The Pirton Hundred

16 Thursday May 2013

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Wednesday 15th May 2013 ko 18.30

Oxon Senior League Division One

WATLINGTON TOWN 1 (Pitts 74)

OAKLEY UNITED 6 (Woodfine 11 17 A Rogers 16 P Brown 73 78p Keeble 75)

80 minute game

Att 20

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

As a groundhopper I hanker after visiting grounds that I’ve driven past a lot. When I lived in Banbury trips to my former parents-in-law involved driving along the Shirburn Road. Its a just off Junction 5 of the M40, past the Model Farm (used for not-so-secret GM crop trials) and past the hamlet of Shirburn.

That’s where the interest starts, as the signpost is for a “Historical Church” not what lies at the end of the lane. In fact its the walls of Shirburn Castle, the seat of the Earls of Macclesfield, and its where in 1761 the astronomer Thomas Hornsby first observed the transit of Venus.

The present owner of the castle is the Beechwood Estates Company, the Macclesfield family estate management company. Following a long-running and acrimonious court battle, the 9th Earl of Macclesfield, Richard Timothy George Mansfield Parker, was evicted from the family seat at the end of 2004.

According to Sir James Dixon Mackenzie’s The Castles of England: their Story and Structure, “The castle is rectangular in plan, having a central open courtyard, and at each of the four exterior angles a massive round tower rising straight out of the wide and deep moat, which, supplied with running water from springs, encircles the whole fabric. Access to the castle is gained by crossing three drawbridges, and the summit of the walls is battlemented throughout; the main entrance is guarded by a portcullis.”

Its a real shame the castle doesn’t appear to be open to the public, as the history is fascinating. In in letter from Brunetto Latini, the tutor and friend of Dante, of Inferno fame dated 1802 he commented rather pointedly that,

“We passed through many woods, considered here as dangerous places, as they are infested with robbers, which, indeed, is the case with most of the roads in England. This is a circumstance connived at by the neighbouring barons, from the consideration of sharing in the booty, and these robbers serving their protectors on all occasions, personally, and with the .whole strength of their band. However, as our company was numerous, we had nothing to fear. Accordingly we arrived the first night at Shirburn Castle, in the neighbourhood of Wallington, under the chain of hills over which we passed at Stocquinchurque (Stokenchurch). This castle was built by the Earl of Tanqueville, one of the followers of William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy … It is now in the possession of a descendant of the said earl.”

I reflected as a drove the half a mile or so to the Recreation Ground on how I could miss something like that for such a long time.

You don’t actually see Watlington if all you do is visit the Recreation Ground. That’s a real shame, as its a fine market town, and there’s an interesting folly to find too! The Watlington White Mark was designed by local squire Edward Horne, who felt that the parish church of St. Leonard, when viewed from his home, would be more impressive if it appeared to have a spire. He had the unusual folly cut into the chalk escarpment of Watlington Hill in 1764. It is 36 feet wide at its base and 270 feet long. When you drive along the M40 through the chalk canyon near Junction 5 just glance towards Watlington and the mock spire is the other side of the chalk cutting.

It all puts the football ground rather in the shade to be honest. The club played in the Hellenic League from 1964 to 1977 and had one game in the FA Vase in 1976 a 4-0 defeat at home to Barton Rovers. These days there’s a pavilion and a permanently roped off pitch and really not much else. The vista is pleasant enough, but the neither of the town’s quirks are on show, but the players put on a decent show even if the game was trifle one-sided.

Its fair to say that Oakley are the form team in this division. Normally games this late in the season consist of teams whose grounds have drainage problems, but this one is because Oakley have been rather too successful! Their league record shows one blemish, a draw, against 19 wins. On top of that the Buckinghamshire club has made the finals of the Berks & Bucks Junior Cup,  and the Oxon Presidents Cup, losing both.

With the league title won on Saturday they were clearly focused on making sure the unbeaten league record stayed that way though this and the other 2 games left. And at no point did that statistic look like being shattered. They ran in 6 goals in batches of three and played champagne football in between. At the end of it all I suspect Watlington were happy to have got the game played and not been completely humiliated while Oakley march on to the Premier Division.

 

In The Gallery

14 Tuesday May 2013

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Sunday 12th May 2013

Roy Lichtenstein; A Retrospective

At the Tate Modern, London.

