Tag Archives: Western League

The Farewell

09 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by in W

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Sunday 6th October 2019 ko 15.00

Western League Premier Division

WELLINGTON AFC 0

Wadham sent off 73 (violent conduct)

EXMOUTH TOWN 2 (Harris 32 Denny 42)

Att 312

Entry £5

Programme £1

If you’d have told me as early as last year’s hop that we’d end the Western Hop’s run at Wellington I’d have raised an eyebrow. Not much more than than that, I’d enjoyed the club’s company greatly when I visited 3 years ago, but they had turned down the chance to host a hop game. My understanding was that they feared being overwhelmed, and I could understand why, the Wellington Playing Field does come with its challenges. Continue reading →

Voice Of The Beehive

06 Friday Dec 2019

Posted by in B

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Sunday 6th October 2019 ko 10.45

Western League Premier Division

BRIDPORT 0

BRIDGWATER TOWN 6 (O’Hare 12 33 34 Duffy 27 Tower 83 84)

Att 347

Entry £6

Programme £1

I sat enjoying my Full English at the Almondsbury Interchange Hotel with mixed feelings. On one hand there was the relief in enough seats having been sold to hire our coach – I really didn’t fancy driving a minibus with the day’s itinerary! On another this was the last day of the last Western Hop, and I and so many still miss the man to came up with the idea- the late Mark Edmonds. But the reality was we had a long journey down to what one hopper described as the Fort William of the Western League.

Continue reading →

Hanging On The Telephones

04 Wednesday Dec 2019

Posted by in W

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Saturday 5th October 2019 ko 19.45

Western League Division One

WARMINSTER TOWN 2 (Miluk 30 Vincent 33)

Allen sent off 45 (Serious Foul Play)

BRISTOL TELEPHONES 3 (Bamfield 14 57 D Golding 48)

Att 369

Entry £6

Programme £1

Maybe it was the darkness, or maybe it was the benefit of years of experience but I felt relaxed if a little tired as the coach parked up by Weymouth Street. Even the looming rain didn’t dampen my optimism. Perhaps I shouldn’t haven’t felt that way, the club hadn’t been exactly forthcoming with their plans, but the Saturday evening slot is where you often see the big crowds. For the life of me we couldn’t see something as flat as what we’d experienced at Devizes could we? Continue reading →

To our own Devizes

02 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by in D

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Saturday 5th October 2019 ko 16.45

Western League Division One

DEVIZES TOWN 0

ASHTON & BACKWELL UNITED 1 (Jones 49)

Att 203

Entry £5

Programme £1

We got the chance to relax a little on the trip from Bradford, we may have moved from one Wiltshire club to another but there was enough time to gather our thoughts. The coach took the little right-hand turn into Nursteed Road, and there was a huge queue. Continue reading →

Small Wheels

29 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by in B

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Saturday 5th October 2019 ko 12.30

Western League Premier Division

BRADFORD TOWN 2 (Pollard 38 69p)

CLEVEDON TOWN 0

Att 311

Entry £6

Programme £1

The coach slowed down as we reached the outskirts of Bradford-On-Avon, the narrow streets in a well-to-do town aren’t ideal for such a large vehicle. I felt a tinge of irony in that, one of Bradford’s famous sons is Alex Moulton, the inventor of the Moulton bicycle and the suspension on Alec Issigonis “Mini” car. What do those inventions have in common? Small wheels, and those would have been handy here! Continue reading →

Glory Box

28 Thursday Nov 2019

Posted by in P

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Saturday 5th October 2019 ko 10.45

Western League Division One

PORTISHEAD TOWN 3 (Osmond 53p 64p Eastwood 72)

LONGWELL GREEN SPORTS 5 (Carter 31p 54 Mafini 60 Crubb 68 Britton 84)

Att 262

Entry £6

Programme £1

Sat at breakfast at the Almondsbury Interchange Hotel it was time for a little reflection. It was lovely to be back in the Western league, and once again try and maintain what the late Mark Edmonds started, and what Jules French has carried on. There’s always been a real sense of responsibility in making this event work. But all good things do have to come to an end, this hop saw us visit all the remaining clubs that hadn’t previously hosted, and that hadn’t featured on another (Dorset, Devon or South West Peninsula) hop. I’ve often said that the first hop of the series is the most difficult to organise, but the last does come with its own challenges. Continue reading →

The Tavern

26 Tuesday Nov 2019

Posted by in A, L, O

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Friday 4th October 2019 ko 19.45

Western League Division One

LEBEQ UNITED 3 (Brown 7p 59 Sarr 13)

DaCosta sent off 55 (violent conduct)

RADSTOCK TOWN 1 (Rustell 14p)

Att 192 at Oaklands Park, Almondsbury (Gloucs FA Ground)

Entry £5

Programme £1

In a few ways the organised groundhop should have visited Oaklands Park far far earlier than this. Think back 15 or so years ago to the days of the Welsh Hellenic Hop, when GroundhopUk would spend August Bank Holiday Saturday in the South Wales Amateur League then spend Sunday and Monday in the Hellenic. Each and every year we traveled east across the Severn, and each time we failed to visit, but why? Continue reading →

The Mendip Explorer

28 Friday Dec 2018

Posted by in P

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Saturday 1st December 2018 ko 14.00

Somerset County League Division 2

PEASEDOWN MINERS WELFARE 0

GLASTONBURY 1 (McCabe 85)

Att c30

Free Entry

I threw the car into the space behind the goal just as the game kicked off. It hadn’t helped that I was at my second ground in Peasedown St John, I’d parked up at the cricket ground as Peasedown Albion were warming up. That ground needs a revisit, not least as a stand isn’t a usual feature in there Mid-Somerset League. It wasn’t far from one ground to the other, no more than 400 yards and you can see one game from the other. I didn’t exactly get much chance to reflect on how on earth I’d ended up in Somerset coal mining country. Continue reading →

Is Vic There?

18 Sunday Nov 2018

Posted by in B

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Sunday 9th October 2018 ko 14.00

Western League Division One

BRISTOL TELEPHONES 1 (Goulding 60)

KEYNSHAM TOWN 2 (Shorney 27 38)

Att 310

Entry £6

Programme £1

There was no secret as to why the final game of the 2018 Western Hop was always going to be the most popular amongst the groundhoppers. Bristol Telephones are only in their second season in the Western League having won the Gloucestershire County League in 2017 so many would target this game, and this game alone in order to re-complete the league. By means of an example, the BTRA Ground, Stockwood Lane was to be my only new ground of the weekend! Continue reading →

Fairfax

15 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by in B

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Sunday 7th October 2018 ko 11.00

Western League Premier Division

BRIDGWATER TOWN 1 (Ellis 74)

BRIDPORT 0 Martin sent off 70 (Serious Foul Play)

Att 371

Entry £6

Programme £1

 

Sunday dawned and with it the longest drive of the hop, from our base in Almondsbury to Bridgwater. It was odd driving one of our 3 minibuses, full of hoppers but utterly incapable of going more than 60 mph! The extra time on the M5 did give me time to consider what we’d be likely to find at Fairfax Park. Continue reading →