North of Warwick

08 Sunday Apr 2012

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Tuesday 3rd April 2012 ko 6.10pm

Midland Combination Division 2

POLESWORTH 1 (L Haddock 67)

ASTON 0

Att 26 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

There’s aren’t many advantages to an earlier than usual finish at work in Banbury, but an early kick off in the Midland Combination is one! The club used to be known as Polesworth North Warwick, and while the town is in Warwickshire, its a long way north of Warwick, being close to Tamworth! The name was in fact a reference to the North Warwick (open cast) Colliery that dominated the landscape to the extent that the river Ankert was diverted to accomodate it. Those days are long gone, and Polesworth is little more than a dormitory suburb.

Boudicca, queen of the Iceni tribe, is thought by some to have been buried somewhere at Polesworth following the defeat of her army by the Romans in battle near Manuessendum (modern day Mancetter) in A.D. 60. One theory suggests that, after taking poison, her body was placed on a raft and set adrift on the River Anker, eventually coming to rest in Polesworth, where her body is thought to haven been buried.

Hermitage Hill has a suburban feel, with its multi-sports set up, and the M42 rumbling away in the background. The basics are here, cover courtesy of an “add on” roof to the changing room block, and a rail on three sides. I did wonder whether in the past the pitch ran at right-angles to be current arrangements. A flat stretch of concrete did make me wonder.

The game pitched Polesworth struggling at the bottom of the bottom divsion, but under new management, against high flying Aston, second in the table. They had everything to play for being two points behind Greenhill, but with this game in hand.

The game had none of of the tension you’d have expected. It meandered pleasingly enough, but with no real edge until Leon Haddock fired home for Polesworth, in the 67th minute. After that the tackles flew in and there was a minor scuffle, that saw 3 booked. One more followed in the final minute, but it it all felt rather inconsequential.

Still a decent tick, on an unlit ground on a midweek, which is no bad thing.

A Question of Priorities

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

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Sunday 1st April 2012 ko 2.30pm

Morrison Bell Cup Quarter Final

SIDMOUTH TOWN 0

SEATON TOWN  7 (Highet 2 Norman 31 34 56 60 Cross 45 Love 71)

Att 88 (h/c)

 

Entry FREE

No programme (old copy free)

Tea-in-a-mug 50p

With the first game overrunning I was grateful to Martin Bamforth who’d left early and covered the early stages of the second game of the day for Mike and I.

The town with its wide esplanade, has a Regency feel to it, but a series of south-westerly storms in the early 1990s washed away much of the shingle beach protecting the esplanade’s masonry. A series of artificial rock islands was constructed to protect the sea front, and tons of pebbles were trucked in to replace the beach.

Sidmouth is home to the Norman Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium, located on Salcombe Hill. The facility, completed in 1912, fell into disuse but was saved from demolition by the appeals of enthusiasts to East Devon District Council. The observatory now operates as a science education project and is open to the public.

This fixture looked to be an intriguing encounter with local rivals pitched against each other. Sidmouth won last season’s Devon & Exeter League and now sit in the lower reaches of the South West Peninsula League. Seaton are in pole position to take over as champions but may not be able to gain promotion as their pitch is too narrow.

With the elevation in status, there’s work in progress at the ground. The pitch is now railed on two sides and a green hardstanding path laid by the far touchline. Soon this will be augmented by a bus shelter-type cover. It won’t make the place the greatest place in the world to watch football but it will help to remove the sense of Park Pitch that is the pervasive feeling now.

With me dashing in late, I had no opportunity to jot down the lineups and make a judgement on what I was watching. It was quickly obvious that this was no contest whatsoever, as Seaton made easy work of their hosts, rolling in goals with steady ease. Norman helped himself to four, the third a magnificent turn and lob, as the hosts had absolutely no answers to their visitors’ questions.

