Month: September 2013
Red Kites and Cakes
When – Saturday September 21st 2013.
Where – South Oxfordshire.
Why – To watch three games in the North Berks League.
How much – Pre-paid day ticket cost twenty four pounds which included programmes and badges at all three clubs.
D3 – KO 11am – Benson Lions (All Red) 1-4 Westminster (White/Black), att 153.
D1 – KO 2pm – Berinsfield (RedNBlackStripes/Black) 4-0 Faringdon Town (Sky/Black), att 251.
D1 – KO 5pm – Long Wittenham Athletic (Yellow/Black) 4-0 Crowmarsh Gifford (Orange/Black), att 193.
Seven weeks into the season, with three full hop days already completed and having snaffled nine new grounds and games in Cumbria and North Wales, here I was now on hop day four, thankfully this time, in hopping terms ‘on my doorstep’, or using the lingo of South London, almost, ‘in my manor’.
Ms Sat Nav told me I had just 14.2 miles to navigate through some of my favourite parts of my locality, namely, the leafy and Thames hugging villages of Pangbourne, Streatley, Cholsey, before then joining the A4074 towards Oxford.
It’s not long before one turns right into the village of Benson. But today was something a little out of the ordinary, not a game in the village itself as such, but on the RAF Base. Yes indeed, Laurence Reade had managed to persuade Benson Lions FC to allow 150 or so furtive ground hoppers access onto the site to watch their North Berks league game versus Oxford based team Westminster FC.
As it turned out it all went very smoothly, as we flashed our passports or drivers licenses to the RAF guard on duty, our mobile numbers were taken and names were ticked on the pre-prepared list. Base pass and car park pass secured, with a jaunty step I walked across to the football pitch.
All that the average hopper needed was catered for, hot and cold food, drinks, programmes/badges, lineups written on a white board and even a representative from both ‘Terry’s Badges’ and the ‘Groundtastic’ magazine promoting and selling their wares. To put the attendances into perspective, since I bowled up at the inaugural North Berks League Hop in 2011, I’ve watched about three games in this league, and the usual turnout is 10, 20, maybe 30 on a good day or sunny evening in late season. So to get a turnout of 150-300 is a major deal for the clubs involved, and a chance to add some much-needed funds to the club coffers.
The Lions team is mostly made up of serving personnel. However, sadly so inept was their performance on the day, that many I spoke to questioned why Westminter from the same division but just promoted from the league below had looked so superior on the day, and frankly, eased to a 4-1 win. An ever changing team due to players serving overseas is probably the short answer! Also Westminster looked like a team on the up, and no one in attendance on the day would be surprised to see them win a second consecutive promotion.
The ground was decent enough, the pitched roped off, with a good sized bank at one end behind the goal. Staff houses and the changing rooms giving a more enclosed feel at the other. Red Kites gracefully glided overhead, when I had been expecting flight of the engine variety! One couldn’t help but admire these wonderful birds.
It was just a seven mile drive to our next venue at Lays Avenue, in the rather ugly looking village of Berinsfield. Built in the 1950s, it probably was a welcome new home at the time for young families moving out of the likes of Oxford and Reading, unfortunately the ugly grey stone of this period gave, and still gives the village the feel of a council estate. BUT, the welcome was warm and friendly, and it soon became evident that many in the village had turned out to support the football clubs big day. A massive 251 (head count courtesy of Laurence and Chris), got themselves pitchside to enjoy the football. On offer was a lovely selection of home made cakes, bottles of ale and lager, hot food etc.
I unfolded my lazy chair, sat on the bank which ran along on the side of the pitch, ate my cake, took it all in, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. An even game for the first half hour turned into a rather flattering 4-0 win for the Saints as I will now call them (the village was named after St Birinus).
Two games already under our belts, we set off for game three. A short four mile drive to the ancient village of Long Wittenham, mentioned in the Doomsday book. Soon after arrival the sun came out for the first time, and this country feel venue of Bodkins Field had a real laid back, days of yore atmosphere to it, you could imagine a match here in the 1940s, as so little has probably changed since then.
Set slightly out of the village with a view of the Wittenham Clumps behind one goal, long wispy grass enclosing one side, and little to disturb the peace. Even the Red Kites were quiet in their reverence of this lovely location and venue as they swooped overhead.
I was chuffed to see three beers on hand pull in the clubhouse from a local brewery, Loose Cannon. As I driving I could only really drink a pint, so I tried the IPA (5.2%), wow, amazing, in great condition and very tasty indeed. As it was now approaching ‘teleprinter’ time, I sat in the lovely little clubhouse to enjoy the beer and see the scores come in from around the grounds. The general ambience and the people at this club gave out a great vibe. The sunny atmosphere was further enhanced as the two teams ran out wearing a variety of yellows and oranges.
