7th hosted 5th in the league table, with very little between the two teams. A first half penalty saw Fishbourne go ahead and a cracking 30 yard shot, that went over the top of the ’keeper, saw them make the game safe when they made it 2-0 with twenty minutes left. This re-completes visits to all the grounds in this division.
F.C. Kennett 4 Sawston United Reserves 2, attendance 36
24’ 1-0
51’ 2-0
61’ 3-0
66’ 4-0
70’ 4-1
84’ 4-2
@ Kentford & Kennett Village Hall & MacLaren Playing Fields
Station Road
Kennett
CB8 7QF
No Admission or Programme.
This was a rare chance to tick off a game here under the lights, as 9th in the league table (Drawn 1, Lost 1) hosted 5th (Won 1). Kennett opened the scoring midway through the first half, with a 25 yarder that went over the ’keeper. Their job was made a little easier when the visitors had a player sin binned seven minutes before the break, but it wasn’t until six minutes into the second half that they made it 2-0, when a long through ball was finished into the bottom corner. Two goals in four minutes saw it become 4-0, before an own goal, followed by a header from a corner saw the visitors pull it back to 4-2 late on, but it was too little, too late to get anything from the game.
Today I decided to ’tidy up’ a venue I had already visited, but for a different pitch. Back on 13th April 2011 I saw Angmering draw 0-0 versus Lancing United in a West Sussex League Premier Division match, a game that was played on the pitch that runs parallel in front of the clubhouse, which also has a small area of cover, whilst today’s match was played on the pitch to the rear of the building (complete with training lights along one side) to the right of the car park and running the opposite way to the other pitch. I was guaranteed to get the pitch I needed, as two matches were scheduled here today. Angmering Village hosted Angmering on the main pitch, with Village taking the local bragging rights with a 5-2 win, also in Division 2 South.
This was the first game of the season for Beaumont Park, owing to the odd number of teams in this division, whilst Wittering had lost their opening match 0-4 at home to Angmering Village. There wasn’t much between the two teams today, with a point apiece a fair outcome. Wittering went ahead with a free kick that went in off the underside of the crossbar after eighteen minutes, but Beaumont Park levelled the scores with an equaliser fourteen minutes from time.
Above : A minute’s silence following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.Below photo : The main pitch hosting the Angmering Village v Angmering match.
Hedge End Rangers 1 Colden Common 4, attendance 135
12’ 1-0
23’ 1-1
39’ 1-2
51’ 1-3
66’ 1-4
@ Deer Park School, 3G Pitch
off Woodhouse Lane
Hedge End
SO30 2HT
No Admission
Programme sold out.
This was the first competitive ‘midweek’ game played on the new 3G pitch here at Deer Park School. It is typical of many of the cages built these days, with spectator access limited to three quarters of one side of the pitch and a small seated kit stand on that same side. The club had issued a programme to commemorate the occasion, but had misjudged the numbers massively, as it had sold out a good forty minutes before kick off, which cost them dearly, as they hadn’t charged any admission price.
Hedge End Rangers play in the Southampton League Premier Division, sitting bottom of the table, albeit after just one match, whilst Colden Common are two levels higher, currently in third place in the Hampshire Premier League Senior Division, with 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat from their opening seven matches, so tonight’s result wasn’t too much of a surprise.
Hedge End went ahead after twelve minutes, with a side footed finish, but an unmarked header from a corner saw their lead last just nine minutes. Colden Common went onto the break leading 1-2, when a through ball was clinically finished six minutes before halftime. It was game over early in the second half as it became 1-3, before a tap in at the far post made it 1-4 midway through the half.
London Broncos 20 Barrow Raiders 30, attendance 480
Broncos Tries : Ulberg (2), Gahan, Macani
Conversions : Leyland (2)
Raiders Tries : Iaria, Emslie, Ritson (2), Shaw
Conversions : Shaw (4)
Penalty : Shaw
@ The Cherry Red Records Stadium (A.F.C. Wimbledon)
Plough Lane
Wimbledon
London
SW17 0NR
£20 Admission
Team Sheet, free.