So, was it simply that the top flight of the Devon & Exeter League is stronger than the Division One East of the SWPL?  I got my answer after the game when I got the line-ups from the home secretary. He admitted that while Seaton where completely focused, Sidmouth in contrast had decided to cobble together a team from the reserves and Sunday sides, even putting a midfielder in goal!

It appears that Mike and I without ever meaning to, prioritised the correct game. I wonder if the participating clubs both thought the same? This brought to an end my visit to Mike, Christine and the beautiful Jurassic coast. I’d like to thank both of them for their company, local expertise, and their wonderful hospitality.

Dilemna at Junction 30

02 Monday Apr 2012

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Sunday 1st April 2012 ko 12.00pm

Golesworthy Cup Quarter Final

TOPSHAM TOWN 3RDS 3 (Gibbons 35 Rouse 38 Ward 45)

CLYST VALLEY 3RDS 3 (Hine 6 Hood 73 Cooper 90)

AET Clyst Valley won 4-3 on pens

Att 22 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

The pretty Devon town of Topsham is often described as a suburb of Exeter, but does retain its own distinct identity. Part of it is that there are many Dutch style houses in Topsham dating from the time when the town was an important cotton port. Many of Topsham’s houses are built using Dutch bricks, which were brought over as ballast from Holland – to where the wool and cotton from South-West England had been exported. There is an excellent antique centre on the Quayside, where once I picked up a rather impressive cheese grater!

The genteel feel does not extend to the Exeter Road based Coronation Field. Leaving town you pass by the University of Exeter ground, under the M5 and Topsham’s home is the next thing you see on your right. A huge sign for Junction 30 of the M5 is visible from the far goal. The club have played in the South-West Peninsula League, but following relegation, now ply their trade in the top flight of the Devon & Exeter League. The ground is well appointed, and would have no difficulties in gaining SWPL grading. In fact tucked away at the far side is a set of floodlights, bought as salvage from the sadly demolished Clyst Rovers ground.

Things are looking up for Topsham. They’re third in the table some distance behind leaders Seaton Town, but with doubts on Seaton’s rather narrow pitch, there’s all to play for. Except of course that Mike and I weren’t there to watch the 1st XI! With this game kicking off at midday and another at Sidmouth straight afterwards this wasn’t a day to worry about semantics! An unexpected bonus was that another hopper thought the same. I hadn’t seen Taunton-based Martin Bamforth for 2 years, which was a real pity. Martin has a long line of groundhopping mishaps which he’s not embarrassed to recount. A favourite was driving to Edinburgh to watch Hibernian in a European fixture only to discover on arrival that it was Hibernians of MALTA that were at home that evening!

The Golesworthy Cup is primarily for teams who play in the 6th, 7th and 8th divisions of the Devon and Exeter League, although some Perry Street and District League teams do enter. With criteria like that it’s inevitable that there’s very few first XI’s in the draw, and with these two sides 4th and 6th respectively in Division 6 the fixture did look competitive. I was told that Topsham’s 4th XI had won the trophy last season.

The trouble was it that the game found new ways to be a poor spectacle. Firstly Topsham conceded a daft goal, keeper John Parkes fumbling Danny Hine’s hopeful lob, before racing into a 3-1 lead, and looking completely dominant. Trouble is, after half time they stopped the neat passing that had given them the advantage. David Hood came on for Clyst and despite suffering the after-effects of a Saturday night curry, he finished well to get his team back in the game. With time tight for the Sidmouth we really didn’t want extra time, but of course that’s what we got, after a poor clearance was knocked in by Sam Cooper with seconds left.

Of course extra time produced nothing, as the both teams had ran themselves into the dust. That delayed the inevitable penalties by half an hour, and in this case Clyst knocked in all 4 they took to win. Except it wasn’t quite as straightforward as that. Barlow took the 4th for Clyst which was saved. Unfortunately for Topsham he hadn’t waited for the whistle and he scored with his retaken kick

At the end the Topsham players bemoaned that one incident, but if they’d kept doing what they’d started they’d have won this one easily.