This match was also in many ways similar to that at Berinsfield, in that visitors Crowmarsh Gifford gave a very good account of themselves for the first half hour, then fell away badly after that, eventually to a four goal defeat.
At half time I snaffled a slice of chocolate oatcake which was frankly 4th division compared to the wonderful victoria sponge at Berinsield earlier, and then missed out on the very last North Berks League handbook, as I was rummaging around my pocket for loose change at the time, hey ho!
The final scoreline may have been a little harsh on CG, who competed well, again mirroring Faringdon Town FC earlier.
In summary, it had been another excellent day out, the clubs did their bit to make the event enjoyable for all involved, the weather was dry and mild, and I’m sure most of the hoppers who attended will be back in 2014 for the NBL Hop Part 4! If you are tempted, keep an eye on the North Berkshire league website, and expect it to happen on virtually the same weekend in 2014. I’m sure Laurence is already giving it some thought!
Also for match reports and hop perspective from the organiser Laurence, take a look at his site.
http://www.nbfl.co.uk/
http://laurencereade.wordpress.com/
Island Three
Saturday September 7th 2013 KO 15:00 at St Georges Park, Newport. Wessex League Premier Division. Newport IOW (Yellow/Blue) 7-0 Downton (Red/White), att 150. Admission 6 pounds, programme 1.30, badge 3 pounds.
Tuesday September 10th 2013 KO 19:15 at Beatrice Avenue, East Cowes. Hampshire Senior Cup 1st Round. East Cowes Victoria Athletic (RedNWhite Stripes/Black) 1-2 (after extra time) Petersfield Town (All Blue), att 25 (Head Count). Admission 5 pounds, programme 50p.
Saturday September 14th 2013 KO 15:00 at Westwood Park, Cowes. Wessex League Division One.Cowes Sports (Blue/White Stripes/Black) 1-2 Team Solent (All Red), att 80. Admission 5 pounds, programme 1 pound, badge 3 pounds.
It had been bugging me for a few seasons now that I still hadn’t got round to visiting the IOW Wessex league clubs. Perhaps the large dollop of water in the Solent, and the need to take the ferry across it had pushed the grounds down my mental pecking order list when ‘closer to home’ venues have been available.
Anyway, we deciced to take our UK holiday a little earlier this Autumn, and I was happy to see that I could bag all three whilst we were based in Niton on the Island for seven days. Apart from a couple of trips to IOW Speedway in Ryde over the last fifteen years or so I’d not visited the Island for any sort of tourist trip since I was still in short trousers, a long time ago!
Rather than blog on each game, rather tedious. I decided to write an overall synopsis of my impressions.
Best Ground – I liked St Georges and Westwood Park equally. A cracking old wooden stand at Westwood Park, but St Georges has cover on all four sides.
Best Game – The Hampshire Cup tie at Beatrice Avenue became a real end to end entertaining slogfest. Neither team had their shooting boots on, but because of the need for Petersfield to try and get the 10pm ferry (the next one was 1am!), both teams gave it their all to complete the tie in 90 mins. SO, having said that it was probably nailed on, that it went to extra time, finishing at 21:39, won with only seconds to go by Petersfield. No way they would have made it on the 10pm ferry, did they?
Best Team Performance – Newport were on fire, against, admittedly a very poor looking Downton side. But if it hadn’t been for excellent keeper Charlie Aldridge it could have been ten or twelve. Incidentally I saw Downton lose 10-0 at Wimborne in April 2008.
Best Individual Performance – Newport striker Tom McInnes helped himself to four goals, as is the modern day way he was subbed in the second half, otherwise he could have had more.
Best Goal – Phillip Midson, Team Solent, a cracking twenty yarder from out on the right, fizzed across the keeper into the other corner, to win it for them in the 85th minute, a sucker punch!
Best Programme – Easily Newports, a very well presented and interesting programme with plenty to read.
Local Support – Good strong turnout and very apparent interest at the Newport and Cowes games, perhaps the live on TV England match may have affected the turnout at the East Cowes game?
Welcome to visitors – Again Newport and Cowes Sports seemed to tick all the boxes. Raffles, club merchandise, golden goal etc, board with team lineups.
But at East Cowes, when enquiring in the bar about an enamel badge, the young lady said “No, we don’t have that sort of thing here!”
My new fact – That East Cowes used the name ‘Victoria’ because the ground was built within the grounds of Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s IOW residence.
