2 (Shovelton 26 43)

CHRISTCHURCH 3 (Cook 60 Osborne 65p Cornick 82)

Att 94

Entry & Programme £6

The roots of this lie in Hamworthy’s tenancy of the Dorset County Ground, just outside of Poole. An under-18 County Cup tie was scheduled for the Saturday, so with their fixture being a local derby, it was shunted backwards, affording me a finale to a day’s sightseeing! My friend Mike offered me a bed for the night nearby, so with a full tank of diesel, £50 in my pocket, and a headful of ideas, I had all the ingredients for a road trip!

With the counties of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset being covered, there was no doubt I was going to be exploring Thomas Hardy country, but having visiting many of his haunts previously, I fancied something different, and dare I say, unworldly?

I don’t want to think too much how many times I’ve passed the monoliths of Stonehenge on the A303. I do wonder how many times cars have crashed, their drivers distracted by the prehistoric feat of engineering to the side of the road. Once you adhere yourself to the audio guide, you’re given still more reasons to stand and stare. The henge we see today was built 2500-1600 BC, but wooden henges existed prior to that, and the site started as an earth and ditch structure as early as 5000 BC.

The stones aren’t local, they’re bluestones up to 45 tonnes in weight transported from the Preseli Hills in South-West Wales. Let’s consider that for a moment, that’s 180 miles, with nothing more than wooden rollers, and brute human strength to transport the stones, then place them in exactly the right place to catch the sun at the solstice.

But why? The archeologists don’t think it was Druids, surprisingly. I’ve long since worked out that the best buildings tend to be religious, the glorification of a god seems to bring both the best and worst of people, but Stonehenge seems to have fulfilled a military need too. Again that’s not unusual, churches have towers so as to provide a place for a look-out and to defend the area if under attack, but the more you study, the more of a mystery the place seems to be! I do recommend the guide-book here, an absolute bargain at £5. The only quibble I can muster about the place is I could find absolutely nothing unworldly about Stonehenge. Maybe if I arrived at the solstice when the druids are chanting I would, but spirituality aside, it’s a fascinating place. Hardy clearly felt something spiritual here, as he used Stonehenge in Tess of the d’Urbervilles for the Tess’ final day of freedom, lying on the Alter Stone, with all the controversial (of the day) connotations that would produce.

From there it was an hour’s drive to Dorchester, or Casterbridge if you’re a Hardy aficionado (The Mayor of Casterbridge). I eschewed the delights of Hardy’s House, Max Gate, mainly because only a room or two is ever open, and opted for Maiden Castle, to the south of the town. It’s an Iron Age hill fort, dated around 600BC, and be warned it’s quite a hike to climb to the top, but worth the effort! It was expanded, tripling in size around 450BC making it by some definitions the largest in Europe. The views over Dorchester and the suburb of Poundbury, designed by Prince Charles are spectacular.

My last site was the smallest, but had the most varied history. The Maumbury Rings, started life as a henge, a smaller version of what I’d seen earlier. Their location, near the centre of Dorchester has meant they’ve changed use frequently over the centuries. In Roman times they were converted to an amphitheatre for the people of Durnovaria (Dorchester), before being converted once again to a fort during the English Civil War (1642-1649).

In 1685 after the Monmouth Rebellion the Rings were converted back to an amphitheatre. This time the “Entertainment” was public executions, as The Bloody Assizes saw Judge Jeffreys sentence 80 of the rebels to be executed here. Soon afterwards, in 1705 saw the odd case of Mary Channing, which Hardy based his poem The Mock Wife on.

Mary came from a well-to-do family in Dorchester, and received an education commensurate with her status. The problem was she took a liking to the male population of the town, several of them! Her despairing parents decided the best solution was to marry her off quickly so as to avoid a scandal, so Thomas Channing from nearby Maiden Newton was found, and despite neither party being at all keen they were married.

It’s fair to say the marriage wasn’t a success. With in 4 months of the nuptials, Mary bought a vial of Mercury and poisoned Thomas, him living just long enough to disinherit her. She was quickly caught, tried, and sentenced to death, the execution delayed due to her successfully pleading her belly, and the wait for her child to be born. Eventually her son arrived and soon after she was strangled then burned at the Rings.

Writing this I’m struck at the similarities between the Channing case, and that of Mary Blandy in Henley-on-Thames.

https://laurencereade.wordpress.com/2012/12/28/memories-of-henley/

Perhaps every town has a Mary Channing or a Mary Blandy whose ghost haunts its past?

I drove east to the outskirts of Poole for the evening’s game, and the whole ambiance changed, from the historical to the modern. From the harbour, with the Sunseeker powerboats propped up for sale in dry dock, to the modern harbour bridge with its blue Krypton lights showing you the way.

