Oxfordshire Senior League

Division 1

Saturday 29th August 2026

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.57

Oakley United 4 Graven Hill 2, attendance 26

2’ 1-0

38’ 1-1

62’ 2-1

64’ 2-2

80’ 3-2

82’ 4-2

@ Oakley Recreation Ground

Oxford Road

Oakley

HP18 9RD

No Admission or Programme.

These two started off the new season with the same fixture that had finished off last season for them, a game which Oakley won 7-3. The journey to Oakley, which is just 72 miles, took a ridiculous two and a half hours, with the SatNav zig zagging to avoid a stationary M25 from J9 onwards, heading via Windsor and High Wycombe, arriving about half an hour before kick off. The ground is at the rear of the village hall, with the changing rooms adjacent to the small car park, with the pitch about fifty yards away, running lengthways away from here and roped off along each touchline. Having used my wife’s car to do a match during the week, I made the schoolboy error of not transferring my umbrella back into my car and paid a heavy price. It started spitting with rain just before kick off and got steadily worse. A thunderstorm, with occasional flashes of lightning, lasted for a good forty five minutes, either side of the halftime interval and with no cover whatsoever, it meant getting absolutely drenched. My phone also got wet, which combined with wet hands, meant it stopped working around the hour mark, so taking notes and goal times was nigh on impossible, although another hopper at the match aided with this.

Oakley had taken the lead after just two minutes, with a low angled shot that beat the ‘keeper at his near post. Graven Hill saw their best effort of the first half tipped over the crossbar by the ‘keeper. Thirteen minutes into the second half they did draw level though , when a cross from the right was touched in from close range. Oakley regained the lead within four minutes, when a free kick was blasted in from the edge of the box, quickly followed by a lob from a tight angle to make it 3-1. Graven Hill pulled it back to 3-2 with ten minutes left,but any chance of a comeback was short lived, with Oakley restoring their two goal lead a couple of minutes later.

The rain finally stopped with about five minutes of the game left. The drive home still took around two hours, despite taking the motorway route back, with traffic very heavy on the M25 from the M4 intersection until getting beyond the M3. Glad to get home and start the drying out process!