Jurassic Park

02 Monday Apr 2012

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Saturday 31st March 2012 ko 2.30pm

Perry Street & District League Premier Division

LYME REGIS AFC 2 (Simier 52 Gosling 90)

ILMINSTER TOWN RESERVES 1 (Gilman 41)

Att 44 (h/c)

Entry by donation

No programme

125 years of LRFC brochure £2

Tea-in-a-mug 50p

It was a full 18 months since I’d last visited the Dorset town of Lyme Regis, and with me finally getting round to visiting friends Mike and Christine, in footballing terms the number one priority was a visit to the Davey Fort.

Lyme Regis is known primarily for one thing, palaeontology as the coast, a World Heritage site, stretches over a distance of 153 kilometres from Exmouth, in the west, to Old Harry Rocks in the east.The coastal exposures along the coastline provide a continuous sequence of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock formations spanning approximately 185 million years of the Earth’s history. The localities along the Jurassic Coast include a large range of important fossil zones. The Blue Lias rock is host to a multitude of remains from the early Jurassic period.  Many of the remains are well preserved, with complete specimens of several important species. Many of the earliest discoveries of dinosaur and other prehistoric reptile remains were made in this area  notably those discovered by Mary Anning (1799–1847).

The Davey Fort sits on the hill as you enter the town from the north. There’s a clubhouse with an overhang behind the near goal, and a rail on one side. There simply isn’t room for much else as the ground is on a ledge cut out of the hill, and despite the obvious attempts to widen it, the pitch is too narrow to allow the club to progress upwards into the Dorset Premier League.

And that’s the tragedy of the piece. Here is a wonderful, charming club, who’ve won the league at a canter, and are clearly a big fish in a small pond, but the biggest problem lies in finding a large enough piece of flat land, in a hilly town that’s fashionably expensive! I chatted to club stalwart Graham “Percy” Vere (529 goals in 20 years), who told me that the club had found a suitable site further north, only to be turned down by the local authorities, as ONE PERSON had complained that he might have been able to have seen a floodlight! And people wonder why this country has an obesity problem!

With Lyme having the title all wrapped up, this game had the incentive of the club maintaining its 100% home record for the season. They made a confident start but the visitors, one of whose subsitutes had no idea in which league his first eleven play(Somerset County League), soon found their feet. Ilminster surprised everyone, including themselves, by scoring just before half time, when a beautifully flighted free kick from the left was turned in by Louis Gilman.

Regis didn’t seem unduly worried and soon after the restart a perfectly flighted cross from the right was expertly headed home by subsitute Julian Simien. Its was one way traffic by now and only a series of baffling off-sides given by the Ilminster club linesman kept the champions out. It was, of course only a matter of time, and in the final minute a perfect cross-cum-shot from the right by Joel Gosling nestled in the corner of the net. When you’re this good, you need no other opportunity.

A great achievement, but tinged with the regret that through no fault of their own, they’ll be having no other challenge next season but to try to repeat the feat.

Back of the 7″

01 Sunday Apr 2012

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Friday 30th March 2012 ko 7.30pm

Mid-Someset League Dimmock Green Cup Final

MEADOW RANGERS 0

FROME TOWN SPORTS 1 (Lock 29)

Att c130

Played at Shepton Mallet FC

Entry & Programme £2

The idea of this one was simple, in that it was on the way down to see my friends Mike and Christine in Dorset. I hardly need an excuse to watch a game, but at a new ground on the way? It would be rude not to!

The Somerset town of Shepton Mallet, is possibly best known as where Babycham is produced! The western suburbs are dominated by the Charlton railway viaduct and the former Anglo-Bavarian brewery building. The oldest working prison in the UK is to be found here. I knew none of this when I arrived, all I knew was that as a child cycling back from school, I’d stop at the local John Menzies to buy the latest 7″ single. On the back of the sleeve were the band’s tour dates, Wembley Arena, the Birmingham NEC and so on. One of the dates was always Shepton Mallet Showgrounds, but these days it never features on the tour schedules, I wonder why?

