The Pitch

14 Monday Jun 2021

Tags

Finchampstead, Football, Gossmore Lane, groundhopping, Marlow, Marlow United, Non League, Pink House, Reading League, Ricky Gervais, Thames, Thames Valley Premier League

Monday 7th June 2021 ko 18:30

Thames Valley Premier League- Premier Division

MARLOW UNITED 1 (Austin 90)

FINCHAMPSTEAD 3 ( Vallance 9 J Day 14p Payne 33)

Att c64 at Gossmore Lane

Free Entry

I haven’t checked but over the last 15 or so years you could have watched Marlow United at home on at least 4 different grounds. There was Flackwell Heath, Marlow FC, Bisham Abbey and Loudwater that I can name off the top of my head. The reason for the first two was to allow the club two stints in the Hellenic League, including a two-season stint in the Hellenic Premier from 2008-10. The issue for the club is always the same, there’s no lack of ambition, but having few facilities of their own makes progression extremely difficult. Continue reading →

Red, Gold & Green

01 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by laurencereade in H

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Tags

Claygate Royals, Desborough Island, Football, groundhopping, Hersham, Non League, Surrey Intermediate, Thames

Saturday 22nd August 2020 ko 14.00

Friendly

HERSHAM FC 4 (O’Connor 28 Spencer 57 60 Long 86)
CLAYGATE ROYALS 2 (Heagney 48 Pitt 89)

Att c30 at Desborough Island, Walton-on-Thames

Free Entry

West of London there are no end of small islands in the River Thames, and given how easy it is to maintain privacy on any of them they do tend to be quite exclusive. Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has a houseboat studio “Astoria” moored at Hampton and D’Oyly Carte Island, once home to Richard D’Oyly the original producer of the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas, is close to my destination, Desborough Island. Continue reading →

Brave New World

09 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by laurencereade in W

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Tags

Arms, Barton, Cuff, Football, Goal, goals, groundhop, groundhopping, Kings, League, Sackey, Sunday, Thames, Upper, Valley, Wheatley

Sunday 9th October 2011 ko 10.30am (approx!)

Upper Thames Valley League Premier Division

KINGS ARMS WHEATLEY 3 (L. Cuff 27 Sackey 30 85)

BARTON UNITED 0

Att 18 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

This was another Peter Hack inspired choice and another of those Sunday League grounds that you can’t do on a Saturday. And this time he decided to come along!

The side plays on the main pitch at Wheatley RUFC just opposite the Wheatley Park Sports Centre, the other pitch was being used by King & Queen Wheatley giving me an excuse to return. The elevated position made it blustery but the view on a clear day would be spectacular.

I have connections with the Barton estate, having grown up on the Risinghurst estate, the other side of the A40 from it, and went to Bayswater School, on the Barton estate itself. I wondered while I was there why the local Saturday side, Headington Amateurs was never mentioned, but the Sunday side was. Nowadays its clear, the Sunday side had the locals, and represented the estate, and bluntly had a fairly fearsome reputation. Barton played Kings Arms in the final game of last season, a shoot out for the championship. The game was switched to Sutton Courtenay for security reasons, and a strong team of referees took the game. Barton lost, amongst much acrimony and alcohol, and so this game we approached with some interest, but trepidation.

We needn’t have worried as that Barton United it transpired have folded, this version is in fact Masons Arms from Headington Quarry, rebranded and moved to Barton Rec’. They’re a friendly enough much, no Stella or Strongbow to be found, but the edge has gone. No players remain from “Old” Barton, and frankly they looked flat.

Kings Arms never looked like be troubled and Referee Neil Evans had little or nothing to do. Three goals went in, each beautifully crafted, and Barton showed little or nothing, other than frustration.

I did find out that many of the “Old Barton” players went to Kidlington Royals. Perhaps I should check them out sometime.