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Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Tag Archives: University

The Light Blue Side Of Things

23 Sunday Jun 2019

Posted by laurencereade in C, G

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Cambridge University, Cuppers, Fitzwilliam, Grange Road, groundhopping, Pembroke, Rugby, University

Thursday 11th April 2019 ko 19.30

Cambridge University Association Football League- Cuppers Final

FITZWILLIAM 3 (Saunders 40 Ellis 103 Burrows 110)

PEMBROKE 1 (Ireland 69)

After extra time of 10 minutes each way

Att c300 at Grange Road (Cambridge University RUFC)

Entry & Programme FREE

If you haven’t scrolled passed this, and headed straight for the pictures you may be wondering what the appeal was here? You might assume that since I’m from Oxford that I was looking at this through some sense of rivalry but unless you’re involved at either city’s university there is no rivalry at all. As I blasted along the M11 the sense was far more about this being a “Cradle of the game” job. Continue reading →

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The Wreck Of The Old Mauritania

27 Saturday Apr 2019

Posted by laurencereade in I

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Ballast Bank, Conference C, East of Scotland League, Fife, GroundhopUK, Heriot Watt, Hillfield Swifts, Inverkeithing, Mauretania, Scotland, Shipyard, University

Saturday 30th March 2019 ko 14.15

East of Scotland League Conference C

INVERKEITHING HILLFIELD SWIFTS 2 (Cowie 71 Hamilton 75)

Miller sent off 60 (2nd booking)

Francis sent off 78 (Foul & Abusive)

Cowie sent off 82 (Foul & Abusive)

HERIOT WATT UNIVERSITY 4 (Muttitt 27 57 Huxford 31 Singh 82p)

Att 301

Entry £6

Programme £2

The Scottish Hop’s move from the Lothians to the Kingdom of Fife was nothing if not spectacular. First the Kelpies, the steel horses wild but frozen but their energy an inspiration to motorists on the M9. With the Hop coach’s 61 seats more than sold out, I was driving in effect an overspill car, but the there was a silver lining as we could stop close to the three Forth Bridges to take some fairly spectacular photos!

Continue reading →

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Flower of Scotland

05 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by laurencereade in H, O

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Edinburgh, Flower of Scotland, Football, groundhoppers, GroundhopUK, Heriot Watt, Leith Athletic, Oriam, Scotland, Sports, University

Saturday 17th March 2018 ko 17.00

East of Scotland League

HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY 2 (Ward 11 34)

Dows sent off 77 (dangerous play)

Lane sent off 90 (2nd booking)

LEITH ATHLETIC 3 (Robertson 40 67 Mein 87)

Att 207 at Oriam Indoors, Riccarton, Edinburgh

It was with some regret that we crossed over the new Forth Bridge and left Fife, the county, or is that kingdom (?) had been good to us, despite the biting cold. We headed back towards Edinburgh and Riccarton, and aimed for the game that was virtually guaranteed to be on, whatever the weather! Continue reading →

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Groundhopping Hell?

30 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by laurencereade in N

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Clifton Campus, Football, groundhopping, Nottingham, Notts Senior League, Trent, Underwood Villa, University

Saturday 26th November 2016 ko 14.00

Notts Senior League- Premier Division

NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY 2 (Fletcher 31 81p)

UNDERWOOD VILLA 2 (Voller 39og Thompson 78) Wright sent off 71 (foul language)

Att 14

Entry FREE

Programme FREE

On one hand if you want to complete the Notts Senior League, you’ll need to pay the Clifton Campus a visit, and it gives the club precisely what they need, a good facility at which to play its games. On the other for the spectator its a one-sided plastic pitch in a cage, utterly bereft of character; save for the Uni’s corporate branding you could be anywhere. It is though where the needs of the participatory league and those of a spectating league collide. Continue reading →

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The Non Hop Hop Game

10 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by laurencereade in C

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Cardiff Met, Cardiff Metropolitan, Christian Edwards, Cycoed campus, Dinas Powys, Inter Cardiff, Leckwith, University, UWIC, Wales, Welsh Alliance, Welsh League

