Witney & District League

Division 1

Sunday 19th September 2021

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.05

Kingham All Blacks 1 Chadlington 2, attendance 177 (official)

5’ 0-1

16’ 0-2

89’ 1-2

@ Kingham Playing Field

New Road

Kingham

OX7 6YP

£4 Admission, including programme, whether you wanted it or not. ( I never want or will buy a programme at any event organised by Groundhop U.K.)

The Witney & District League ‘hop came to a conclusion with the fifth (thankfully I’d only been at four of the matches) and final game of the weekend. If it wasn’t for the glorious weather, this would have been really hard going, as the standard of football over the weekend was dreadful. Looking round the ‘hoppers present, it drives home how the hobby of ground hopping is very niche, especially on these low level ‘hops. There are very few younger hoppers at these games, and it is the same old faces year on year. It is becoming more noticeable that a number are now only doing one or two matches on the schedule, choosing to go elsewhere for their double or treble opportunities, even when they haven’t visited the grounds on offer, which is perhaps an indication that the bottom of the barrel has now been reached.

When Chadlington raced into a two goal lead after just sixteen minutes, it looked like this might be a far more decent match than the other three ‘hop games I’d attended this weekend. It wasn’t. The game just drifted away and the second half really dragged. Perhaps if Kingham had scored their consolation goal earlier in the half, rather than the last minute, it could have been so much better.

Witney & District League

Division 4

Sunday 19th September 2021

Kick Off 10.30 Actual 10.59

Sherborne Harriers 3 Hatherop Reserves 2, attendance 136 (official)

10’ 1-0

38’ 2-0

41’ 2-1 (pen)

74’ 2-2

80’ 3-2

@ Sherborne Park

off A40

Sherborne

GL54 3LY

£4 Admission, including programme, whether you wanted it or not. ( I never want or will buy a programme at any event organised by Groundhop U.K.)

Well, it looks like the organised ground hops have reached their lowest point. This was a game that is notionally Step 13 of the non-League football pyramid, which is the seventeenth level overall. To charge an admission price of £4 is an absolute joke. It is not the fault of the club, as they are instructed what to charge, but they should feel embarrassed at charging that amount for such a low level game.

The match finally kicked off twenty nine minutes late, as it was supposed to be a 10.30 kick off according to the Full Time website and the front cover of the match programme. Then again, the programme also failed to note that the opposition were Hatherop RESERVES and not their first team , who play in the Swindon & District League.

The standard of football was dreadful, although that doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining. Sherborne went in front with a fluked lob over the ‘keeper after ten minutes. Three minutes later, Hatherop Reserves, who arrived here as league leaders, had a chance to level the scores, but they missed a penalty, which was well saved by the ‘keeper. When Sherborne went 2-0 up it looked like they might have a comfortable win, but the visitors pulled it back to 2-1 just before the break, this time making no mistake from the penalty spot, having failed earlier on.

Hatherop Reserves had the better of the second half and it was no surprise when a left footed shot into the bottom corner of the net levelled the game up at 2-2 with sixteen minutes left. Having got back into it, they were caught out with a long ball over the top and the striker looped a header over the ‘keeper to win it for Sherborne ten minutes from time.