Missed Opportunity – Niton reserves had a Wed evening game against West Wight reserves in the IOW combination league at their ground ‘Springhead’. The ground being only about 400 yards or so from our cottage. Sadly the Wed evening weather was foul, with heavy rain, and with no cover at the ground (and exposed), I decided to leave this venue for a first team fixture in the future on hopefully a bright afternoon or evening!
Enjoyed meeting– Sitting next to and chatting to the secretary of Petersfield, “I’ve been involved for thirty years with the club”. Who instantly advised me it had been 3-1 at Deal in a Vase replay I’d been at in the early 2000s versus Petersfield. And sensing his anxiety as the 10pm ferry seemed to be dissapearing over the water, without them!
Comment at the games – A middle aged wag, who after a couple of minutes of predictable ref and lino baiting from the animated home fans behind him at Cowes Sports shouted “Come on, where’s the respect?” Good point I thought.
Overall impression – As befits an Island only a few miles from the mainland, there seems to be an extremly healthy appetite for all things football. And having seen a number of attractive IOW league grounds, it struck me, that with the short travelling distances involved between clubs that this league is crying out for a ground hop weeekend. I should imagine a ferry trip would be appealing to many hoppers, and with good weather a lovely location to watch footy.
Laurence, Chris?
The Citizens Loved Wheat
Wednesday August 28th 2013 at ‘Herns Lane’, Welwyn Garden City.
South Midlands League Division One, KO 19:45pm.
Welwyn Garden City (all Claret/Sky trim) 2-2 Southall (all White/Blue trim), att 72.
Admission 6 pounds, prog included.
In 1920 the first inhabitant took up occupation of his house in the new town of Welwyn, or Welwyn Garden City to give its full name.
Founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard, the plan was combine the benefits of city and countryside, and to attract those out of the slum dwellings of London, many pulled down before the second world war, and many then destroyed by German bombs during it.
In 1948 it was ‘officially’ recognised as a new town under the New Towns act of 1946.
Welwyn was recently heavily featured on the TV programme ‘Who do you think you are’, profiling Una Stubbs, actress, who was the great-granddaughter of Ebenezer Howard.
Situated about twenty miles north of London, Welwyn Garden City was once well-known as the home of the breakfast cereal Shredded Wheat, formerly made by Nabisco. The disused Shredded Wheat factory with its large white silos is a landmark on rail routes between London and the north of England. The factory, designed by de Soissons and built-in 1924 by Peter Lind & Company, is a Grade II listed building. Cereal production moved to Staverton, Wiltshire in 2008 when the owner, Nestlé, decided that the factory required significant and prohibitive investment, due to the age of the building. Tesco had made a planning application for a store, leisure facilities and offices on the site but this was turned down.
No doubt trading on their new town image and the social changes at the time, Welwyn Garden City FC was founded in 1921 and called themselves ‘The Citizens’. It’s not entirely clear how many of the new town citizens were resident in 1921, but by 2013 it has about 43,000 residents. Certainly a big enough town to host a fairly successful non league football team one would think.
Actually their history has been rather modest, moving into their current Herns Lane ground in 1968, six years later they were South Midlands League champions. It appears they have won little since, and these days are playing at non league step six (nationally step10).
I rather liked the Herns Way ground. Arriving in good time, I had a little saunter around the venue before the kick off. It’s certainly a little rough around the edges and is not afraid to highlight its age of forty five! The paintwork on the pitchside barriers is faded and peeling and the whole ground has a comfortable ‘lived in’ feeling, my type of ground!
The previous midweek I’d seen Southall put in one of most impressive performance I’d seen by a NL Step6 level team for a few years. On the night they turned over early league leaders Sun Postal Sports 4-2. But it had been their pace, movement and general enthusiasm that had impressed me. A mostly ethnic eleven reflecting the populus of their locality, I found them a breath of fresh air. So, I was really looking forward to seeing them again.
I was lucky, I watched another high tempo end to end game, with plenty of skill on show. No 9 Caswell putting WGC one up on thirty-five, before Joseph Aqua equalised on forty-two.
Joshua Brown score a cracker for Southall on Seventy, before parity was restored on eight two from sub Perry Stellon.
In between WGC had upped the anti a little with their harassment of the young ref. Some of their language was definitely ‘NOT’ out of the respect handbook! It took numerous shouts from their touch-line team before the ref finally had some words with them.
For this reason I found myself supporting Southall, as they hadn’t really risen to the bait, and continued with their neat passing football.
To be fair WGC were a very tidy team themselves. And I believe these two will definitely be looking to win the D1 title this season.
hopticklist 