The County Ground is a fine home for Hamworthy, and could easily stage games at a higher level. There’s generous cover behind one goal, but the undoubted star of the stadium is the main stand. It’s beautifully maintained, and painted in club colours. It was a pleasure to watch a game with that as a backdrop.

And what a game it was! Christchurch came into the game with a defensive injury crisis and it showed as Hamworthy raced into a 2 goal lead at the break with Joseph Shovelton applying the coup de grace on both occasions. But if you can’t defend then you may as well attack, and Christchurch did exactly that in the second half.

AFC Bournemouth have just signed teenage winger Harry Cornick, but loaned him back to Christchurch for the rest of the season, and he tormented the defence. His cross found Russell Cook for the first and he was fouled for Ben Osborne’s penalty. His reward was a goal, showing composure to slide the ball home from an angle.

It was an entertaining coda to a busy day, even if I’d found nothing that was remotely unworldly today. With a busy itinery for Saturday though, there was still opportunity.

Freeze Frame

28 Monday Jan 2013

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Wednesday 23rd January 2013 ko 19.15

Friendly

ST NEOTS TOWN 0

BIGGLESWADE TOWN 3 (Knight 27 73 Daniels 58)

Att 32 (h/c)

Played on 2nd (3G) pitch, Rowley Park, St Neots

Entry FREE

No Programme

When the temperature is sub-zero and the snow piled high, you have to be creative in finding your football. I was fortunate in quite a few respects last Wednesday, firstly that when St Neots sold their old Rowley Park home, and gained their new Rowley Park stadium, no only did they get a fine replacement, they also gained a floodlit artificial pitch too! Continue reading →

Sans Pareil

16 Sunday Dec 2012

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Saturday 15th December 2012 ko 15.00

FA Vase 3rd Round
SHILDON AFC 3 (McCabe 66 Owens 75 80)
PARKGATE 1 (Lee 8)

Att 157

Entry £7
Programme £1.50
Badge £3
Tea 80p

There’s something slightly unworldly about many Northern League grounds, a by-product of the North-East’s domination of the amateur game in the early part of the twentieth century. You’re just over the border from Teesside into County Durham here, the land of the Prince Bishops, appointed to the two roles as a bastion against Scottish incursions from the north. Shildon is the cradle of passenger steam railways too, the first passenger train drawn by steam was built here, and departed on the new Stockton & Darlington Railway. The trackbed is still there, now a footpath- I wonder whether you can walk the entire length?

That sense of history extends to the Dean Street football ground, nestled in amongst the terraced houses. Continue reading →

Good Evans!

22 Thursday Nov 2012

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Tuesday 20th November 2012 ko 19.45

Walsall Senior Cup 2nd Round

STAFFORD TOWN 1 (McMahon 55)

STAFFORD RANGERS 2 (L Reid 33 Kinsella 49)

Att 518

Entry £4

Programme £1

Badge £3

Pasty £1.50

When I was a child Stafford was off-limits, as my Dad did the vast majority of his National Service there, and hated the whole experience. When his time in the forces, was up, in 1955  and he was demobbed, he caught the bus back to Oxford and swore never to return to Stafford. That promise he kept right up to 1982 when the need to catch an early ferry from Heysham to the Isle of Man necessitated an overnight stay, and the most convenient stopping point was Stafford. Even then, we arrived late in the day, and left early the next morning.

Not of course there’s anything wrong with the place, with the ruins of a Gothic revival castle the major landmark since Norman times. More recently the town has become a major railway connection, which attracted major industry to the area. Much of that still exists, particularly in the field of Electrical Engineering. In contrast, Bostik has a factory here. Notable people born in Stafford include actor Neil Morrisey, “Compleat Angler,” author Isaak Walton and comedian Dave Gorman.

Stafford Town were formed in 1976, and Evans Park, named after chairman Gordon Evans is a fine place to have as your first permanent home. Situated around a mile from their more illustrious neighbours, it satisfies their current requirements, playing in the Midland Combination Premier Division, and has the capacity to be adapted, most obviously in the case of the stand, should the club progress. The choice of hedge as a perimeter will mean though that people will be able to watch from outside the ground for a few years yet!

With this being the first time the two clubs have met, there was a friendly buzz about the place, an atmosphere helped by Rangers opting not to take their percentage of the gate, as is their right under competition rules. It was a good game to watch too, with Rangers looking like a side 3 divisions higher, but Town working hard to keep them out. Former Oxford United forward Levi Reid opened the scoring after a fine cross from the left, no doubt annoying his younger brother Ishmale playing for Town!

When Sean Kinsella’s thumping shot double the lead, the tie looked dead and buried, but Rangers stopped the neat passing that had given them the advantage. A swirling free kick was eventually touched in by Paul McMahon. Other than a clever Fabrice Kasiama 35 yard shot that cannoned off the bar, it was all Town. Spencer Gunnell delayed far too long in shooting allowing Christian Dacres to dive across him to block his effort. And that ultimately was the difference between the two sides, that edge in front of goal.