Entry £14

This might come as something as a surprise to you, but I really like art galleries. Yes, there are the obvious artistic qualities to the work of one of the great American exponents of Pop Art, but there’s far more to a trip to an art gallery than just the exhibits.

The Tate Modern has the advantage of a stroll over the Millenium Bridge from St Paul’s Cathedral if you take the tube to either Mansion House or St Pauls stations. But the interest starts as soon as you enter the gallery.

In my normal trips round the world’s football grounds I see, well football types. I know them, I understand them, and in many cases I like them, but artistic types are a whole new breed, and I find them fascinating! It was a shame that the gallery didn’t like me taking pictures, understandable if I were looking for pictures of the actual Lichtenstein works themselves, but if you want reproductions of those, there are no end of books available, or better still come to the exhibition, it really is excellent.

But look out for the people too. There’s the culture vultures, studying every brush stroke, and there’s the gaggle of sixth form art students, who feel they ought to be there. There’s people like me, the tourists eager to learn something, and look out also for the pensioners on their Sunday out. Then there’s the parents to whom it hasn’t occurred that for a 5 year old the art gallery is nothing more than an adventure playground.

But the people I found the most interesting were the poor souls who were employed to mind every room. In today’s digital age it’s impossible to enforce a no photography rule, short of banning every mobile device. It was almost written on their faces, “Be involved at the cutting edge of art they said…Britain’s best gallery for Modern Art they said… Now look at me- stopping a tourist taking a picture….” I felt for them even if I was part of their problem.

I smiled as I exited via the gift shop (isn’t that the way these days?) but I did enjoy the genius that is a Lichtenstein colouring-in book, and the great advantage of having a coffee in the Tate Café is that the people watching needn’t finish!

 

The Game That Could Have Been

13 Monday May 2013

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Monday 13th May 2013 ko 18.45

North Berkshire League Division One

BERINSFIELD 1 (D Murphy 53)

SAXTON ROVERS 2 (Belcher 31 Whitehead 67)

Att 51

Entry FREE

No Programme

Let’s get one little known fact out there; no club reads like Berinsfield. If you find this surprising consider this. In the 18 months or so I’ve been writing these reports the most read article was the one for Irvine Meadow with 368 hits. I turned up last week at the Oxon Intermediate Cup to watch Berinsfield and so far the resulting article has been read a quite unbelievable 541 times! Thanks Berinsfield, and as I said no-one reads like Berinsfield!

Few clubs locally at this level attract the same level of support either. The entire village seems to levitate towards Lay Avenue when there’s a game on, this wasn’t a massive attendance for the club, after all it was a cold and wet evening and there was nothing riding on the game, but if the circumstances had been just a little different just think what it could have been.

On Saturday if Berinsfield won, and Saxton lost, then this game would have become close to a shoot-out for the title. However Saxton crushed Kintbury 7-1 to take the title leaving Berinsfield to mop up 4 more games to finish off a highly successful first season in the NBFL’s top flight.

And for all of that the village turned out to watch their sons (It really is like that) play, and the tea bar did its normal roaring trade keeping them all fed and watered. If you’ve been here by the way, you will have no doubt noticed that the pitch has been rotated though 90 degrees for this season. They’re rather particular about a good pitch here, and the club will be using their best pitch, the one the other side of the clubhouse for their groundhop game in September. With the sort of attendances Berinsfield get, I’m hoping they’ll beat the NBFL hop record attendance of 190. I wouldn’t bet against them!

Sadly the game will be remembered only for the broken ankle suffered by Berinsfield’s Brian Rawlings after 26 minutes. As is so often the case it was an innocuous challenge too. He tackled Louis Bloomfield but landed awkwardly causing the injury, and the game looked like being abandoned in the hail and rain while he laid there on the far side of the pitch. Eventually the paramedic arrived followed by the ambulance, and as the stretcher was loaded on to the ambulance he managed a grin, as both sets of players and spectators gave him a sporting round of applause. I trust he makes a full and speedy recovery.

After that 40 minute delay the game seemed rather irrelevant. I and everyone there would have understood if the game had been abandoned, it must have be almost impossible for the Berinsfield players to concentrate on the game after watching their teammate leave the ground in an ambulance.