Thursday 6th March 2014 ko 19.00

Welsh League Division Two

CARDIFF METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY 3 (Clapton 48p Hickman 71 Roscrow 88)

DINAS POWYS 0

Att 78

Entry £2

Programme £1

It has long occurred to me that both the feeder leagues to the Welsh Premier League have names that give no impression as to their purpose. In the north and mid-Wales there’s the Cymru Alliance and below that the Welsh Alliance, which is the same title, just in a different language. Parallel to the Welsh Alliance in the north is the even more confusingly titled Welsh National League with its fig-leaf suffix, (Wrexham area). In the south its the 3 divisions of the Welsh league; so there must be scope to tidy up the nomenclature!

Continue reading →

51.515840 -3.163853

Sentiment

04 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by laurencereade in L

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Football, goals, groundhopping, Loughborough, Midland, Midland Combination U21 League, Students, University, Woodbourne Sports

Saturday 3rd December 2011 ko 10.30am

Midland Combination U21 League East/North Divison

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS 6 (Poole 7 31 Ali 26 Howard 49 Jardine 66 77)

WOODBOURNE SPORTS 2 (Douglas 47 Carter 56)

Att 15 (h/c)

Played on the “Paddock Pitch” Loughborough University

Entry FREE

No programme

Coffee (from vending machine in nearby “Pilkington” Library) £1

Once I’d pencilled in Belper United for the afternoon’s fixture, doing something in the Midland Combination U21 League was an obvious choice. Even more obvious was to see where Woodbourne were playing as I’d seen them back in October and been mighty impressed (https://laurencereade.wordpress.com/2011/11/12/the-right-way/). I then looked at where, Loughborough University…oh. Around 10 years ago I ferried my ex-wife there each month for tutorials during her study for her phD. I also attended the viva and graduation ceremonies there. We split up a year ago, so there are some mixed memories of the place for me. To add to it all, this was her birthday, so on one level it was the last place I wanted to be, but I’m a groundhopper, and this is Woodbourne after all.

For those thinking of visiting its worth noting that you will need to report to reception, off Epinal way, and that the Campus is huge! The Paddock pitch is more or less straight ahead from the main entrance, and is to be found on the aptly named University Road, at the western end of the site. Its not the site that Loughborough University’s adult side will be using, when they leave Loughborough Dynamo in Nanpantan.

And to be frank there isn’t a lot lot here. Just a roped off pitch with the Cayley One changing rooms a fair walk downhill. I’d brought along Paul Fergusson for his first Midland Combination game of any description, and while I knew Woodbourne would do things the right way, the welcome they gave Paul and I was most touching, I didn’t know how they would bear up to what was, on paper, a far stronger team.

What we got was a highly entertaining game, played to a very high standard. Woodbourne brought just the 12 players, the manager making copius use of the overage rule to name himself on the bench! All the while students walked alomg University Road, tripping a speed display (mostly at 3 mph), but oblivious to the entertainment on offer.

The students took the lead with a quite appalling piece of referreeing. Will Poole blatantly handled before his attemped cross sneaked in. Imagine Henry vs Eire and you get my point. The second was more straightforward, Woodbourne keeper Jake Gibbons dropped the ball in front of Gabriel Ali who just tapped in. Woodbourne fought hard against tough odds and an even tougher set of officials and I thought were a little unlucky to find themselves 3-0 down at the break.

Sports pulled a goal back soon after the break through Seb Douglas, but this produced an almost instantanous response, Nick Howard heading powerfully home from a corner. Still Sports wouldn’t give up, still playing good, passing footbball, and were rewarded with an excellent finish from Tom “TC” Carter. You hoped for a unlikely comeback, but it wasn’t to be. Subsitute Rob Jardine scored twice, the second a dribble through most of the defence, to post a rather unfair scoreline on the visitors.

We had just enough time for Ryan Shemwell to be booked for a frustrated trip, to which his mother shouted ” He’s no son of mine!” Priceless, and typical of a club, who to crib my previous title do things “The Right Way.” I think they’ve made another fan in Paul.





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