The Masterclass

17 Saturday Nov 2012

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Wednesday 14th November 2012 ko 20.30

Invigningsmatchen

SWEDEN 4 (Ibrahimovic 20 77 84 90)

ENGLAND 2 (Welbeck 35 Caulker 38)

Att 49,467

At Friends Arena, Solna

Entry Comp (face value 700sek)

Programme 20 sek

500ml Beer 50sek

10 krona = 93p

Over the years Sweden has been good to me, I love the wide open spaces, the architecture, but above all else it’s the people that have made it the country I’ve visited more than any other. I’ve watched games at around 50 Swedish grounds and the officials I’ve met have all scratched their heads when they’ve met me, wondering why on earth an Englishmen would be interested in Swedish football! The centre of all of it is my mate Joachim “Kim” Hedwall, of Swedish Radio, who moves around the sports arenas of his country with a cool, quiet authority. If you want to know about Swedish sport, just ask Kim. He really is an expert in his field, or should that be pitch?

Continue reading →

Respect To Me Choppers

23 Sunday Sep 2012

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Saturday 22nd September 2012 ko 16.30

North Berkshire League Division 3

STANFORD-IN-THE-VALE 1 (Gregory 85) Mayall sent off 81 (foul and abusive language)

BLEWBURY 1 (Mitchell 23)

Att 178

Entry & Programme £4

Badge £3

Food: Cream Teas/ barbeque

Beer: White Horse Brewery

So let’s go back to the drawing board. Start at Coleshill, and finish at Uffington, so Stanford really was an obvious choice based on the geography if nothing else! The trouble was I knew absolutely nothing about the place other than that the poet Pam Ayres (“I wish I’d looked after me teeth”) hails from here. So in April I decided to go and have a look, and I liked what I saw.

https://laurencereade.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/a-preview/

Generally when I meet a club and explain how a groundhop works and what’s involved I get one of two reactions. Either I get a look that says, “You are completely mad,” which isn’t necessarily incorrect, or the club representative’s eyes get progressively bigger as the blind panic sets in! When I met Stanford’s Simon “Taff” Blackshaw I definitely got the latter! Whatever he thought at the time he did two things that made my life easy, he asked loads of questions, and came up with good ideas too.

The club used a farmer’s field opposite Cottage Road for parking, and produced the greatest whiteboard for the line-ups that I’ve seen on a hop, it was huge! The cream teas went down well, but I do wonder what the players ate after the game as the barbeque earmarked for them looked to be doing a good trade amongst the travellers! There was also a fascinating display of some wonderful old club memorabilia, as well as the beer from the White Horse Brewery, based in the village. The club had done their advertising too, a hopper reported that the village had a poster up everywhere you looked!

So good were the club’s efforts I completely forgot this was a first, Chris and I had never attempted to organise a hop game at a club this far down football’s pecking order. That said, I’d been made aware that Blewbury had had difficulties in the previous few days, so I was more than pleased to see them arrive! I was pleased to see them for another reason, they are the first ground in the NBFL I’d visited around 10 years ago.

There was some confusion as to which team was which. Stanford decided to christen their natty new yellow and blue nets, but NBFL rules state that if there’s kit clash the HOME team changes, so it was Blewbury to got to wear the yellow and blue kit.

Stanford’s main man is forward Tyrun Mayall, and it was his turn and shot that provided the first chance after 8 minutes.  Stanford had the majority of the play early on, so it was a surprise when Blewbury took the lead, Liam Saunders cross being rifled into the net by Joe Lee Mitchell. And despite more or less continuous pressure Stanford couldn’t find a way through. The frustration told most obviously on Mayall himself as he swore at linesman Harry Moore, himself taking a break from Hellenic duties, and followed it up with a rigid digit in Moore’s direction leaving referee Charlie Bullock with no option but to dismiss him.

From there I thought that would be the end of Stanford’s challenge, but as usual I got that one completely wrong. The equaliser, when it came was beautiful in its simplicity, Sam Weeks played a slide-rule pass through the righ hand channel for Jamie Gregory to glide the ball home. Deserved, and Stanford could easily have won the game if Weeks’ finish after a mazey run had have shown a little more finesse.

The game finished soon afterwards, but by that stage the talk was already about the final game. That game of course, had its own benefits and pitfalls.

Dark Thoughts

16 Sunday Sep 2012

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Saturday 15th September 2012 ko 3.00pm

FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round

SEVENOAKS TOWN 3 (Akokhia 45 Curtis 71 106)  Bricknell missed penalty 10 Jones-Johnson sent off 101 (violent conduct)

CHESSINGTON & HOOK UNITED 2 (Hughes 86p 89) Greene sent off 107 (violent conduct)

Att 38

Entry £6

Programme £1

I’d set out with the intention of seeing Whitstable Town versus Eastbourne Town in the Isthmian League. After two mammoth hold-ups on firstly the M40, then the M25 I had to revise my plans. And to be honest I’d fancied a trip here for some time, as I do have a habit of wanting to visit clubs when I’ve seen their town on a road sign. You do see a lot of signs for Sevenoaks on the M25 too…..