The town’s Western League team plays at Wells Road, West Mallet, but tonight the ground was being used for a local league’s cup final. The Mid-Somerset League feeds into the Somerset League, and then up into the Western League. The fixture pitched Midsomer Norton based Meadow Rangers top of the Premier Divison against Frome Town Sports, top of Division One. Frome’s connections with the town’s Southern League club were interesting. With Frome having no reserve team, this side wear Frome Town kit, and are very much under the senior team’s wing. The rules of the league state that a player cannot play more than 5 senior games in a season, so there can’t be much exchange of talent between the two sides.

What wasn’t clear from the moment they kicked off, was which side was in the top flight. I felt Frome at least tried to play football, but were being kicked all of the park by their opponents who were the wrong side of physical at best. In a frantic first half there were 2 punch-ups and another as the teams trooped off for half time. Meadow’s Jake Riddle’s stamp on Frome keeper Ryan Matthews damaged the young glovesman’s arm sufficiently for him to be able to take no further part, even in the presentation ceremony.

At that point at least we’d seen a goal, Adam Lock finishing well from 10 yards, but he was forced to take Matthews place in goal. It speaks volumes that he had virtually nothing to do, as Meadow kicked, elbowed and punched with Frome’s Ian Kennedy on the receiving end of most, rather than force home the obvious advantage. Unbelievably, referee Matt Drew took until 84 minutes to show anyone a card, and ridiculously the recipient was Kennedy himself, for an innocuous foul!

So, an uninspiring game, the correct side won, but the ground was the real star. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Bearley Finished

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

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Tuesday 27th March 2012 ko 6.00pm (scheduled)

Stratford Alliance Division One

ALVESTON 4 (Layton 9p Fathers 31 Wilkes 67 Castle 70)

CUBBINGTON ALBION 1 (Andy Yates 65)

Att 33 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No programme

Many hoppers will know Alveston as a top flight Midland Combination outfit. Unfortunately at the end of last season they lost the use of their base at the Home Guard Club, in Tiddington, and have moved to the other side of Stratford-upon-Avon, to the small village of Bearley. The longest aqueduct in England, the Edstone Aqueduct, is just outside the village on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. The move cost the club its place in the Midland Combination, and were forced to take a 3 division demotion to the Stratford Alliance.

The Mill Field serves as both Sports field and Village hall, to the extent that the noise of the fixture was at times interrupted by the sounds of a few ladies doing their aerobics class! The bar area is first class with many watching a televised football match but the changing area will be a stumbling block to the club’s ambitions to a return to the Midland Combination. It’s strange, but there is only one changing room, the club have tried to provide separation by placing an upturned table tennis court in the middle, but that’s not good enough for promotion, so a new ground is being sought. With the club being top of the top flight the need is pressing!

The club’s administration is still of Midland Combination quality, even everyone else’s wasn’t. Referee Paul Batty ambled in at 6.00pm with Alveston ready to kick off, and immediately declared that he was switching kick off to 6.15. By then Cubbington had enough players to start, but kick off was then delayed to 6.30, by which time they had 11. Despite a number of the hoppers pointing out that playing 2 x 45 minutes would mean it would be dark before the final whistle, Mr Batty played a full first half, then was embarrassed as, yes, the game was finished 6 minutes early as it was dark….Some people you just can’t tell!

On the pitch, if either side had turned up with their shooting boots then we’d had seen a hat full of goals. Layton’s early penalty was the only thing to show for the massive superiority that Alveston were enjoying. Time after time Alveston smashed shots high or wide when it looked a good deal easier to score. Cubbington’s cause wasn’t helped with the loss of David Broomfield to a badly twisted knee on 20 minutes. They played on with 10 men until the 40th minute when a substitute had arrived and changed. As the visitors tired, so Alveston took advantage, and neither side should take issue with the shortened game. It made absolutely no difference to the destination of the points.

