Tag Archives: GroundhopUK

Leveller

18 Friday Aug 2023

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Saturday 29th July 2023 ko 20:00

United Counties League Premier Division North

EASTWOOD COMMUNITY 0

MELTON TOWN 2 (Mills 9 Palmer 71)

Att 468

Entry £7

Programme £2

For me at least the principle attraction to another visit to Coronation Park, was for the metaphorical “Before and after shots.” For those unaware the original Eastwood Town played in the Northern Premier League at Coronation Park but folded due to bankruptcy in 2014.

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Everyone

17 Thursday Aug 2023

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Saturday 29th July 2023 ko 17:00

United Counties League Premier Division North

HUCKNALL TOWN 1 (Kelly 76)

WISBECH TOWN 1 (Conyard 22p)

Att 688

Entry £8

Programme £1

When in January this year Hucknall moved roughly 500 yards from the now demolished Watnall Road to Aerial Way, Chris Berezai and I raised an inward smile. We knew we wanted the new ground on the UCL Hop, and advertised as such, and then watched a whole cohort of groundhoppers make a beeline for the place!

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Mapperley

16 Wednesday Aug 2023

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Saturday 29th July 2023 ko 14:00

United Counties League Division One

GEDLING MINERS WELFARE 0

BLACKSTONES 1 (Duffy-Weekes 90)

Att 364

Entry £5

Programme £1.50

I must admit I wasn’t particularly looking forward to revisiting Mapperley Plains. It was nothing to do with the club or the ground, it was because I’d visited early in 2011 in the throes of a failed marriage. I was watching games solely to not be sat in an empty house. I visited, I saw the game, and I did little more than exist back then.

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Hyson

14 Monday Aug 2023

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Saturday 29th July 2023 ko 11:00

United Counties League Division One

RADFORD 0

Moore sent off 83 (2nd booking)

HARROWBY UNITED 0

Att 385

Entry £6

Programme £2

A Saturday, based in Nottingham, on an organised hop will, for me, always evoke memories of the Central Midlands Hops of the early 2000’s. I wasn’t involved back then, those events were organised by Chris Berezai and Rob Hornby and to this day I still see Nottingham and its hinterland as Rob Hornby country. Rob retired from the organising lark after the 2016 Notts Senior League Hop, and it’s a shame that ill health stopped him attending this event. Get well soon Rob!

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Dynamic

10 Thursday Aug 2023

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Friday 28th July 2023 ko 19:45

United Counties League Division One

SAFFRON DYNAMO 1 (Scott 68)

BIRSTALL UNITED 5 (Burton 4 16 Crossley 13 30 45)

Att 400

Entry £6

Programme £1

Such is the dynamic of the United Counties League Hop, and the expanded GroundhopUK meant that Robyn and I could do a normal Friday day at work and Chris had Craig and Paul to make up the programme packs and set up the stall outside the first gate. Next time round it’ll be Robyn and I with Chris. Many hands and all that!

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Rains

05 Monday Jun 2023

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Monday 10th April 2023 ko 11:30

Hellenic League Division Two West

SHIPSTON EXCELSIOR 4 (Fetherston 43 secs Gill 21 Cardwell 36 Clarke 53)

FECKENHAM 2 (Davies 46 Skelton 85)

Att 193

Entry £3.50

Programme £1.50

I drove past Chipping Norton, then headed still further north heading over from Oxfordshire to Warwickshire. There always seemed to be a sense of crossing the Rubicon at that County boundary- from Hellenic Country to Midland League territory. Just to add to the sense of change, the rains came. We drove through Long Compton with the wipers barely able to keep the windscreen clear. Continue reading →

Personal

29 Monday May 2023

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Sunday 9th April 2023

11:00 Hellenic League Division Two East

WATLINGTON TOWN 0

NEWBURY 10 (Frank 24 35 Allen 45 84 90  Armstrong 55 82 90p Goddard 59 Pattern 87)

Att 271

Entry & Programme £4

14:00 Hellenic League Division One

ABINGDON UNITED 3 (Mills 27 Bartlett 30 Downie 82)

SHORTWOOD UNITED 1 (Barrett 77)

Att 358

Entry £5

Programme £2

15:45 Hellenic League Division One

CLANFIELD 85 3 (Dickinson 46 Seacole 49 Fullarton 76)

MALMESBURY VICTORIA 1 (Patey 55)

Att 279

Entry £6

Programme £2

You could say it was personal. Easter Sunday on the Hellenic Hop may have been revisits to grounds I’d visited many times, but I had a personal connection to every host club. I always want our host clubs to do well but never more than on this day. Continue reading →

The Day Off

24 Wednesday May 2023

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Saturday 8th April 2023

11:00 Hellenic League Division 2 East

MORTIMER 2 (Gorman 22 Parfitt-Bowes 57)

CHINNOR 0

Att 209

14:30 Hellenic League Division 2 East

TAPLOW UNITED 2 (Eaves 35 Umbewa 38)

CHALFONT WASPS 2 (Drummond 45 Sava 76)

Pereira penalty saved 90

Att 140

17:30 Hellenic League Division 2 East

WOODCOTE FC 4 (Allen 19og Webber 28 Nowell 45 Downes 84)

FC BEACONSFIELD 0

Att 243

Entry & Programme for each game – £4

I suppose it had to happen at some point, I actually took a day off- from GroundhopUK at least! It had certainly been a while, to the point that I’d actually got married, separated, divorced, engaged, and married again during all those hops we’ve organised over the last 15-plus years. But the great beauty of GroundHopUK these days is that it isn’t just about Chris Berezai and I. Since the Bedfordshire League decided to spurn Craig Dabbs’ skills, kindness and hard work, he’s come on board- your loss Mr Francis, and now my wife Robyn deals with the social media too. There are also no end of folks that help us out, and there’s the various league officials to do some of the leg work too. Continue reading →

Cuik

04 Thursday May 2023

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Sunday 19th March 2023 ko 12:15

East of Scotland League – Premier Division

PENICUIK ATHLETIC 0

Mair sent off (2nd booking) 38

LOTHIAN THISTLE HUTCHINSON VALE 1 (J Viola 77)

Att 398

Entry £8

Programme £2

It was in a couple of ways a bruising Scottish Hop. Obviously my wife Robyn’s tumble down the stand at Tynecastle made that statement literal, but the fact that I was driving the advance party around with a dying clutch made it figurative too. I parked up by Penicuik Park, and exhaled. At least on the way home I could to a large extent, stick the car in sixth gear, and forget about the clutch. Continue reading →

Jim

27 Thursday Apr 2023

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Saturday 15th March 2023 ko 19:45

East of Scotland League Premier Division

MUSSELBURGH ATHLETIC 0

BROXBURN ATHLETIC 4 (Wright 18 Douglas 45 65 Brass 70p)

Att 557

Entry £8

Programme £2

In so many ways Olivebank Stadium was the pivot point of Robyn and I’s 2023 Scottish Hop. After Robyn’s fall at Tynecastle the previous day it was the point where the hoppers realised that my wife may have been sore but had sustained no long-term damage, so they switched from asking whether she was okay to taking the mickey. I must admit we found the latter more comforting.

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