Sevenoaks is a typical leafy suburban Kentish commuter town, with its Arts Centre and the wide open spaces of Knole Park, famous for being the location of two Beatles promotional films for “Strawberry Fields,” and “Penny Lane.” Writer HG Wells lived in Sevenoaks, and The Vine Cricket Ground in the town is the first place where cricket was played with a set of three stumps.

Greatness Park is close to Knole Park, and its clear that the club were once allocated a corner of it and have spent the time since since improving and enclosing it, as funds and planning restrictions have allowed. The bar is the only brick-built structure and is set away from the ground; within the fence the changing rooms, hospitality and catering are all provided via Portakabins. The covered area by the half-way line has been augmented by two prefabricated seated stands either side of it. It ticks the graders’ boxes but the best view of the action isn’t to be found in the ground.

Behind one goal, the land climbs steeply and some supporters actually pay to get in, then leave immediately and sit on the hill. Fine on a warm day, but a non-starter when its cold and wet. The only issue I had up there on a warm afternoon was the din of an outdoor dance class in Knole Park; it wasn’t the kind of game where you could ignore the music either.

The first issue for the fixture was the pitch. Tinder dry, and extremely bumpy, the club had tried to water it. The problem was that with the summer we’ve had the hose hadn’t seen use for months, and when it was rolled out it was perished! Not the pitch could be at all blamed for what went on on the pitch.

Let’s get one thing straight, the club on the outside of the pitch rail were a delight. From the ladies at the tea bar to secretary Andrew Gidley, they all made the kind of impression I hope for wherever I visit. What went on inside the rail was frankly sickening.

There was no clue as to what was going to happen as Jake Bricknell missed an early penalty for Sevenoaks, although Chessington’s encroachment was something to behold! As the game wore on the players became hell-bent on arguing each and every decision made by referee Freddie Collins. He had a good game, the assessor said as much, but when 10 players get booked, 9 of them for some form of unsporting conduct you question the intelligence of the players. When 1 gets booked for dissent, surely you take note. But 10? Words fail me. I should be fair to both sides, and comment that 8 of the bookings went to Chessington & Hook players.

Add to that 2 dismissals, both for violent conduct. Eschewing the straightforward punch-up, these two opted for the cowardly, sly kick-out after a challenge, perfected by David Beckham. I depaired then, and I despair now.

At least the better side won. Sevenoaks took the lead with virtually the last touch of the first half, Sam Akokhia’s fine glancing header gliding in at the back post. That lead was doubled by Ramone Curtis’ strike on 71 minutes, and that should have curtailed the unpleasantness after 90 minutes. But a sloppy penalty was conceded and converted, and when Mickey Hughes fired home an excellent shot for 2-2, I groaned, and I bet Mr Collins did too, this game didn’t need any more time added to it.

Jamie Jones-Johnson collected his marching orders for a nasty kick following a heavy challenge, before Curtis bagged his second, finishing with a thumping shot after beating the offside trap. There was enough time for Chessington’s Frank Greene to be sent off for an even dafter sly kick, he hadn’t even been fouled! The assessor shook his head in disbelief, and made a note that he wasn’t going to be making a quick getaway after the final whistle. I did, I’d more than had my fill.

As I drove away I felt pleased that no children had been watching, the players gave a dreadful example of what is meant to be sport. The visitors were the bigger sinners, but I pondered that if this fixture had been taped, and played to the participants, I hope their behaviour would make them hang their heads in shame.

My very own mug!

19 Sunday Aug 2012

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Saturday 18th August 2012 ko 3.00pm

Midlands Regional Alliance Premier Division

SWANWICK PENTRICH ROAD 5 (Wilding 62 71 A Whitmore 64 86 Jeffery 78) Jeffery missed penalty 45

NEWHALL UNITED 1 (Balfour 29p)

Att 13 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

Tea in a mug 70p

I have to say that this charming little club does have a rather particular name. Consider if you will the small Derbyshire village of Swanwick. It’s a former pit village near Alfreton, and is best known for the German flying ace Franz Xaver Graf von Werra, who escaped from the Swanwick Hayes POW camp in December 1940. He reached RAF Hucknall and was recaptured after trying to steal an aircraft in the guise of a Dutch airman. He finally did escape later in the war, and his exploits are immortalised in the flim “The one that got away.”

But let’s look at that name again, to the best of my knowledge there’s no other team in Swanwick so why have a name that’s so specific? Continue reading →