The fixture was reduced to a total of 30 minutes for the first half and 40 for the second. Gary Belcher opened the scoring for Saxton, and David Murphy equalised for Berinsfield. But once former Oxford City and now Saxton player manager Matty Whitehead thumped home the visitors’ second, the travails of a long season finally told on the hosts. The minds were willing, but the limbs weak.

Berinsfield don’t lose at home often but teams like Saxton don’t turn up at Lay Avenue very often, even if on this occasion they only had the basic eleven men. Still in a week’s time, the season for Berinsfield will be over and they’ll just be the small matter of the end of season party at the local pub to negotiate. Knowing them as I do, that will be quite a party. That’s the Berinsfield way.

Ceueslaue

12 Sunday May 2013

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Saturday 11th May 2013 ko 15.00

North Berkshire League Division 5

CHALLOW FC 1 (McGowan 74)

BENSON LIONS RESERVES 2 (Swales 21 46)

Att 8

With an invite received from Long Wittenham FC to attend their end-of-season barbecue and watch the FA Cup final I needed to be somewhere nearby. I then realised there’s a club in the NBFL I’ve mentioned a few times, but knew nothing about, and that’s Challow.

There are only 3 first XI’s in the NBFL’s bottom division, so when on the last NBFL groundhop we featured Uffington United, I had a choice of either Challow or Appleton as the opposition. I plumped for Appleton, as I know them well, and have a soft spot for the gallant battlers that lose almost every week. The trouble is they were losing really heavily at the time, and there was concerns that the team wouldn’t be up for a beating in front of a large crowd. So Challow were on standby just in case, but as it transpired Appleton were happy to play, and made a lot of friends despite losing 12-0 on the night, as they didn’t ever give up. They will feature on a future hop, as will Challow, if for no other reason than just look at these pictures!

East Challow is a small village a mile or so west of Wantage. It’s cricket ground dominates, to the extent that its used for some Oxfordshire Minor Counties fixtures. There’s also the parish church of St. Nicolas to visit. It  was a Norman building of the 12th century, but the font and some masonry of the nave are now the only features surviving from this time. In the 13th century the chancel was rebuilt and the bell-cot and three-bay north aisle added. The Decorated Gothic south chapel was added early in the 14th century.

East Challow Rec’ is tucked away down a track off Hedge Hill Road, behind the local school. I parked up, started to walk down and stopped. I simply had to fire up the camera and record the simply stunning view. I reflected that I’d been a bit worried about the fixture actually taking place; Benson Lions are the team from the RAF base so if too many players are called away, the first team takes precedence so reserve games do have a tendency to get called off. You can’t really argue with a postponement due to the team being in Afghanistan!

I did have a bit of a steer on this one! With Benson Lions hosting the first game on this years NBFL hop I’d had a chat with club chairman Jon Radcliffe the previous evening. We talked about the arrangements for getting 150-200 hoppers through security at the base, it will definitely pay to have pre-booked ticket and be on the coach for this one, and he also confirmed that there would be enough players available for the reserves to fulfil their last game of the season.

That fact pleased Challow no end, as the two sides they’ve enjoyed the company of most this season has been Berinsfield Reserves, and the Lions. They’d decided to lay on some hospitality for the Lions at the manager’s pub, as “For all those lads do for our country its the least we can do…” A classy touch by a classy club.

Challow FC or Challow United, go back a long way, over a hundred years in fact. They folded a couple of years ago, over unpaid league fines and general apathy, but returned this season with a new team. There isn’t much to the ground, just a small changing room block and a fallen tree shaped so as to provide a seat. But what a view there is, with the Vale of the White Horse stretching out towards Faringdon and beyond. The club have tried to improve their lot. Some houses are being built on the edge of the village so the club lobbied for a new clubhouse as part of the planning gain. That gambit failed but there will be a new kit for the team for next season!

Challow started the season brightly and were top in September. Since then, results have rather tailed off, and going into this one they were seventh from twelve. And in all honesty they never looked like winning this one. The Lions were just that little bit stronger and smarter from the moment they scored their first, direct from a free kick from an acute angle. In fact it soon transpired that Challow’s best chance lay with the visitors lack of numbers, they had just the one substitute, he was used at half time, and throughout the second half players went down and were forced to carry on but as passengers.

