Category Archives: W

Wedding Speech

13 Monday Jan 2020

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As I’m sure many of you know Robyn and I were married on Saturday at Coombe Lodge, in Blagdon, North Somerset. For anyone who for one reason or another couldn’t make it, here’s my speech (annotations in bold).

I’ve included the message Swedish groundhop organiser Kim Hedwall sent that formed part of Simeon’s best man speech, and the first photo from the photographer, the wonderful Lee Hatherall. We hope you enjoy it, 

Laurence & Robyn January 2020 

Kim’s message 

“On behalf of my wonderful wife and I sincerely thank you to all of you for being here to share our special day.

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The Farewell

09 Monday Dec 2019

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Sunday 6th October 2019 ko 15.00

Western League Premier Division

WELLINGTON AFC 0

Wadham sent off 73 (violent conduct)

EXMOUTH TOWN 2 (Harris 32 Denny 42)

Att 312

Entry £5

Programme £1

If you’d have told me as early as last year’s hop that we’d end the Western Hop’s run at Wellington I’d have raised an eyebrow. Not much more than than that, I’d enjoyed the club’s company greatly when I visited 3 years ago, but they had turned down the chance to host a hop game. My understanding was that they feared being overwhelmed, and I could understand why, the Wellington Playing Field does come with its challenges. Continue reading →

Hanging On The Telephones

04 Wednesday Dec 2019

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Saturday 5th October 2019 ko 19.45

Western League Division One

WARMINSTER TOWN 2 (Miluk 30 Vincent 33)

Allen sent off 45 (Serious Foul Play)

BRISTOL TELEPHONES 3 (Bamfield 14 57 D Golding 48)

Att 369

Entry £6

Programme £1

Maybe it was the darkness, or maybe it was the benefit of years of experience but I felt relaxed if a little tired as the coach parked up by Weymouth Street. Even the looming rain didn’t dampen my optimism. Perhaps I shouldn’t haven’t felt that way, the club hadn’t been exactly forthcoming with their plans, but the Saturday evening slot is where you often see the big crowds. For the life of me we couldn’t see something as flat as what we’d experienced at Devizes could we? Continue reading →

Wattsville Blues

09 Wednesday Oct 2019

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Sunday 25th August 2019 ko 18.00

Gwent Premier League Premier Division

WATTSVILLE 2 (Roch 29p McColl 75)

PILL YMCA 2 (Simmons 25p 37)

Att 243

Entry £3

Programme £1

“Time is going on
Time is leaving me
I got the Wattsville blues
I got the Wattsville blues now baby

But I still love the smile on your face
But I still love the sense of this place
I’m so happy I know I can never leave
Even though my, my brain it … bleeds”

Nicky Wire 2001

One way or another this hop seemed to see quite a bit of the Sirhowy valley. We ended up passing through Pontllanfraith and Ynysddu places that had rather scarred my existance for the days leading up to the event! One thing was certain, if things has turned put exactly how we’d planned them then we’d have travelled a lot less miles that day! Continue reading →

So Near…

19 Thursday Sep 2019

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Tuesday 13th August 2019 ko 19.45

FA Cup Extra-Preliminary Round Replay

WEMBLEY FC 3 (Sabti 15 81 Walker 50)

AFC HAYES 2 (Dennis 17secs Musaka 16)

Att 71

Entry £7

Programme £1

When you think about it Wembley FC and their home at Vale Farm is the perfect place for a spectator to follow the world’s best cup competition from its start. You can of course see the competition’s final destination in the background, but when it was all over I did wonder whether the national stadium’s presence serves to madden rather than inspire? Continue reading →

The Straw Bear

09 Monday Sep 2019

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Sunday 28th July 2019 ko 17.15

United Counties League Division One

WHITTLESEY ATHLETIC 1 (Ilsley 70)

HUNTINGDON TOWN 2 (Roberts 68 Jones 84)

Att 340

Entry £5

Programme £1

The final club on the UCL Hop was a team with that one way or another have stamped themselves on the event’s history. When we visited Coates Athletic for the finale of the 2014 hop we knew they were going to soon change both name and ground, and that new ground would allow a tilt at the United Counties League. What no one realised back then was just how convoluted that tilt would end up being! Continue reading →

The Can Of Worms

09 Friday Aug 2019

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Tuesday 9th July 2019 ko 19.45

Pre-Season Friendly

AFC WIMBLEDON 2 (Ruscrow 70p Folivi 90p)

BRISTOL CITY 3 (Webster 31 Diedhiou 47 52)

Att c1,500

Entry £10

If you’re fortunate to have Terry “The Badge” Hall as a friend, you’ll be well used to seeing two things on his Facebook page. One is his badge stall outside Kingsmeadow for ever single home game his beloved AFC Wimbledon plays, and just beforehand the inevitable gargantuan all-day breakfast at “Fat Boys” just round the corner from Jack Goodchild Way. I’d first been to Kingsmeadow years ago, in 2002 during the Real Dons first season for a Combined Counties League game versus AFC Wallingford. That season the Dons were destined to finish the league third, behind Wallingford, and can you guess who were league champions? Continue reading →

The Burning Bing

03 Wednesday Jul 2019

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Saturday 1st June 2019 ko 14.30

East Region Junior FA Consolation Cup Semi Final

WHITBURN JUNIORS 8 (Russell 14 Liddell 18 28 72 75 Brass 61 McQuillan 83 Duncan 88)

GLENROTHES  JUNIORS 1 (Martin 80) C Schiavone sent off 65 (dangerous play)

Att c120

Entry £6

Programme £1.50

The idea hadn’t to visit West Lothian quite as soon as this. Of course the Scottish Hop had visited both Blackburn and Linlithgow at the end of March, but with Robyn and I in the Central Belt for the Junior Cup final on the Sunday we wanted another game, and this was by far the best bet!!

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Where

11 Thursday Apr 2019

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Tuesday 19th March 2019 ko 20.00

Hertfordshire Senior County League – Premier Division

WARE SPORTS 3 (Brown 46 76 Ellis 73)

CUFFLEY 1 (Brennan 38)

Att 23 at 3G caged pitch, Wodson Park Sports Centre, Ware.

Entry FREE

I really didn’t expect to return to Ware, and let’s face it, if you’ve ticked off a fair amount of the Spartan South Midlands League then you’ll have seen plenty of Tesco’s flagship store in Cheshunt and the former News Internation plant close to the M25. The standard line is that Ware FC play at one end of the Wodson Park Sports Centre in a purpose-built stadium, Wodson Park play in the athletics stadium next door, but where are Ware Sports? Continue reading →

Progression

01 Friday Mar 2019

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Tuesday 26th February 2019 ko 19.45

Hellenic League Division One East

WALLINGFORD TOWN 2 (Williams 81 Silkstone 90) Silkstone missed penalty 90

ABINGDON TOWN 2 (James 40 Smith 51)

Att 45

Entry & Programme £5

If you’re from my part of the world a trip to Wally is one of life’s pleasures, even down to childhood trips passing by here and seeing the sign for adjacent Crowmarsh Gifford “amended” to Crowmarsh McGiffordish- don’t ask me why, I don’t know either! Wallingford is a pretty market town in that part of North Berkshire than since 1974 is now in Oxfordshire. The town was one of the last Royalist bastions to fall at the end of the English Civil War, with Oliver Cromwell taking revenge for their resistance by having the castle slighted in 1652 Continue reading →