With the clocks having gone forward, and what groundhoppers refer to as “Silly Season” in force (evening kick-offs at unlit venues) I left grateful that I’d got a game, but I do think its unfair to expect amateur players to make a 6.00pm kick off. When the light allows a 6.30 start, well that’s a different story.

The Two Fingered Salute

26 Monday Mar 2012

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Sunday 25th March 2012 ko 2.30pm

Welsh League Division Two

MONMOUTH TOWN 6 (E Ford 11p 79 Spence 50 Alderdice 58 Lewis 67 Laurie 90)

BETTWS 0

Att 142 (h/c)

Entry & Programme £3

As a hopper you do tend to exaggerate the term “It’s on the way home.” I once managed to put Inverurie on the way from Inverness to Glasgow, and this one on the way from Plymouth to Oxford!

There were good reasons for me to visit the Monmouth Sports Ground though. For one the club are moving from the current pitch at the end of the season, to one about 50 metres away, nearer the clubhouse, and nearer the A40 that rumbles away behind the complex. That will mean the club will no longer have to share with the rugby club, but will lose use of the wonderful stand. With my stupid frame of mind, the other reason to be there was the sheer amount of times I’ve driven along the A40 and thought, “I’ve got to visit that ground!”

The border town of Monmouth is the first town you reach after leaving England at Symonds Yat. The town is the birthplace of Henry V, victor over the French at the battle of Agincourt in 1415. That was where the rude two fingered signal originated. The battle was won by the English longbowmen who’d been threatened with having their bow drawing fingers cut off by the French. On victory the English waved their intact two fingers at the surviving French and the legend was born. You never learned that from the Shakespeare play!

The town is also famous for its close links with the Rolls family, who built a mansion at The Hendre just outside the town. In 1904, Charles Rolls established a new car making business with Henry Royce, but in 1910 he was killed in an aeroplane crash at the age of 32; he is commemorated by a statue in Agincourt Square.

For the lads the new President of Monmouth Town is television presenter and occasional actress Lisa Rogers.

The game saw promotion chasing Town face struggling Bridgend-based Bettws (pronouced Bett-us). We all wondered why the game was being played on Sunday, it transpired that Bettws didn’t want an early evening kick off. It certainly worked for Monmouth with a bumper crowd enjoying the warm weather, a successful team and a superb programme. It certainly didn’t work for Bettws who’d played at Newcastle Emlyn the previous day losing 2-1, and then had this trip to contend with!

As expected Monmouth took a early lead with a slightly dodgy penalty, but were made to work hard for their second, but Dan Spence’s long range effort was a fine way to open up the floodgates. And open they did with 4 further goals in the final 32 minutes, as Bettws wilted in the sun.

The result makes promotion for Monmouth almost certain, after after being in the Gwent County League Division Two a mere 6 years ago. That’s quite some progress!

 

Sweet Surrender on the Quayside

26 Monday Mar 2012

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Saturday 24th March 2012 ko 3.00pm

South West Peninsula League Division One West

VOSPERS OAK VILLA 10 (Edwards 4 Fort 6 16 69 Almond 10p Jasper 34 38 83 Honeywill 50 Scholes 90)

PERRANPORTH 0

Att 34

Entry & Programme £3

Tea 50p

Pasty £1.20

This was a bit of a crazy day for me. Perhaps it was because I’d spent Friday evening in Witney catching up with some old workmates over a chicken madras and a beer or 10, but in the morning I set out towards Dorset to visit another old mate, a full week early! By the time I realised, I was in Dorset, so I needed a Plan B, and quickly!

There really was only one bloke to call given where I was, Sammo, or to use his proper title, Mike Sampson, press officer for the South West Peninsula League. He confirmed that Vospers Oak Villa in Plymouth were kicking off at 3, and that another mate, League Football Secretary & Web Master Phil Hiscox would be there too. From a groundhopping perspective Phil’s the chap that organises the popular groundhop the League hosts. It was good to speak to a fellow organiser, and look forward to when the League will have sufficient new grounds to host another Easter extravaganza.