It was fortunate that the Lions scored the second half early on in the second half, a penalty following one of those challenges that gives managers sleepless nights. It proved to be sufficient for the win, despite Challow’s Eammon McGowan wriggling through to reduce the deficit.

The standard wasn’t high, but what do you expect at this level? NBFL chairman Leroy Paddock popped over to see young referee Thomas Kelly who he mentors. Young Thomas had a fine game, Leroy’s obviously taught him well, and it was good to catch up with Leroy, who’s a thoroughly decent chap.

It summed a convivial afternoon’s entertainment, and it wasn’t long before I was at Bodkins field, for Long Wittenham’s barbecue. What better to watch the FA Cup final than at a grass roots clubhouse with a grilled burger, a £2 pint of real ale, and the North Berks Cup. Well done lads, and to everyone else, you’ll love the place come September!

 

The Case at Minster Lovell

10 Friday May 2013

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Friday 10th May 2013 ko 18.15

Witney & District League Division One

MINSTER LOVELL 7 (Ryan 13 Harris 22 51 86 90 Wright 48 Sallis 87) Hewar missed penalty 66

STANTON HARCOURT 3 (Jackson 46 Cornish 71 Smith 74) Jackson sent off 89 (dangerous play)

Att 44

Entry FREE

No Programme, although the club do any information leaflet which may keep the ardent paper chaser happy.

 

 

The village of Minster Lovell lies on the River Windrush around 2 miles west of Witney, in Oxfordshire. It has three parts: Old Minster, Little Minster and New Minster. Old Minster includes St. Kenelm’s Parish Church, Minster Lovell Hall and the Old Swan Inn and Minster Mill Hotel. A large part of New Minster is the Charterville Allotments, which were founded by the Chartists in 1846-50.

The suffix “Lovell”, from the main landowning family, was added to the name from the 13th century, and in 1197 a William Lovel  held land here, probably granted in 1124 to his father William by Henry I.

Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote are extensive ruins of a 15th century manor house, once belonging to William Lovel’s descendant, Lord Lovell. There is a medieval dovecote nearby.

But its the Lovell family that hold the key to two legends about the village, although I suspect they’re derived from the same tale.

William, Baron of Lovell and Holland, was one of England’s richest men. His son John was a prominent Lancastrian and a courtier of Henry VI. But family fortunes took a nose dive when Francis Lovell, John’s son and the ninth baron, sided with the Yorkists in the disputes between the houses of York and Lancaster that became known as the Wars of the Roses. He was made a Viscount by Richard III, but within two years, Richard and the Yorkists were defeated at the Battle of Bosworth.

Briefly exiled, Francis returned from France only to take up the losing side once again, in an abortive Yorkist rebellion. According to local legend, he hid in a vault at Minster Lovell Hall giving a servant the only key. The servant died shortly after and, so the story goes, his skeleton, surrounded by mouldy books and the skeleton of his little dog at his feet, was found by workmen in 1708.

Or if you’d prefer, in this story, one William Lovell’s bride disappeared during a game of hide and seek in the hall on her wedding night. Many years later, a servant found the body of a girl dressed in a bridal gown, well preserved in a leaden cool chest used for food storage. Legend again suggests that she hid in the chest during the wedding party and the lid fell shut, trapping her inside.

Either way, its reckoned that William Lovell’s ghost haunts the hall, wailing either for help, or for his lost bride on quiet nights. Its fair to say though there was little chance of hearing anything haunted on my visit to the village this evening.

Minster Lovell FC play at the positively bucolic Wash Meadow in Old Minster. The Windrush bubbles along pleasingly along one edge, St. Kenelm’s Parish Church is clearly visible, and nearby is the Old Swan and Minster Mill hotel  which was apparently frequented by Winston Churchill. It is by any standards a stunning setting, and there was the bonus of a Friday evening fixture, presumably as by now cricket will have precedence over the ground on a Saturday.

The game had something riding on it too. Whilst Lovell had won the league Stanton Harcourt had win, and better Aston’s result with that club being at home to Brize Norton simultaneously. Then and only then could they leap-frog Chadlington to the second promotion place. Very quietly, the Chadlington captain watched proceedings…

I had a chat to referee Rob Huxford. Interestingly he’s the chairman of Kingham All Blacks FC, also of this division, and wore a KAB shirt underneath his black shirt. He expected a physical game, and he had one major decision to get correct which he did.

