Tag Archives: Craig Dabbs

Behind (And Under) The Bike Sheds

12 Thursday Dec 2019

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Saturday 12th October 2019 ko 14.00

Bedfordshire County League Division 3

STOPSLEY UNITED 2 (Prosper 9 Downey 90)

Frater sent off 61 (violent conduct)

HARLINGTON JUNIORS 3 (Frantazelli 7 Lambert 40 77)

Thompson sent off 61 (violent conduct)

Att 128

We left village life in Haynes and headed south into Luton’s suburbs. Stopsley is a classic example of a former village that had been slowly absorbed by the larger town nearby. But I had a comment by Beds Hop organiser Craig Dabbs turning over in my mind. Continue reading →

Aiming High

11 Wednesday Dec 2019

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Saturday 12th October 2019 ko 10.30

Bedfordshire County League Division 3

REAL HAYNES 7 (Bucknall 17 Lumsden 28 32 62 Ahmed 53 Sheath 73og Pearson 78)

Lumsden penalty saved 60

BLUNHAM 0

Att 196

Free Entry

Programme £2

Like Phil Hiscox and the South West Peninsula League Hop I regard Craig Dabbs and the Bedfordshire Hop as being indivisible. I understand the stresses and strains of organising a hop below Step 6, for Bedfordshire you can read North Berkshire and Witney for me. People tend to be surprised when I tell them that Bedford is Robyn’s favourite hop, she knows its the only event when I genuinely relax. Continue reading →

Crescents

21 Wednesday Nov 2018

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Saturday 13th October 2018 ko 13.45

Bedfordshire County League Premier Division

QUEENS PARK CRESCENTS 3 (Parrella 21 Rasol 53p 90) 

Yusuf sent off 90 (2nd booking)

CALDECOTE 0

Att 161

Entry FREE

Programme £2

We picked our way through suburban Bedford, and passed the Charles Wells Brewery on the way. Adjacent to that was the site of the Eyrie, home to Bedford Town from 1908 to 1982 and still just about recognisable as a ground, if you know where to look. This is the Queens Park district of Bedford, and it did come with a history all of its own.  Continue reading →

Reversals

19 Monday Nov 2018

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Saturday 13th October 2018 ko 11.00

Bedfordshire League Division One

BEDFORD ALBION 9 (Kelly 3 Babbington 17 30 44 50 Wright 23 Lewis 35 39 Sidhu 64)

SANDY 0

Att 149

Entry FREE

Programme £2

It was an uncommonly early start for the Bedfordshire Hop. An unfeasibly strong coffee jolted the senses before driving from Oxford to Wavendon to pick up Chris Garner (anything eastbound seems to involve him!) before heading to Biddenham to meet organiser Craig Dabbs for a spot of role reversal.  Continue reading →

Flight Path

13 Monday Nov 2017

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Saturday 14th October 2017 ko 18.00

Bedfordshire County League Premier Division

CRANFIELD UNITED 1 (Allen 62og)

RENHOLD UNITED 0

Att 116

Entry FREE

Programme £2

I’d greatly enjoyed the Bedfordshire Hop’s first two games, and I suspect everyone else had too. So I was disappointed but not surprised as I left AFC Kempston to see a steady stream of hoppers walking back towards Bedford and the railway station rather than turning right like me and making for Cranfield.  Continue reading →

The Invisible

12 Sunday Nov 2017

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Saturday 14th October 2017 ko 11.00

Bedfordshire County League Division One

WIXAMS 4 (White 5 Tibbett 1 Natola 36 Battams 59)

SANDY 1 (Beall 64)

Att 125

Entry FREE

Programme £2

Bedfordshire Hop organiser Craig Dabbs and I have reached the point where we can look each other in the eye and know exactly what the other is thinking. Because his Bedfordshire is my North Berkshire and in so many ways the two hops have similar, clubs, clienteles and aspirations. The issues he has making this hop work are so similar to my own, and as I was working to make my game at the Diamond Light Source work, he was doing the same at AFC Kempston. One thing Craig did managed to do that was new to me though was putting on two games at places that I couldn’t find on a map. 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 →

Got me under pressure

15 Wednesday Oct 2014

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Friday 10th October 2014 ko 19.00

Regionaliga Südwest

1FC SAARBRÜCKEN 1 (Döringer 13)

KICKERS OFFENBACH 1 (von den Burg 82)

Att 7,011

Entry (Haupttribune/Main Stand) €22 (€1 =80p)

Programme 50c

The alarm went off, it was 5.45am, and I was in a cheap hotel in Folkestone, its purpose only to get a car-load of hoppers to the Channel Tunnel as quickly as possible. I shuffled into the bathroom, and ran the shower only to watch the head extricate itself from the holster and hit my razor. The razor exploded in a spray of water, and I contemplated a hirsute weekend over a bacon roll and an Americano as the train travelled under the English Channel.

Continue reading →

Doing it Right #2

12 Saturday Oct 2013

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Saturday 12th October 2013 ko 10.30

Bedfordshire County League Premier Division

MARSTON SHELTON ROVERS 3 (Reid 59 60 Franks 79)

SHEFFORD TOWN & CAMPTON 1 (Jones 62)

Att 162

Entry FREE

Programme £2

Bacon Roll £2

Badge £3

This season has been by far the busiest by far for organised groundhops with, if I’m correct, this Bedfordshire League being the fifth so far with another six still to come. The diary is congested, and I expect that to be the case for years to come as it seems that Leagues have finally worked out that there’s a windfall to be had from the purse of the groundhopper. There has never been a better time to Continue reading →