From Berinsfield to Barcelona

Tags

barça, Barcelona, Catalonia, Catalunya, Eibar, Football, forçabarça, groundhopping, la liga, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Mini Estadi, Nou Camp, Spain

Sunday 13th January 2019 ko 18.30

La Liga

FC BARCELONA 3 (L Suarez 19 59 Messi 52)

SD EIBAR 0

Att 71,039

Entry €64

Robyn and I alighted the metro at Les Corts, and immediately wondered which way to walk to get to the Nou Camp, unlike say Bayern Munich and Fröttmanning station it isn’t immediately obvious where to go. Online maps and free mobile roaming helped and 10 minutes later we were contemplating something of a dilemma.

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Social

Tags

Budleigh Salterton, Devon, Division One East, Football, Greenway Lane, groundhopping, Honiton, Non League, South West Peninsula League

Saturday 20th October 2018 ko 15.00

South West Peninsula League Division One East

BUDLEIGH SALTERTON 1 (Nott 63)

HONITON TOWN 4 (Fremantle 40 Grant 44 Flanagan 86 Isaac 89)

Att c50

Entry £3

Sometime I think back in the 1980’s Madness’ “Baggy Trousers” had it right.

Naughty boys in nasty schools 
Headmasters breaking all the rules 
Having fun and playing fools 
Smashing up the woodwork tools 
All the teachers in the pub 
Passing ’round the ready-rub 
Trying not to think of when 
The lunch-time bell will ring again.

Back in the day I went to a middle school in Oxford that could have so easily fitted Suggs’ lyrics. Of course I loved all the characters there, even learning when to avoid the occasional flying blackboard eraser! Time passes by, people move on, at times literally and people lose touch. Two of those characters were Lisa and Jason

Reversals

Tags

Ashmead Road, Bedford Albion, Bedfordshire County league, Bedfordshire Hop, Craig Dabbs, Football, groundhopping, Sandy, Sandy Albion, South Midlands League, Woodlands

Saturday 13th October 2018 ko 11.00

Bedfordshire League Division One

BEDFORD ALBION 9 (Kelly 3 Babbington 17 30 44 50 Wright 23 Lewis 35 39 Sidhu 64)

SANDY 0

Att 149

Entry FREE

Programme £2

It was an uncommonly early start for the Bedfordshire Hop. An unfeasibly strong coffee jolted the senses before driving from Oxford to Wavendon to pick up Chris Garner (anything eastbound seems to involve him!) before heading to Biddenham to meet organiser Craig Dabbs for a spot of role reversal. 

Is Vic There?

Tags

Bristol, Bristol Telephones, BTRA Sports Ground, Football, GroundhopUK, Keynsham Town, Non League, Stockwood, Western League

Sunday 9th October 2018 ko 14.00

Western League Division One

BRISTOL TELEPHONES 1 (Goulding 60)

KEYNSHAM TOWN 2 (Shorney 27 38)

Att 310

Entry £6

Programme £1

There was no secret as to why the final game of the 2018 Western Hop was always going to be the most popular amongst the groundhoppers. Bristol Telephones are only in their second season in the Western League having won the Gloucestershire County League in 2017 so many would target this game, and this game alone in order to re-complete the league. By means of an example, the BTRA Ground, Stockwood Lane was to be my only new ground of the weekend!

Fairfax

Tags

Bridgwater, Bridport, Football, groundhopping, GroundhopUK, Non League, Town, Western League

Sunday 7th October 2018 ko 11.00

Western League Premier Division

BRIDGWATER TOWN 1 (Ellis 74)

BRIDPORT 0 Martin sent off 70 (Serious Foul Play)

Att 371

Entry £6

Programme £1

 

Sunday dawned and with it the longest drive of the hop, from our base in Almondsbury to Bridgwater. It was odd driving one of our 3 minibuses, full of hoppers but utterly incapable of going more than 60 mph! The extra time on the M5 did give me time to consider what we’d be likely to find at Fairfax Park.