Plymouth holds mixed feelings for me. I’ve always enjoyed my visits to the dockyard town for both football and for tourism. I attended Mike Sampson’s 60th birthday bash at Plymouth Argyle around 18 months ago which was a great night out. Sadly it was the last public appearance I made with my wife, before we separated 2 months later. So, yes, mixed feelings.

Vospers Oak Villa started their existence as Oak Villa in 1912 in what was known as the United Churches League and the club operated from St Phillips Church in Bridwell Road, in Plymouth. To play you had to be a member of the church, and the club’s name was taken from an old cottage at Camel’s Head where the first meeting took place. The team moved to Weston Mill, so adopted the name Weston Mill Oak Villa and rose up through local leagues, through to the Devon County League, and became founder members of the SW Peninsula League league in 2007.  The club is now known as Vospers Oak Villa, thanks to the sponsorship of Peter Vospers, of Vospers Motorhouse.

The Weston Mill ground is on the western edge of Plymouth close to the Devonport Docks, and the Tamar bridge linking Devon to Cornwall. It’s the Tamar Bridge that gives the league its logo. It has to be said that the ground will win no awards for beauty, or facilities, but the welcome was as warm as the weather. There’s a railed off pitch but no cover, and the only hard standing is via a disused 5-a-side pitch, itself a victim of vandalism. The gateman was exactly that, a man by a gate, with a bag of a programmes.

I’d seen a league table and thought this looked a home banker. Perranporth had only 7 points to show for a disastrous season, but the home officials didn’t seem confident, citing the departure of the management team looming at the end of the season, and a poor run of form. They could not have been more wrong, as the visitors played the vast majority of the game with ten men. Worse still their regular goalkeeper was unavailable (their officials said he was watching Arsenal, but then he is the recently departed manger’s son!), and the backup goalkeeper Ryan Barnes was sporting a broken thumb, so he was pressed into service in midfield, and midfielder Jack Bradshaw was pressed into service between the sticks. It didn’t work to put it mildly!

3 goals in 10 minutes set the tone, and at that point I honestly thought I may have been heading towards my highest aggregate score of 20. That I only got halfway was down to Bradshaw’s efforts, despite obviously not being a goalkeeper he threw himself at everything, and the fact that Villa eased off for periods playing an ineffective brand of champagne football. Joe Jasper and Stuart Fort will no doubt argue over who gets the match ball (is there a procedure for that?) but for me the man of the match was the unfortunate Jack Bradshaw who like his team-mates was there when it mattered. It would have been so easy for Perranporth to have simply not turned up. For that they deserve credit.

I should also thank Sammo for putting me up for the night and feeding me a huge breakfast Sunday morning. Thanks mate, and see you in Sweden!

Not them…THEM!!!

25 Sunday Mar 2012

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Thursday 22nd March 2012 ko 7.45pm

Wessex League Premier Division

BOURNEMOUTH FC 1 (Ewen 90p)

TOTTON & ELING 0

Att 72

Entry & Programme £6

I wonder why Bournemouth don’t rename themselves Bournemouth Poppies. They must have heartily sick of being mistaken for AFC Bournemouth, who after all used to be Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. Still the Poppies plough their furrow on the Poole side of the Dorset Town, which according to a a 2007 survey by First Direct was found to be the happiest place in the UK, with 82% of people questioned saying they were happy with their lives. The comedian and actor Tony Hancock lived in the Winton area of Bournemouth for much of his early life.

Victoria Park, retains the feel of a public park, despite hosting Step 5 football. There’s no turnstile or pay box, the entrance fee is collected in the bar, where the excellent programme is sold. The stand is worthy of note, being a part of a single building encompassing the changing rooms, and bar area. Its highly unusual and works well, with the bench seating affording a good view of the action.

