Chinese Badminton

10 Friday Aug 2012

Tags

Adam Grimley, Antony Hitchman, Appleton Stars, Ernie Tilley, Faingdon Thursday Memorial Cup, Jack Doult, Lower Stratton, Meadowcroft, North Berkshire League, Paul Nuckley, Richie Bush, Stanford in the Vale, Tucker Park, Tyrun Mayall, Wiltshire League

Monday 6th August 2012 ko 6.30pm

Faringdon Thursday Memorial Cup First Round

LOWER STRATTON 3 (Doult 12 Hitchman 33p Grimley 44)

STANFORD-IN-THE-VALE 3 (Mayall 28 62 67)

No Extra time, Stanford won 4-3 on penalties

Att 15 (h/c)

Played at Meadowcroft Recreation Ground, Addison Crescent, Lower Stratton, Swindon

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

The roots of this competition lie in the 1930’s and the early closing of local shops on a Thursday thus creating an ideal opportunity to play football. In 1936 a team was formed in Faringdon to enter the local, “Oxfordshire Thursday League,” but after the Second World War the returning players found that things had changed and there was now no early closing on a Thursday. Their response was Continue reading →

Confluence

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by laurencereade in F

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Clanfield 85, Faringdon Town, North Berkshire League, North Berkshire League Groundhop, Tucker Park

Friday 27th July 2012 ko 19.00

Pre-Season Friendly

FARINGDON TOWN 1 (Benson 10)

CLANFIELD 85 3 (Oswin 36 Williams 45 Oxendale 88)

Att 35 (h/c)

My appearance here for once had absolutely nothing to do withn the game on offer! I was there for a North Berkshire hop planning meeting, and League Press Officer Phil Annets thought along the same lines as me, why not watch the friendly first? Moreover he even bought his dinner from the same Chinese takeaway I did!

We did as others did and grabbed a table and chairs from the bar, and watched an enjoyable game in the warm eveing sun. It proved, if proof were needed that there isn’t much difference in quality between Faringdon, who will see themselves as North Berkshire League title contenders, and Clanfield, who will probably finish mid-table in Division One West of the Hellenic.

That, last season was a mere one promotion, but things aren’t as clear-cut this time, The FA have removed the NBFL’s step 7 status; based on facilties that’s probably fair enough. However to then find out that the neighbouring Oxfordshire Senior League has retained its status despite similar facilities and vastly inferior administration is to be polite, baffling.

Faringdon opened the scoring with a fine 15 yard strike from Chris Benson, and if Faringdon’s goalkeeping had have been less eccentric, they may well have got something from this fixture. Ollie Oswin fired home from a corner, and a goalkeeping howler gave Ben Williams an easy chance to give Clanfield the lead on the stroke of half-time. It stayed that way until the 88th minute when Royston Oxendale chased down a through ball. He did enough to beat the on-rushing keeper, and steer the ball in the the net, but collided with the glovesman in so doing. The referee took one look at the stricken keeper, and decided to blow full time. There was no lasting damage, and so Phil, I and the representative of the 4 hosting clubs trooped into the bar for our planning meeting.

It proved to be most productive, we’re good to go on the 22nd of September, and the line up will be as follows.

10.30am Coleshill United
1.30pm Faringdon Town
4.30pm Stanford-in-the-Vale
7.30pm Uffington United

There will be programmes for each game produced by the participating clubs, together with the usual metal badges. There also looks to be a decent range of real ales to be bought, and the clubs are liasing to provide a different type of catering for each game.

There will be the facility to buy a pre-bought ticket, guaranteeing a programme on either a match-by-match or whole event basis as well as the usual pay-on-the-day. Obviously there’s a lot of work for both Phil, I and the clubs to do before the League’s big day, but after this meeting I’m confident that the day will be a success.

If you’d like more information, just email groundhopuk@yahoo.com. See you there!

The Sweet Smell of Champagne

05 Saturday May 2012

Posted by laurencereade in F

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Andy Allum, CROWMARSH GIFFORD, Derran Harrington, Faringdon Town, Football, Gary Sutton, groundhopping, Ian Vallance, Liam Currell, North Berkshire League, Penalty, Tucker Park

Saturday 5th May 2012 ko 2.30pm

North Berkshire League Division One

FARINGDON TOWN 2 (Harrington 40 Sutton 77)

CROWMARSH GIFFORD 2 (Allum 55 Currell 84)

Att 38 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Badge £3

Tea-in-a-mug 40p

I like Tucker Park,with its rural views and good facilities. There’s a large clubhouse and the bonus of a covered 3-step terrace. Best of all there’s a view of the West-Oxfordshire town’s most famous feature-the Folly.

It was designed by Gerald Wellesley, Marquess of Douro, for Lord Berners and built in 1935. It is 140 feet high and affords panoramic views of the Vale of White Horse. During the Second World War the Home Guard used it as an observation post. In 1982 Robert Heber-Percy restored it and gave it to the town in trust. It’s actually on the site of an ancient ditched defensive ring. This was fortified by supporters of Matilda sometime during the Anarchy (1135–1141) – her campaign to claim the throne from King Stephen but was soon razed to the ground on Stephen’s orders . Oliver Cromwell fortified it in his unsuccessful campaign to defeat the Royalist garrison at Faringdon House.

This fixture was the stand-out in today’s NBFL programme. Two long-time front-runners for the championship it had boiled down to Crowmarsh needing just a point to take the championship, just 7 years after forming from the nucleus of a boys’ club.

It was clear from the outset that Faringdon would not roll over easily. Whilst Crowmarsh were clearly in the ascendancy, Faringdon looked dangerous on the break. Faringdon’s Louis Bouwer’s last-ditch sliding tackle kept Crowmarsh out, before a Faringdon corner got caught in the wind, hitting the bar with keeper Chris Sutton beaten. Faringdon took the lead on 40 minutes, when Matt Pill’s right-wing cross was met by Derren Harrington. His low drive took a wicked defection, wrong footing Sutton.

The tension was palpable with the trophy present, but artfully hidden in a box in the teabar. Crowmarsh took 10 minutes to equalise as Andy Allum was put clean though and was brought down by Faringdon keeper Ryan Curtis. Curtis was booked, and Allum dusted himself off to beat Curtis from the penalty spot.

But still Faringdon wouldn’t lie down. Gary Sutton picked up a rebound, and 20 yards out hit a real missile of a shot past the other Sutton. It looked like the trophy might have to remain in storage until Tuesday. But then a free kick was played into the Faringdon box and Liam Currell got just enough force on his header to get the ball over the line despite a desperate lunge by a Faringdon defender.

That finished the game as a spectacle and the celebrations at the final whistle were heartfelt. There was a nice touch as the Faringdon captain ordered his players out of the changing room to applaud Crowmarsh as the trophy was awarded. A class act applauding another. I like that.