Bris (tol)

Tags

Brislington, Bristol, Chris Berezai, GroundhopUK, Ironmould Lane, Julian French, Odd Down, Western League, Western League Hop

Friday 5th October 2018 ko 19.45

Western League Premier Division

BRISLINGTON 2 (Taylor 40 Biggins 71)

ODD DOWN (BATH) 3 (Lloyd6 79 82)

Att 262 

Entry £6

Programme £1

For as long as I visit grounds of the Western League I will always think of the late Mark Edmonds, That goes double for the Western Hop, the idea he had, that every year Chris Berezai and try our best to make the most of his legacy for the clubs he set out to help.  It puts us under a good kind of pressure, and that goes for everyone involved that remembers Mark. This year it was lovely to see his widow Sarah joining us all for this hop, mainly based in and around Bristol, and I hope she feels we did Mark’s idea justice. 

One To Do

Tags

Antoine Semenyo, Bath City, Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Football, groundhopping, ryan clarke, sean rigg, Team Bath, Twerton Park

Saturday 14th July 2018 ko 15.00

Pre-Season Friendly

BATH CITY 2 (Rigg 45 89)

BRISTOL CITY U23 1 (T Richards 68) M Richards missed penalty 85

Att 187

Entry £8

Programme 50p

Between booking a wedding venue and meeting friends for a meal what should an engaged couple do? The answer in Robyn and I’s case was to visit one of the great British football grounds. 

Returns Policy

Tags

Barnet, Barnet Lane 3G, England, Football, groundhopping, Hadley, London, Non League, Redbridge, Underhill

Wednesday 4th July 2018 ko 19.30

Pre-Season Friendly

HADLEY 0

REDBRIDGE 3 (61 77 84)

Att c35 at Barnet Lane 3G

After my frankly life-changing tour of Sweden in June, save for the odd World Cup game on television I’d taken a break from all things football. I’ll admit it was unusual for me, I remember one close season lasting less than 24 hours! But I looked up the Football Traveller’s friendlies list and soon spotted a ground you can’t do during the regular season. A bonus was that it involved driving past the site of one of my favourite grounds of the past.

The Invisible Bridge

Tags

Bunkeflo, Football, groundhopping, Malmo, Non League, Oresund Bridge, Skåne, Sweden, Swedish hop

Sunday 10th June 2018 ko 11.00

Division 6A Sydvästra Skåne

BUNKEFLO F.F. 3 (Sörensson 50 K Olsson 61 Magnusson 79)

FC BELLEVUE 0

Att 65

Entry & Programme 30 sek

The Swedish Hop’s £230 cost included two nights bed and breakfast in Trelleborg, coach travel including to and from Kastrup Airport, tolls on the Øresund Bridge, and all entry fees and programmes for the games.

After 9 days in Sweden it felt like Robyn and I were packing a small part of our lives away as we bundled our clothes into our suitcases on Sunday morning. The sadness was obvious and after a week and a day of being engaged it was high time for us both to see our families and for me to organise an engagement ring for Robyn! I lugged the suitcases down to the lobby and for the last time attacked the crispy bacon and meatballs.

The Rivals

Tags

Abingdon United, Berinsfield, Football, groundhopping, Non League, North Berkshire Cup Final, North Berkshire League, Northcourt Road, Saxton Rovers

Saturday 12th May 2018 ko 18.00

North Berkshire Cup Final

BERINSFIELD 2 (Ingram 43p Palmer 71) Kenny sent off 77 (2nd booking)

SAXTON ROVERS 0

Att 341

At Abingdon United FC

Entry & Programme £4

Something a little different, but perhaps it’s also just the same as normal! As a very proud committeeman at the North Berkshire League it was inevitable I’d be at our Blue Riband event, the North Berkshire Cup Final. But with Benno the press officer away attending a wedding- his own- I was pressed into service to write a report, and Robyn became official photographer. Here are the results.