Tag Archives: Spartan South Midlands League

Nickleby

11 Sunday Dec 2022

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Tuesday 11th October 2022 ko 19:45

Hinchingbrooke Cup 1st Round

EATON SOCON  3 (R Baxter 25 Reece-Brown 57 B Roberts 90)

NETHERTON UNITED 1 (Mead 4)

Att 74

Entry and Programme £5

I have a nasty feeling I’ve passed Eaton Socon by no end of times without every really considering the place. You’re just off the A1 here, one roundabout north of the Black Cat, in what is traditionally Huntingdonshire, administeratively in Cambridgeshire, but the club played in the Bedfordshire League until this season. Yes, you are in border country, and very much in St Neots’ environs, and that location means the town grew up as Stage Coach overnight stopping  point, even earning a mention in Charles Dickens’ novel “Nicholas Nickelby” as Eton Slocomb! Continue reading →

Windmill!

25 Thursday Aug 2022

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Saturday 9th July 2022 ko 15:30

Pre-Season Friendly

SHARNBROOK 2 (Griggs 68 69)

SHEFFORD TOWN & CAMPTON 2 (63, 79)

Att 16 at Court Lane, Stevington

It is an oddity of my footballing life that Bedfordshire is a path less trodden for me. Take away the county’s clubs in pyramid football and those that got visited in the Bedfordshire Hops, and my list looks threadbare. Continue reading →

Monsieur Madeleine

07 Thursday Jul 2022

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Monday 16th May 2022 ko 19:45

Spartan South Midlands League Division One Cup Final

SHEFFOLD TOWN & CAMPTON 1 (Renney 90+2)

STOTFOLD 0

ATT 147 at Manor Fields, Bletchley (MK Irish FC)

Entry & Programme £7

Over the years this blog has explored the where, the how, and the why of groundhopping. Here the where was somewhere I’ve visited several times before, the how the usual short drive, but the why was a first- it was all due to a musical! Continue reading →

Jim

15 Wednesday Jun 2022

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Tuesday 26th April 2022 ko 18:30

Spartan South Midlands League Division Two

TOTTERNHOE 3 (Tizard 20 Woolaway 45 Perry 89)

RISBOROUGH RANGERS DEVELOPMENT 1 (Pekun 72)

Att 30

Free Entry

Once upon a time this was my favourite time of the season. Once the clocks go forward in Spring there’s the opportunity to take in a whole slew of midweek games at grounds without floodlights. Groundhoppers tend to refer to this as “Silly Season” which is a little pejorative if you’re involved at a club but is more a comment on what’s available mid week rather than any comment on the quality on offer. My issue with this time of year is more prosaic, however. Continue reading →

The Bell

19 Thursday May 2022

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Tuesday April 5th 2022 ko 19:45

Spartan South Midlands League-Premier Division

LEIGHTON TOWN 1 (Morgan 53)

LEVERSTOCK GREEN 1 (Seale 83)

Att 304

Entry £7

Programme- Online only/ Non-downloadable

In the end I was surprised I hadn’t taken my wife Robyn here a lot earlier! Leighton Buzzard isn’t the most difficult place to get to from Oxford, and Bell Close is a ground full of character too. I did though manage to forget to get there early, the car park does fill up quickly and I did have to park rather “Creatively!” Continue reading →

Travelling Without Moving

09 Wednesday Mar 2022

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Tuesday 1st March 2022 ko 19:45

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division

RISBOROUGH RANGERS 5 (Enver-Marum 27 69 Osborne 41 80 Lamboh 90)

LONDON COLNEY 1 (Igriya 84)

Att 88

Entry £7

Programme FREE, 4 page printed, remainder downloadable 

I think it was in 2003 when I first visited Windsors. The oddity was that I’d just started a new job based in Amersham and on my first day day there I decided I needed a new work shirt. I finished early and headed for Aylesbury where in the local shopping centre’s department store a pleasant young man served me, and a couple of hours later I ended up watching him play for Risborough Rangers! Continue reading →

Reunion

22 Wednesday Sep 2021

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Monday 13th September 2021 ko 19:30

Spartan South Midlands League Division Two

MILTON KEYNES FOOTBALL ACADEMY 3 (Harvey 19 secs Aluko 35 Boyce 60)

BERKHAMSTED RAIDERS 0

Att 128 at Sport Central MK, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes

Free Entry

Programme £2

I’m not sure whether TalkSport’s Tony Incenzo meant it, but organising one of his “Groundhopper” games was a classic case of the law of unintended consequences. On one level it was game featuring a new club, in a new ground in a new league with a programme on a night with nothing much else on, but in the end I found a little bit more in it.

Continue reading →

Negotiation

16 Monday Aug 2021

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Tuesday 3rd August 2021 ko 19:45

Spartan South Midlands League Division One

STOTFOLD 4 (Lee-Spavins 36 84 90 Ryan 73)

LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY EAGLES 1 (Summers 9)

Att 317 at New Roker Park, Arlesey Road

Entry £6

Programme £1

It’s part of human nature that groundhoppers will tend to make a beeline for a newly-opened ground. My wife Robyn doesn’t quite see the point, she correctly points out that grounds facing the bulldozer ought to be the priority. To some extent we do indulge in a spot of “Beat the demolition gang” but the new ground dash is an odd one! Continue reading →

The Return

10 Tuesday Dec 2019

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Tuesday 8th October 2019 ko 19.45

Spartan South Midlands League Division One

SHEFFORD TOWN & CAMPTON 3 (Snee 10 58 Foley 23)

ENFIELD BOROUGH 1 (Bangura 78)

Att 55

Entry & Programme £5

Its odd how sometimes the fixtures fall. With the Bedfordshire Hop on the Saturday I really didn’t fancy a trip to Bedfordshire in the preceding days. But new grounds under floodlights aren’t easily found midweek for me, and this one was only 90 minutes from home. And the ones you don’t expect too much from, usually end up being the interesting ones don’t they? Continue reading →

The Cage

12 Monday Aug 2019

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Wednsday July 10th 2019 ko 19.30

Pre-Season Friendly

DUNSTABLE TOWN 1 (DaSilva 80)

AMPTHILL TOWN 1 (15)

Att c40

At the 3G pitch at Creasey Park

Entry by donation

I spent much of the journey trying to pinpoint exactly when I’d last visited Creasey Park. I know it was for a AFC Dunstable game (they’re joint tenants at Creasey Park) soon after their name change from Old Dunstabilians. That happened in 2004 so I reckon it was around 2005. Creasey Park was a very different place then… Continue reading →