South West Peninsula League

Division 1 West

Saturday 31st March 2018

Kick Off 19.00  On Time !

Plymouth Marjon 2 Millbrook 3,  attendance 293

28’ 0-1

58’ 1-1

61’ 2-1

68’ 2-2

74’ 2-3

@ Marjon University Sport & Health Club, 3G Pitch

Derriford Road

Plymouth

PL6 8BH

£3 Admission

£1.50 Programme (didn’t purchase as it had Ground Hoppers printed on the cover).

This was the final match of the South West Peninsula League Ground Hop. It certainly wasn’t a case of saving the best ‘til last, well not ground wise anyway. The pitch is on the main campus of the University of St. Mark and St. John and is as bad a venue you could wish to watch a match at. Pitches inside cages are not that great at the best of times, but when there is a crowd of 293 present, then it all seems so much worse.

The first half was dreadful, but when Marjon had a man sent off after 53 minutes the game burst into life. Within eight minutes of the sending off they had turned it round to lead 2-1. Their lead lasted just seven minutes and when Millbrook went back in front just six minutes later, the students never looked like they were capable of another comeback.

South West Peninsula League

Division 1 East

Saturday 31st March 2018

Kick Off 15.00  On Time !

Brixham 1 Galmpton & Roselands 0,  attendance 369

58’ 1-0

@ Wall Park

Wall Park Road

Brixham

TQ5 9UE

£4 Admission

£1 Programme, 12 pages. (Wouldn’t have purchased if I had seen the mention of ground hoppers on the cover before handing over my money)

I was able to risk the journey down to the South West today as I had a back up match on a 3G pitch at South Devon League club Paignton Saints, just in case the rain caused a problem again. However, there was no problem here whatsoever and the pitch was in no worse condition at the end than it was at kick off.

Sadly, despite a large crowd for this local derby, the match was absolutely rubbish, with both teams being really poor. The fact that either team actually managed to score a goal was a huge surprise.

Canterbury & District League

Whitstable Senior Charity Cup Quarter Final

Friday 30th March 2018

Kick Off 16.00

Minster v The Bull, Match Postponed

@ Minster Recreation Ground

St. Mildreds Road

Minster

CT12 4DE.

I should have been down in Devon today, for games two and three of the South West Peninsula League Groundhop that were taking place. However, Honiton Town were unable to host their match due to waterlogging, so it was to be switched (news was released Thursday afternoon) to the neutral venue of Exwick Villa, which I had already visited. This meant I would only have the evening kick off at Axminster Town as a new visit. The fact that they have floodlights and are little more than two hours drive from home, it wasn’t worth the cost of a hotel, just to tick off the one ground, so the trip was cancelled…….although it is looking a little better down in the South West for the games tomorrow, so it should be all systems go !

Minster were confident that their game would go ahead this afternoon, so it was off to Whitstable for lunch, before heading a little further east for the match. It had rained non stop for the last two hours, but both teams were at the ground when I arrived at 15.15. The Referee arrived shortly afterwards and carried out his inspection. The ball was rolling okay when kicked and was also bouncing, although the pitch was pretty wet in the centre circle. He came back to the changing rooms, had a discussion with the teams, then went back out and did a second inspection, with the ball reacting the same as it had the first time. He then came back to the changing rooms at 15.31 and said the game was off.

Typically, by 16.15 the rain had stopped and patches of blue sky began to appear !

North Bucks & District League

Division 2

Wednesday 28th March 2018

Kick Off 18.15. On Time !

Westbury 3 Deanshanger Athletic Reserves 1,  attendance 22

39’ 1-0

54’ 1-1

74’ 2-1 (pen)

78’ 3-1

@ Westbury Village Hall

Playing Field Road

off Brackley Road

Westbury

NN13 5JN

No Admission or Programme.

When I telephoned the home club Secretary at 14.15 there was a pitch inspection taking place, but shortly before 15.00 the news came through that everything was fine, as long as there wasn’t too much more rain before kick off.

On arrival at the ground at 17.55 it was good to see a team warming up on the far side of the cricket square, who turned out to be the visitors, whilst the home team emerged a few minutes later. With the ridiculously late start time of 18.15 for the first midweek of the ‘early’ kick offs the Referee very sensibly decided on two forty minute halves and a short half time to try and get the game finished before it got too dark.

The match itself was 7th versus 4th in the league table (Westbury are the only non reserve club in the 12 team division) and had quite a few nasty fouls and a few bouts of pushing and shoving going on, especially during the last quarter of an hour. Even with the short halves and seven minute halftime, it was pretty gloomy when the match finished at 19.44.

Herts Senior County League

Premier Division

Tuesday 27th March 2018

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.48

Ware Sports 1 Bovingdon 5,  attendance 32

4’ 1-0

7’ 1-1

47’ 1-2

81’ 1-3

82’ 1-4

85’ 1-5

@ Wodson Park Sports Centre, 3G Pitch

Wadesmill Road

Ware

SG12 0UQ

No Admission or Programme.

There are 3 grounds here which all back onto each other. The main ground, to the left as you enter the car park, is that of Ware, which I visited on 28th December 1998. Behind the Sports Centre building, which is straight in front of you, is an Athletics Track, which is where I saw Wodson Park play on 4th April 2009. Tonight’s match was on the 3G pitch that runs lengthways beyond the Ware ground.

This was 2nd versus 1st in the league table, although there was a massive gulf between the two sides. When Bovingdon went in front right at the start of the second half it was game over. The three late goals for the visitors rounded off a well deserved win that could have easily been by another two or three goals more.