Except on this occasion we didn’t get much! The reason for the Thursday fixture was good old fashioned end-of-season congestion, caused by the Poppies’ FA Vase exploits. In a poor game both sides were thankful to their goalkeepers in the first half as Poppies stopper Kenny Vaughan made three saves, while his opposite number Steve Mowthorpe clawed debutant Sean Leadbetter’s header out of the bottom corner. Phil Ward kept out another Leadbetter effort with a goal-line clearance before half time.

In the second half, Mowthorpe’s brillance was all that kept the Poppies at bay. He produced two first class saves, the second, from Dave Ewen, was worthy for a far higher level.  Luke Ingram was denied a Poppies penalty seven minutes from time but when the hosts were handed a late spot kick for the weakest of challenges, Ewen made no mistake to seal the points. That was harsh on the visitors, and especially on young Mowthorpe who deserved a clean sheet. Seconds later, it was full time, and one of the linesmen had to intervene as one of the Totton & Eling coaching staff took exception to a comment from the stand and decided to negotiate the point by physical means. He was led away before anything untoward happened.

 

The Falklands Walk

25 Sunday Mar 2012

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Wednesday 21st MArch 2012 ko 7.45pm

Cambridgeshire County League Senior A Division

NEEDINGWORTH UNITED 1 (Steward 40og)

HUNDON 1 (Hayes 17p)

Att 10 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No Programme

Tea 70p

Raffle £1

The small village of Needingworth lies close to St Ives, and for a small town a lot has happened. There’s a massive aggregate pit, which in time will become a nature reserve under the wing of the RSPB. The ground, Millfields, as the name suggests was linked to a long demolished windmill, and the village has gained an excellent sports facility. There’s room for 4 football pitches, as well as a cricket pitch, together with the clubhouse, opened by local MP John Major in 1992. Surrounding the whole lot is Falklands Walk, an area of woodlands and footpaths funded by a unit of the Royal Engineers after their posting to the Falklands in 1989. Yes, it’s all very neat, if a little bland, the trouble is that the locals patently don’t care about their football club.

And what a bonny little club it is. Run by a small band of stalwarts, it was an absolute pleasure to spend a couple of hours in their company. From running a line, to making tea, to sorting out two bottles of wine for the raffle prize, everything was done with humour and a friendly welcome, so why on average do only 4 locals come and watch their team?

Yes, the team are struggling, near the bottom of the second tier of the league, a feeder to the United and Eastern Counties Leagues. They once had a ground inspection for acceptance into the UCL, but balked at the cost of adding the lights and stand they had already. The stand got sold to Ramsey Town, themselves refugees from the UCL, but so far hasn’t been erected there. On the pitch relegation happened despite the league rather liking a floodlit ground in the Premier Division.

This game saw two clubs struggling to maintain their place in the division. The home officials happily admitted they’d be happy for a point, and that both sides would probably still be the same division next season due to a withdrawal and a lack of clubs wanting to make the step up.

The game was therefore exactly as I expected, nervy and error strewn. The moment of controversy was when Hundon’s Jamie Farlie was put clean through on goal. The keeper Tom Kulik went in on him with his knee raised, and a penalty was the only decision referee Brian Lewis could possibly make. The question was, should it be interpreted as dangerous play or denying a goal scoring opportunity too?  Lewis opted not to, arguing that a penalty was enough, and took into account on the fact the Kulik had been on the receiving end of a studs-up challenge the previous Saturday. Probably against FA directives, but instinctively correct. Jamie Hayes slotted home the spot kick neatly.

Needingworth got the equalizer in bizarre circumstances. Luke Gatford swung in a corner to the near post and there was Ben Steward to head home… past his own keeper! The second half was a bitty affair, with few chances, but to be honest I was enjoying the company too much to care!

I left having watched a distinctly average game, but loved this little club with a big heart. I wish the locals would walk down the road and discover what I drove for 2 hours to find.