Today marked my 150th ground that I have seen rugby league played on. Over the years London have certainly contributed greatly in that total, this being the tenth ground I‘ve now seen them host a game on (1 as Crusaders, 9 as Broncos). I had only recently visited this ground for football, as it is the home ground of A.F.C. Wimbledon, who I saw draw 2-2 versus Cheltenham Town in a League 1 match on Tuesday 1st February 2022.
Today’s match was 11th versus 5th in the league table, with the visitors already assured of a place in the play offs, whilst Broncos were only playing for pride. Broncos led 6-0 early on, but Raiders turned it round to lead 6-14 at the break. Two tries in the first twelve minutes of the second half saw Broncos go back in front, but their lead only lasted seven minutes, as Barrow edged ahead again at 16-20. Two more tries saw the lead increased to 16-30, before a late try for Broncos saw the scoring rounded off, with a deserved 20-30 win for the visitors.
Above : A minute’s silence following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Thankfully, unlike the Football Association, the Rugby Football Union decided not to postpone all matches following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, so at least I was able to watch a local sporting event this afternoon, which was only ten minutes drive from home. I had previously seen football played here, albeit on an outside pitch, when I saw a 2-2 draw between Dorking and Leatherhead in a pre-season friendly on 21st July 2009.
This was the first home game for Dorking following promotion back into National League 2 East. Having lost their opening game 10-29 at Blackheath last week, they put in a strong performance to take the points today. Worthing went ahead within five minutes, but Dorking turned things round to lead 14-7 by the half hour mark, but it was soon level again at 14-14 before Dorking converted another try to lead 21-14 at halftime. Dorking had the better of the second half and comfortably held on to their lead with a deserved 44-24 win, which was enough to take the bonus point.
Above : A minute’s silence held before kick off as a mark of respect to Queen Elizabeth II.
This never had a chance of kicking off at the advertised kick off time, as there was a youth team training on the pitch until 8 o’clock, so it finally got underway 23 minutes late. It is a standard caged pitch, with spectator access along three quarters of one side, with viewing not helped by the fact that three of the eight floodlights were not working, which is pretty poor at this level.
The game itself was pretty average, not helped by an injury in the first five minutes to the visitors ’keeper, which resulted in a short delay whilst he was treated, before being replaced. The deadlock was broken by the hosts three minutes into stoppage time at the end of the half, when a break down the right beat the offside trap, followed by a finish across the ’keeper into the far corner.
Six minutes into the second half it was 1-1, when a long ball over the top was finished coolly by the striker as he raced clear. Just after the hour mark the hosts went back in front from the penalty spot, then wrapped the game up six minutes later, again finishing one on one after being played through on goal.
Stanway Pegasus have made a good start to life at Step 6 of the Football Pyramid, following promotion from the Essex & Suffolk Border League (Step 7) this season. They are top of Division 1 South after their opening eight matches, which have seen them take 19 points, with just one defeat so far. Haverhill Borough are 9th Division 1 North, having won 2 and lost 2 of their first four games.
Stanway should have gone ahead after 25 minutes, heading wide when unmarked, but they broke the deadlock a minute later, finishing side footed after the ball wasn’t cleared. Twice in the final minute of the first half they could have increased their lead, when firstly a miss hit cross clipped the top of the crossbar, before a shot was cleared off the line.
Five minutes into the second half it was 2-0, when the ’keeper was sent the wrong way from a coolly converted penalty and the scoring was rounded off just after the hour mark, finishing with an angled shot into the far corner, to give the hosts a well deserved win.
Today’s match was the opening league fixture for these two clubs. According to the final league tables from last season, Fittleworth finished fifth in Division 3 South, so i’m not sure why they are playing in a higher division this season, whilst Milland had finished fifth in this division.
It was pretty even throughout. Fittleworth led 2-0 at the break, opening the scoring nineteen minutes in, with a quick break down the right after successfully defending a corner, before doubling their lead right on halftime, when a cross was headed in from just inside the box. Milland missed a sitter with fifteen minutes left, putting the ball over the crossbar when it looked easier to score. Ten minutes from time they hit the crossbar, with the ’keeper well beaten, before Fittleworth nearly made it three, heading just past the far post in stoppage time.