Bovingdon have now won 17 of their 18 matches (they play 28 games) with just one defeat so far. They are 9 points clear of second placed Letchworth Garden City Eagles, with two games in hand, with Wormley Rovers a further 2 points back. Ware Sports are now down to fourth place.

Belgium

West Vlaanderen Provincial 1

Sunday 25th March 2018

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.01

Sterk Vlug Dapper Kortemark 1 K.F.C. Varsenare 1,  attendance 86

31’ 1-0

57’ 1-1 (pen)

@ Ichtegemstraat 2D

8610 Kortemark

€6 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

This was 6th versus 15th (2nd bottom) in the league table, but it was hard to tell which way round this was, as Varsenare were the better side for long periods, perhaps helped by a bobbly pitch that probably evened things out a bit.

For the first time in ages The Tunnel was behaving itself. We were booked on the 10.20 outbound, but having checked in at 09.05, we made it onto the 09.36 (which left 3 minutes late). With it only being an hour and a quarter drive back from Kortemark, we thought we might have a fair bit of hanging around for our booked return at 19.50, which was the first train back at the time of booking the trip. As we expected, there were a couple of extra trains that had been slotted into the schedule, so we actually got the 19.30 (left 1 minute early).

Below photo : Varsenare equalise from the penalty spot.

Herts Senior County League

Division 1

Saturday 24th March 2018

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 15.03

Bengeo Trinity 1 Hatfield Social 1,  attendance 18

30’ 1-0

75’ 1-1

@ Boundary Drive

Bengeo

Hertford

SG14 3JG

No Admission or Programme.

Even with long queues of traffic northbound on the A10, I was still here half an hour before kick off, catching the last 20 minutes of the reserve match that was taking place on the pitch before the first team game. Bengeo never seem to play any midweek games at home, preferring to play the fixtures at the opposition ground for some reason, so it was a ground that would have to be visited on a Saturday and today was the perfect opportunity to double it up with my earlier match.

The pitch here has a massive side to side slope, but it didn’t stop this from being a really good contest. Bengeo are struggling in the league, being third from bottom in the table, with visitors Hatfield being mid table.

The opening goal, from the hosts, was scrambled in, but the equaliser was smashed in from the edge of the 18 yard box, striking the right hand post and ending up high in the top corner of the opposite side of the goal.

Arthurian League

Premier Division

Saturday 24th March 2018

Kick Off 12.00 Actual 12.02

Old Chigwellians 0 Old Carthusians 1,  attendance 10

40’ 0-1

@ Old Chigwellians Club

Roding Lane

Chigwell

IG7 6BE

No Admission or Programme.

This was 7th versus 6th in the league table, but champions Old Carthusians have games in hand over every club above them and it looks like it will be between them and Old Foresters for the title this season, with neither side having lost a match yet.

Carthusians were lucky to get all three points today and are now 11 points behind Foresters, but with three games in hand. The two meet at Carthusians in a couple of weeks time.

United Counties League

Premier Division

Thursday 22nd March 2018

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.49

Leicester Nirvana 0 Oadby Town 1,  attendance 80

4’ 0-1

@ De Montfort University

Beaumont Park Sports Ground, 3G Pitch

Bennion Road

Beaumont Leys

Leicester

LE4 1DE

£5 Admission

£1 Programme, 24 pages (from original match postponed on 26th December, new date on cover and up to date league table inside)

Having completed the United Counties League last night at Oakham United, tonight saw another ground hosting a match in this league, although this was just a ‘one off’, being used to help Leicester Nirvana catch up on their backlog of fixtures, caused by their Hamilton Park home suffering from poor drainage, which has meant they have suffered many postponements over the last couple of months.

Despite being eleventh in the league table coming into this match, Nirvana could still win the league, due to having at least 5 games in hand on the clubs above them, whilst they had 9 games in hand over table toppers Yaxley, trailing them by 26 points. As it turned out, second from bottom Oadby won it with a goal scored from a free kick in the opening minutes, with Nirvana never really looking like turning it round.

United Counties League

Division 1

Wednesday 21st March 2018

Kick Off 19.45 Actual 19.46

Oakham United 1 Burton Park Wanderers 1,  attendance 28

47’ 1-0

86’ 1-1 (pen)

@ Lonsdale Meadow

Main Road (B640)

Barleythorpe

LE15 7EE

£5 Admission

Team Sheet, free.

I had been a bit concerned about whether I would make a visit to the county of Rutland whilst Oakham United were still playing at Step 6, but needn’t have worried. Apparently, the club have been told that there will be no relegation from Division 1 of the United Counties League at the end of the season, which is good news for them, as they have struggled all season and are just a point above bottom club Stewart & Lloyds Corby, who they beat at home on Saturday. They haven’t been helped by a 3 point deduction, although they have no chance of catching any of the clubs above them even with those points. It doesn’t help when they are on their fourth Manager so far this season either.

With it being 19th versus 15th (out of 20) in the league table, I wasn’t expecting a very big crowd, but thought there would be more there than a pathetic 28. I was also surprised that a club at this level didn’t bother to do a match programme, as there must have been one done for the original scheduled Saturday fixture, but with such poor crowds it isn’t worth them bothering. They did give out a list of the teams, but there were no numbers, so not a lot of point.

Oakham battled well and having opened the scoring with a well taken volley early in the second half, they must have been gutted to concede a late equaliser from what looked a harshly awarded penalty, thus preventing them from picking up back to back wins.

Tonights ground visit completed the United Counties League for me once again and now takes the grounds required to complete everything down to Step 6 in England to four…….Penn & Tylers Green, Bristol Telephones, Helston Athletic and Sticker.