Early on, 10 goals looked a pipe dream. Neither side looked capable of forcing a mistake from the other, and it continued to be a tight game even after Mike Ryan opened the scoring for Lovell. Ultimately the difference between the two sides was Nathan Harris. He scored his first after 22 minutes and when the Stanton Harcourt defence imploded in the final 10 minutes he took full advantage, collecting a stunning four-goal haul.

That’s not to say that Stanton didn’t give them a real run for their money. They did after all pull the score back to 3-3 and their management must have regretted not shouting louder to stop goalkeeper taking (and missing) a penalty when the score was 3-1. They clearly wanted their regular taker to step up but player pressure won out, incorrectly it transpired.

In the end it didn’t matter, Harris ran riot, and an obviously unfit Craig Sallis came on and scored within 2 minutes! Soon after Stanton Harcourt’s Andy Jackson collected a straight red for a quite horrible challenge, but as Rob Huxtable admitted later he could have easily sent him off for his antics afterwards, and the language he used!

The final whistle saw the Lovell celebrations start, and I managed to catch up with League fixtures secretary Ralph Davies, and former chairman Fred Bellinger. They are part of a well-run league, and I congratulated them in particular on their excellent website. I stopped for the presentation, and I do wonder what a champagne shower will do for my receding hairline! I also spotted a grinning Chadlington captain, this result and Aston’s defeat meant his team took the runners-up spot and with it promotion.

 

 

Murphy’s Law

09 Thursday May 2013

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Wednesday 8th May 2013 ko 19.45

Oxon Intermediate Cup Final

NORTH LEIGH RESERVES 1 (Sheppard 69)

BERINSFIELD 2 (C Murphy 29 D Murphy 80)

Att 70 at Meadow View Park, Thame (Thame United FC)

Entry £3

Programme 50p

I normally avoid anything “Organised” by the Oxfordshire Football Association, the presentation is usually lousy, but it would be remiss of me not to watch Berinsfield FC at least once this season!

In truth it was an interesting fixture with once of the strongest sides in the North Berkshire League taking on a side, nominally at least, a notch higher in the footballing pyramid, two thirds of the way down the Hellenic League Division One West.

The OFA didn’t let me down, they charged £1 more than the advertised entry cost, and the programme was laughably bad even for 50p. They somehow contrived to lose the Berinsfield pen pics, and like in the Senior Cup Final issue eschewed the idea of putting a history of the competition in. I would have thought that would be the FIRST thing to include, but what would I know?

As ever the NBFL committee was notable by their presence with media officer Phil Annets regaling us with tales of comedian Duncan Norvelle. Meanwhile Berinsfield secretary Jackie Cullen was typically nervous, although for this game she at least decided not to commence her usual long-distance power-walking stint around the pitch! Later on she did pick me up on one of my little quirks, and I do feel it may have helped Berinsfield along the way.

This game had been postponed due to a fixture backlog, and it was obvious that the Thame United pitch was not ideal for the passing game. There was also a contrast in ages too, Berinsfield were far the more experienced, only Josh Dutton-Black for North Leigh having any significant first team experience. And early on it told, before Berinsfield made the pressure tell as Chris Murphy’s lob opened the scoring from Mason Curtis cross.

The second half was North Leigh take a much stronger hold on the game. They equalised when Declan Sheppard managed to wriggle free to fire past Toby Coffey in the Berinsfield goal. It was at that point that Jackie spotted my quirk. As a photographer I always seem to be stood behind the wrong goal when a side scores so I was despatched forthwith!

So there I stood, in splendid isolation, behind Toby Coffey’s goal, and the ruse worked, as David Murphy intercepted a poor pass, and blasted a stunning 25 yard shot past Kane Lewis in the North Leigh goal. It was a goal to grace any of the world’s great stadia, and one I will never forget.

My new vantage point was handy for the last few minutes as North Leigh pushed forward, and with just seconds left came the second piece of sublime skill, this time linked with total commitment. The ball fell kindly to North Leigh’s Jacob Hughes, and his scuffed shot was enough to beat Toby Coffey, but as the ball trickled towards the line, about 6 inches out, there was Mark Ingram chasing back. He slid in desperately, but despite his momentum being towards the goal, he managed to get a toe underneath the ball and hook it clear. It was an amazing moment, in many ways as exceptional as David Murphy’s goal, and afterwards his manager Stephen Masterson summed it up.

