Bullseye

26 Monday Oct 2015

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Sunday 18th October 2015 KO 14.30

Western League Premier Division

MELKSHAM TOWN 2 (Higdon 15 82)

GILLINGHAM TOWN 1 (Smith 88)

Att 357

Entry £5

Programme £1

So all too soon it was over, our 7 game Western League jaunt that months earlier Chris Berezai and I wouldn’t have thought possible, and certainly not taking in the Melksham’s iconic Conigre Ground, staging football for a final unexpected year, due to would you believe a colony of newts. While Chris and I knew that the hoppers would love the ground, we were far less certain about how the club would enjoy their day. Continue reading →

I Was Wrong

25 Sunday Oct 2015

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Sunday 18th October 2015 ko 11.00

Western League First Division

CHIPPING SODBURY 8 (Bishop 1 Barrett 17p Downes 24og Beecham 30 Mackie 39 Taylor 46 Simms 58 60)

BISHOP SUTTON 1 (Keet 68og)

Att 261

Entry £5

Programme £1

For Chris Berezai and I one game loomed large on the Western Hop, our visit to Chipping Sodbury. Part of it was that it would be the only new ground for Chris and I, and that because this is the club’s first season back in the Western League since 1952. That last fact, and the unusual kick-off time would mean that they would see hoppers that perhaps the other host clubs wouldn’t. They attended the host clubs’ meeting, asked all the right questions, and I drove home content that we’d given them the best chance to making the best of their day. But a few days before the day I received an email.
Continue reading →

Jules/Jewels

25 Sunday Oct 2015

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Saturday 17th October 2015 ko 19.45

Western League First Division

KEYNSHAM TOWN 2 (Abang 74 Harris 86)

WESTBURY UNITED 2 (Matthews 7 Adams 90og)

Att 224

Entry £5

Programme £1

The coach pulled into the Crown Field’s car park, and Chris Berezai, Dave the driver, and I strained our eyes trying to find where we were to park. Nothing usual about that, and we quickly spotted club secretary Julian “Jules” French pointing out a coned off area for us. I was beginning to flag a little, and I’m sure I wasn’t only one, so it was good to know that with Jules in charge I could mentally slow down a little. I had after all, had a preview… Continue reading →

Clues

24 Saturday Oct 2015

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Saturday 17th October 2015 ko 16.30

Western League Premier Division

CADBURY HEATH 0

CRIBBS 0

Att 185

Entry £5

Programme £1

Once again another lean forward to check the coach driver’s sat-nav revealed another mile’s journey between games. And just like between the first two games we spotted someone who was walking between the games, so we offered him a lift to Keynsham after this one but he declined, perhaps he foresaw the score here!

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Personality

22 Thursday Oct 2015

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Saturday 17th October 2015 ko 13.45

Western League Division One

OLDLAND ABBOTONIANS 3 (Morgan 50 Stone 88 90p)

ASHTON & BACKWELL UNITED 4 (Biggins 11 31 44p Skidmore 73) Allen sent off FT (2nd booking)

Att 201

Entry £5

Programme £1

I took my place back on the coach just outside Bitton’s ground. Sat behind the driver I could see his sat-nav, so I leaned forward so see how far we’d have to travel to our next game. Just a mile the display said, and as I settled back I felt a slight pang of regret of just how much time and effort I’d spent watching the two clubs individually. On a more positive note what I did have was no worries on Oldland secretary Martin McConachie’s ability to host the game. Continue reading →

The Format

20 Tuesday Oct 2015

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Saturday 17th October 2015 ko 11.00

Western League Premier Division

BITTON AFC 3 (Bryan 15 47 Tong 71)

STREET 3 (Murray 10 21 Hunt 22)

Att 217

Entry £5

Programme £1

Even with the amount of events GroundhopUK now runs, the chance to run a hop in a completely new league is still relatively unusual. So the chance to approach the project with a blank sheet of paper was no bad thing. We have a tried and tested way of doing things for Step 5 and 6 leagues but there is always both room for improvement, and a sense of new light through old windows was a thought worth pursuing. Continue reading →

Listening

19 Monday Oct 2015

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Friday 16th October 2015 ko 19.45

Western League Division One

CORSHAM TOWN 1 (Lardner 82)

CALNE TOWN 2 (Windsor 12 Beasley 54)

Att 293

Entry £5

Programme £1

If you metaphorically scratch the surface of the Western League Hop, you get League General Secretary Mark Edmonds. It was him who put the idea in as part of his successful application to the role, and it was him who first put the idea to his clubs. From GroundhopUK’s perspective we’d had an abortive attempt at the project a decade or so earlier, so we hadn’t even considered the idea. But all kinds of coincidences happened to make this happen. Continue reading →

Characters

15 Thursday Oct 2015

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Tuesday 13th October 2015 ko 19.30

Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division

G.N.G. 1 (R Gill 30)

DUNTON & BROUGHTON RANGERS 1 (Weaver 11)

Att 19

Entry FREE

No Programme

One day an ethnically-based club is going to encounter a group of hoppers, maybe even on an organised event, and they are going to make a massive impression (and profit) from simply being different. Let’s look at that idea for a minute; some of my non-footballing friends express surprise that over 1,700 grounds into this odyssey I can still give them details of the vast majority of the places I’ve visited. They expect them to have merged into one generic footballing soup, and to some extent I’ve surprised myself that so far it hasn’t happened. Continue reading →

The Statement

14 Wednesday Oct 2015

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Sunday 11th October 2015 ko 15.00

FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round

F.C. UNITED OF MANCHESTER 1 (Greaves 79)

BUXTON 1 (Burrell 45) Belezika sent off 85 (2nd booking)

Att 2,357

Entry (all areas) £9

Programme £2

When you think about it, it is easy to protest, “I’m against…” or “I’m anti..” but far more difficult to actually do something concrete about it. In time I suspect the great achievement of FC United will be turning all that anger into something far more positive. Continue reading →

Bedding In Nicely

12 Monday Oct 2015

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Saturday 10th October 2015

Bedfordshire County League Hop

10.30 Bedfordshire County League Premier Division

SHARNBROOK 4 (King 17 Mulvihill 48 52 Strange 69)

PAVENHAM 4 (Payne 6 11 Harding 47 Netherway 59)

Att 125

13.45 Bedfordshire County League Premier Division

RENHOLD UNITED 2 (Reed 3 Allison 6)

SANDY 0

Att 119

16.30 Bedfordshire County League Premier Division

FLITWICK TOWN 3 (Banfield 5 Doriatito 17 Lewis 82)

EASTCOTTS 0

Att 151

Free entry to all games

Programmes £2 each

Badges £3 each

When I see the Bedfordshire officials to some extent I see my own reflection. I’ve got so engrained in the world of the North Berkshire League it’s got to the point where I can look at a side in the Bedfordshire League and understand them, the two leagues are that similar in how they operate.  Continue reading →