Tag Archives: Combined Counties League

Never A Step Backward

12 Wednesday Aug 2020

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Tuesday 4th August 2020 ko 19.15

Friendly

SILCHESTER FC 0

BADSHOT LEA (4 3 31 50 77)

Att c20 @ Queen Mary’s College, Basingstoke

Free Entry

With a friendly lined up at an unusual venue in Basingstoke, and plenty of time to get there, I took the chance to stop and spend a few minutes at the Camrose.  Until 2019 the ground, gifted to the people of Basingstoke by Lord Camrose in 1945 was home to Basingstoke Town. Continue reading →

Velocity

01 Friday Nov 2019

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Tuesday 10th September 2019 ko 19.45

Isthmian League Cup – Group 10

CHERTSEY TOWN 2 (Baxter 80 Cozens 84)

Bennell sent off (serious foul play) 41

CHIPSTEAD 3 (Hudson 26 55 Miller 63)

Att 110

Entry £9

Programme £1

The dichotomy of having visited well over 2000 football grounds is that although my options for a midweek tick are fairly limited these days, I have built up a huge database of wonderful grounds for me to take Robyn to see. A distinct advantage is also a trip to Surrey commuter belt from Oxford is a lot easier than some of my more far-flung destinations! Continue reading →

A Home… Finally

17 Tuesday Sep 2019

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Tuesday 6th August 2019 ko 19.45

Combined Counties League Premier Division

BADSHOT LEA 5 (Medcraft 19 55 89 Cardini 63 Cadette 77)

FRIMLEY GREEN 0

Att 194

Entry £7

Programme £1

Teamsheet FREE

God knows football needs a good news story and a ground for Badshot Lea is certainly one! It seems an age ago (well 2003) I saw the side freshly promoted in to the Hellenic League from the Surrey Premier League at their original Recreation Ground home. Now home may well be where the heart is but the ground was little or more than a roped off pitch in a park and with ground gradings beginning to bite it was obvious that a club so obviously on the up would have to move. Continue reading →

The Wrong Floodlights

10 Sunday Dec 2017

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Saturday 2nd December 2017 ko 14.00

Combined Counties League Division One

SHEERWATER 5 (Rideout 30secs 6 Wilson 3 Machay 35 76)

AC LONDON 1 (Silva 69) Dallal sent off (DOGSO) 35

Att c40

Entry £4

Programme £1

Sheerwater is of course the home of mod band The Jam. Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler were all residents of this 1950’s suburb of Woking before hitting the big time with their first single “In the City.” It is a typical commuter town’s suburb with the community’s facilities all at the southern edge but within all of that the local football club has a real problem.

Without doubt the pressure is increasing on those Step 6 clubs whose grounds fail ground grading. The reasons for failing are varied, sometimes it’s because the ground isn’t enclosed and a common one is lack of floodlights, but Sheerwater’s reason is unusual, they do have floodlights, it’s just that they are the wrong ones! Continue reading →

New Beginnings

19 Sunday Nov 2017

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Tuesday 24th October 2017 ko 19.45

Combined Counties League Premier Division

WALTON & HERSHAM 1 (Okai 68)

BEDFONT SPORTS 0

Att 126 at Elmbridge XCEL Sports Hub

Entry £8

Programme £1.50

A few weeks ago Robyn and I were fortunate enough to attend a funeral. That’s not a sentence I often write but it was a privilege to be at Walton & Hersham’s final game at Stompond Lane. For the sadness, at the fact that the old ground was falling to pieces, and the club were and are moving into a uncertain future. But as we walked away it did feel that we’d only told half of the story. So here’s the other half. Continue reading →

Cater Bank

20 Friday Oct 2017

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Tueaday 26th September 2017 ko 19.45

Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup 1st Round

CB HOUNSLOW UNITED 5 (Roberts 30 44 Ireland 55 Morris 71 G Bamford 82) J Watt missed pen 82

EVERSLEY & CALIFORNIA 2 (Robson 28 Brown 43)

Att c65

Entry £5

Programme £1

Around 10 years ago one of my earliest forays into the Combined Counties League saw me visit CB Houslow’s former home at Osterley Sports Club. It was an interesting place, if extremely run down and the lack of basic facilties made it obvious that the club would either have to move, or accept relegation back to the Middlesex County League. My only surprise is that the move took 10 years! Continue reading →

Sham 17

19 Thursday Oct 2017

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Tuesday 19th September 2017 k0 19.45

Combined Counties League Premier Division

WALTON & HERSHAM 7 (Hornby 13 Abdul 23 59 78 J Newton 41 Nkoma 70 83)

CHERTSEY TOWN 0 

Att 225

Entry £7

Programme £1.50

I worry for the Swans. I have no connection with Walton or Hersham save for a visit to the ground 10 years ago. But on a slightly dank Tuesday night I was faced with an option. Either head to watch Walton Casuals at the new Walton Sports Hub or revisit Stompond Lane to see what looked like being the Swans last game at the historic ground.  Continue reading →

Near to the site that was

06 Thursday Jul 2017

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Tuesday 4th July 2017 ko 19.00

Preseason Friendly

LYNE F.C. 2 (Esperit 6 Holly 62)

COBHAM 3 (Ewam 37 Anderson 69 80) Davies missed penalty 12

Att c20

Entry FREE

It is the lot of the groundhopper that you look through the endless lists of fixtures, and  try to find something that interests, and you can get to. I’ll admit, I’d not heard of Lyne FC, I supposed they’d have to be in and around Surrey judging by Cobham being the opposition. I’m grateful to Lyne, they have both an excellent website and twitter feed, and it turned out there were no end of reasons to pay them a visit.  Continue reading →

A Touch Of Frost

05 Monday Dec 2016

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Tuesday 29th November 2016 ko 19.45

Surrey Premier Cup, 2nd Round

BANSTEAD ATHLETIC 5 (Smith 43 90 Maddock 54 Hill 67 Frost 90)

OLD WILSONIANS 2 (Gravesande 12 Steadford 16)

Att 25

Entry £6

Programme £2

Just every groundhopper has been in this position, stood by the pay gate while the referee paws nervously at a hardening, frosty pitch. You know that it’s too late to head elsewhere, even my other possible fixture at Sittingbourne was to fall foul of the weather. You try and dig a heel into the turf to see if the cold ground will take that mythical stud. You fret, and thinking selfishly I really wanted to see this game, as it was one of the more interesting ties in a County Cup this season. Continue reading →

Privilege

25 Thursday Feb 2016

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Friday 19th February 2016 ko 19.45

Combined Counties League Division One

COBHAM 3 (Webster 15 France 25 West 68)

SOUTH PARK RESERVES 2 (Burgess 9 Campbell 54) Campbell sent off 85 (2nd booking)

Att c30

Entry & Programme £5

What is it about privileged areas and non-league football grounds? Just about every time you visit millionaires’ row almost invariably the local football team struggles for both money and support. You’re only about half a mile from Chelsea’s training ground here, and I did forget to check for stray air gun pellets… Continue reading →