“That’s what these lads have been like for the last 3 years, commitment mate….. They’d die for me and the shirt.”

The final whistle saw the celebrations that are very much Berinsfield’s forte, I took a few more photos then headed for home. I know the kind of club they are, and the groundhopping fraternity will get to know them too, come September.

 

 

That Point

09 Thursday May 2013

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Tuesday 7th May 2013 ko 18.30

Witney & District League Premier Division

WEST WITNEY 8 (Lewis 21 77 Hirons 33 Holder 62 Perry 79 85 Rayfield 86 Stubbs 90)

CHARLBURY TOWN 0

Att 22

Entry FREE

No Programme

Just over a week ago I watched West Witney agonisingly fail to take the point they needed to secure the league championship at Long Hanborough. It was a mere 30 seconds from full time when Hanborough’s winner went in, and in all honesty I rather felt for the league leaders so it was an easy decision to make for the West Witney Sports Ground on the B4047 Burford Road. One thing is clear, the club’s location means they’re well named, in fact you’re as close to Minster Lovell as you are to Witney!

It’s a well appointed site, featuring tennis and cricket as well as football. It used to be the Smiths Industries Sports Ground, and Smiths Industries FC played Hellenic League football here from 1964 to 1967.

Last week West Witney’s nerves got the better of them when the finshing line was in sight, but since then they haven’t looked back. The first XI have won the the Fred Ford and Witney Senior Cups and the reserves have won the Jack Busby Cup. It also turned out that Charlbury Town weren’t going to put up the level of resistance that Hanborough did.

The visitors though should take credit for fulfilling the fixture. They maintained their Premier Division survival on Saturday, and it would have been easy enough for them to have scratched this fixture. They turned up, and don’t let the scoreline fool you, they fought from start to finish, and had the class to stay around afterwards to applaud West Witney as they received the trophy.

But this evening was all about West Witney, and once Chris Hirons had scored the second, they looked irresistible. The football that had frozen in the tension last week flowed, and the goals rained in. Adi Holder headed home from a cross, before Kev Lewis collected his second. The decision was then made to put centre half Tom Perry up front. He did well, collecting a brace, the second a vicious left foot shot from all of an inch!

There was however one concern as substitute Shaun Rayfield slotted home for his first of the season, and that was where was the cup? As the game re-started a man with a wooden box slowly made his way over from the car park, and everyone relaxed. Alex Stubbs rounded off the rout, before everyone decamped to the clubhouse for the presentation and a beer or ten.

The only question that remains is can West Witney do it all again next season? They won’t take promotion, few clubs do from this league, but there’s no lack of competition to be found in this league.

 

Viewpoint

09 Thursday May 2013

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Monday 6th May 2013 ko 15.00

Barrow Wake, Gloucestershire, near Birdlip

then,

Gloucestershire County League

LONGLEVENS 2 (Martin 54 70)

TUFFLEY ROVERS 4 (Mann 8 Colling 11 21 64)

Att 220

Entry & Programme £2

I dread to think how many times I’ve passed the viewpoint of Barrow Wake on the A417 between Gloucester and Cirencester without stopping for a look over the Vale of Gloucester. I’ve been in the nearby Hot Air Balloon pub more often.

The area derives its name from the discovery in 1879, of a late Iron Age burial (c. 50 AD) site. Three skeletons were discovered and associated with the central figure, that of a woman aged about thirty years, a rich array of grave goods including the world-famous Birdlip Mirror. The finds represent some of the finest surviving examples of British Celtic metal work, are displayed in Gloucester City Museum.

I suspect that if you know where to look, you can see Longlevens new ground in the Barnwood districts of Gloucester. Tucked away behind the Ibis hotel, the club moved here for this season after their former home at Longford Lane was deemed unsuitable for County League football. That ground is now used by Gloucestershire Northern Senior League outfit Minsterworth, but the new ground is exactly what the Longlevens needs. There’s plenty of parking, a good-sized changing room block and the pitch is fully railed. There are floodlights, currently only suitable for training, but upgrade these, and add a small stand and they’d have a ground suitable for a tilt at either the Hellenic or Western Leagues.

