Dave
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Post by Dave on Jun 4, 2008 16:27:21 GMT
I have always felt that while it was good for those in the prison, other teams in the league were always at a disadvantage.
When they first came into the league 26 years ago, they did play their games both home and away. As you would expect a few of the inmates, made a dash for freedom.
I have been to 5 or 6 games there with the teams my son was playing for. I never had to deal with sniffer dogs, but I did find it an intimidating experience.
Once in the main gate you walk through the open spaces between the buildings to the changing area. Must say the gym is pretty good and you change in the same building as the inmates.Then both sets of players walk through a gate in the back prison fence and into the sports field.
Only the prison team players are allowed to be there, no other inmates, partly due to the fact that three quarters of the sports field fence is not electrified.
My view on the games I watched was, that the players from the visiting team more often than not, were also feeling intimidated.
Not tackling as they would in any other game they played.
Still for the inmates who made the team, it was as a reward for their behavior, so from that point of view it had to be good.
My first visit and I was behind the goal near the main fence we had come through, the ball landed near the fence. So I went to get it, out the speakers came a voice "stand clear this fence is electrified"
I thought sod they can get another ball and left it there ;D ;D
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AR10
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Post by AR10 on Jun 4, 2008 17:07:58 GMT
Where do I start??
Every season Channing's Wood have to come before the league & ask for re-election due to their unique position & every year we get the same speech that they are doing it to rehabilitate the prisoners & fair comment, but this season they have played numerous unregistered players under assumed names & that to me is encouraging the same prisoner they are rehabilitating to lie & cheat just to win a game of football, very hypocritical.
They have an unfair advantage by playing every game at home, but then the teams that vote are aware of this from the start.
I have been into the prison a few times this season on spying missions & upon arrival into the changing facilities you have the prisoners warming up for the game on top of the range gym equipment,the same is not afforded to the visiting teams, whilst visiting teams have very little time to get changed & on to the pitch to warm up.
I do agree with their stance on the sniffer dog & that has to be enforced to stop people taking drugs & other stuff into the prison as it would not be to hard to pass something over to a prisoner.
The referees are intimidated, the players are intimidated & that is only a natural reaction by a law abiding citizen going into such an environment.
What surprises me is that Channing Wood have taken the decision on the chin, maybe the Governor was happy with it.
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merse
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Post by merse on Jun 4, 2008 18:05:06 GMT
 I remember my visits to Channings Wood with great affection. Stand outs for me was the good friendship I built up with Billy Walker, an affable Geordie who was Chief PTI and the several raucous social evenings I attended in their Officers' Social Club (and at Dartmoor for that matter) Another notable officer there was former Ilsington Villa manager Mike Pascoe - a big man in every sense of the word (if you have ever seen him in the showers!  ) whilst up on the "Moor" Mike Griffiths(also a fine Western & SDL ref) was a senior officer and he now helps out at Plainmoor by taking charge of the match day mascots. I used to help out with internal games in both prisons on Sunday morning once a month basis and without naming names, I can tell you that two notable sportsman were in Channings Wood at that time; one a former World Champion at his sport and the other (who never played for the prison football team) an ex England footballer. Please don't speculate on here if you think you know or suspect who they are, as I believe everyone has a right to anonymity once they have served their time - which in these cases was a quarter of a century ago. The most memorable event I recall at the ground was reffing a South Devon League game between the prison and the Torbay Police (ouch!) and I can tell you it wasn't the cons who gave me the most trouble, except for their lino who was also a well known SDL character before he ended up in there!
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Jun 5, 2008 17:14:08 GMT
Seems the story that Channings Wood, were kicked out of the league is big news. Ants phone has been red hot all day.
B.B.C News, Sky Sports, Talk sports and many newspapers, have been after interviews with him all day. Yes he loved it and duly obliged.
Maybe Channings Wood was thee only Prison who had a football team playing in a league. Can' wait for his head to shrink back down to size ;D ;D ;D
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AR10
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Post by AR10 on Jun 5, 2008 18:53:52 GMT
Yeah Yeah!! I had to drive home from work with the roof down tonight, no not because it was hot but because I simply couldn't fit my head in. Was gutted I couldn't do live interview on Talksport due to being at work & I don't think my employers would have been to happy if they had heard me on air especially as i'm constantly moaning that we are so under staffed, thats banks for you  |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Jul 2, 2008 15:55:33 GMT
Channings Wood have been successful in their appeal to the Devon FA to be reinstated back into the S.D.L. Ant was at the hearing, it seems the two thirds rule was not carried out.
A real headache for the fixture secretary and now the fixtures list will be delayed as Channings Wood, are put back into the equation.
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AR10
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Post by AR10 on Jul 2, 2008 16:27:08 GMT
Channings Wood was voted out on the night as the vote was taken on a re-election vote which does not need a 2/3 majority.
Channings Wood went to the hearing & said they had no knowledge of having to reapply to the league every season & therefore they told the hearing that the vote (rule 17) was for expulsion from the league which does need a 2/3rds majority.
Now because there was nothing in the handbook (even though it is minuted from previous agm's) to say that Channings Wood had to reapply every season,this is how they won their case.
So now we are possibly going to have a new set of rules in the handbook just for Channings Wood if we are to treat them as a special case, if not then they will have to go by the Rulebook the same as every club does in the SDL.
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Post by kipper on Jul 9, 2008 11:56:00 GMT
Kingston Arrows still play in the Portsmouth North End League Div 1, but only play home games as they are mostly lifers (sorts out a settled side). Pitch small and (non electrified) fence very close to the pitch edges and surrounded by 4 very tall brick walls. Social in Wardens Mess afterwards is always a pleasure...
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Jun 10, 2009 17:59:27 GMT
I see in todays HE that the clubs have now voted Channings Wood out of the league.The decision was taken at Monday's annual meeting of the league at Newton Abbot when a 34-11 majority vote with a handful of abstentions barred them for next season after 27 years.
As someone who went to many games there to watch Ant play I have always felt it was wrong that the prison should have a team in the South Devon league.
While I think that many inmates would have got a lot out of playing in a team, having all home and away games played inside the prison has in my view made it unfair on all the teams in the same league that Channings Wood were in.
It was clear just watching games from the touchline, how the younger members in the team playing against the inmates, were clearly intimidated by not only the inmates but where they were.
They can try and get back in next season, but I think even if they wanted to do that, they will find that they won't get any special status and unless they can play home and away games like all the other teams in the league, they might as well give up any hope of playing in the South Devon League ever again.
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I remember my visits to Channings Wood with great affection.
) whilst up on the "Moor" Mike Griffiths(also a fine Western & SDL ref) was a senior officer and he now helps out at Plainmoor by taking charge of the match day mascots.