The latter is where Tuffley Rovers, also Gloucester-based see their future. They used to play in the Hellenic, but dropped down due to travelling costs. They feel the Western League, with a glut of journeys down the M5 is a realistic option, and with the club second in the table, and Glevum Park easily fulfilling ground grading necessities, elevation looks possible.

What made this fixture so attractive was that Longlevens were top. Add to that a glorious sunny day and a local derby, and the bumper crowd was only to be expected. A shed served as a highly efficient tea bar, and the club coped well with the influx of people.

Unfortunately the team didn’t fare anywhere near as well, as within 21 minutes they found themselves 3-0 down. The difference was Tuffley striker Dorian Colling, whose movement completely perplexed the home defence; he collected a brace and completed his hat trick just after the hour. The hosts didn’t compete at all until Brad Martin’s late brace gave their performance a veneer of respectability, but even with this set-back Longlevens still have the whip-hand.

Tuffley are 3 points clear with a game left, but Longlevens have 3 games left. You wouldn’t bet against both sides getting what they want, Longlevens the title, and Tuffley the promotion. Its definitely one to watch!

 

A Distant Ship Smoke On The Horizon

07 Tuesday May 2013

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Saturday 4th May 2013 ko 15.00

FA Vase Final

SPENNYMOOR TOWN 2 (Cogdon 18 Graydon 80)

TUNBRIDGE WELLS 1 (Stanford 78)

Att 16,751 at Wembley Stadium

Entry- Complementary

Programme £4

Team sheet Comp

For a while I’ve applied an acid test to all newly constructed stadia, called the, “Dad Test,” and its simple, can my 77-year-old father use it? He’s not particularly fleet of foot these days so long flights of stairs, and standing for long periods are a no-no. With the rebuilt Wembley having virtually no parking and public transport being actively “encouraged” the ground looked a bit of non-starter for him. Continue reading →

Let’s Play Ball

05 Sunday May 2013

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Thursday 2nd May 2013 ko 18.30

Oxon Senior League Premier Division

KENNINGTON UNITED 0

ADDERBURY PARK 0

Att 18

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

The obvious mistake you could make about here is thinking this is a district of London! In fact you could make a bigger one thinking this is a district of Oxford. A mixture of stringent Green Belt laws and the jealous guarding of its village status makes Kennington very much a village even if the A34 rumbles past, and Oxford encroaches near the Said Business School annexe at its edge.

The history of the Church in Kennington is unusual, little is known of the mediaeval chapel which disappeared before 1790 but the Old Church was built in 1828. This small building is something of a curiosity, in shape it is classical with the materials vernacular – rubble stone with a Stonesfield slate roof but the architect attempted to imitate the Norman style with the windows and West door. He was so successful it is sometimes mistaken for Norman work.

The poet Matthew Arnold lived here too, in fact there used to be a pub named after one of his poems, The Scholar Gypsy. I learned an important lesson there many years ago. I quaffed a quite appalling pint, and commented that the pub didn’t deserve to survive with beer this bad. I was overly harsh, but the pub closed a few weeks later, and is now a block of flats. It pays to be careful what you wish for!

Kennington United play at the end of Playfield Road, at a sports field that seems more geared for cricket than football. The cricketers turned up just after kick-off and were rather perturbed to see a football match in full swing. They grumbled, then presumably headed off to the pub.

They missed quite a bit, despite the goalless scoreline. This wasn’t a bore-draw far from it. The only real issue was midges, millions of them, and there was no escape from them! Referee Steve Higa didn’t seem unduly concerned, he’s from Las Vegas and is used to extremes of environment. He’s been refereeing in this country for 21 years but has taken one piece of the U S of A with him, he starts each game with the cry, “Lets Play Ball!” The mystery to me is why he’s only refereeing at this level, he’s superb, and both benches admitted it too.

The game had just about everything but a goal! That wasn’t down to much more than good goalkeeping, both sides went for the win, but cancelled each other out completely, such is life. You move on, and I did having the feeling that on another night this could easily have been a 5-5 draw. Its just a shame that the Oxon Senior League, apart from not even having a website, doesn’t even put the names of officials on its Mitoo page. It would be worth going to a game on the strength of Steve Higa’s appointment alone.