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Post by romfordkev on Jun 23, 2009 23:02:57 GMT
Back in November 2008 (the 15th to be precise), and with Torquay playing away from home, I decided to visit HOMERS HEATH - home to BUCKLAND ATHLETIC FC of the CARLSBERG SOUTH WEST PENINSULA LEAGUE. THE BUCKS' opponents on the day were TAVISTOCK AFC in an entertaining Premier League encounter. No pictures of the game I'm afraid, but for those of you who haven't visited Homers Heath before, here's what to expect if you venture over there for Torquay's upcoming friendly. THIS IS THE CLUBHOUSE - A FANTASTIC BAR WITH BIG SCREEN TV INSIDE, A VERY REASONABLY PRICED REFRESHMENT BAR (WITH TEA IN CHINA MUGS!) ON THE OUTSIDE(FAR RIGHT).  VIEW FROM THE COVERED MAIN STAND, OVER THE DUGOUTS, TO THE FAR GOALMOUTH.  A BRICK PAVED PATH LEADS YOU FROM THE CLUBHOUSE, ROUND THE BACK OF THE GOAL, AND ACROSS TO YOUR SEAT IN THE STAND.  SIDE ELEVATION OF THE MAIN STAND - AMPLE SIZE FOR THIS LEVEL OF FOOTBALL. NOTE THE GAP HALFWAY ALONG THE BACK WALL - THIS LEADS THROUGH INTO A SMALLER COVERED STAND, WHICH FACES A TRAINING PITCH.  DIAGONAL VIEW ACROSS THE HEATH - WITH THE AMPLE CAR PARK ON THE EXTREME RIGHT .  HEADING BACK TO THE REFRESHMENT BAR FOR MY HALF-TIME CUPPA!!  THE STAND WITH SECOND PITCH IN THE BACKGROUND. IN THE SUMMER MONTHS, THE PITCH IS SOMETIMES USED AS AN OVERSPILL CAR PARK, WHEN A BIG CROWD IS ANTICIPATED.  WAITING FOR MY CUPPA, ANOTHER PHOTO OF THE STAND - PROUDLY DISPLAYING 2 BUCKLAND FLAGS!!  IT'S NOVEMBER, IT'S JUST GONE 5PM, AND THE FLOODLIGHTS ARE JUST ABOUT TO GO OUT!!  PEERING OUT OF THE SHADOWS - THE FINAL IMAGE OF HOMERS HEATH AS I GET BACK INTO MY CAR TO GO HOME.  FOOTNOTE: Tavistock came out worthy winners in this game by 3 goals to 0, watched by a crowd of 98 hardy souls. Special mention must be made on the matchday programme - 68 pages, all glossy and in colour, with only 10 pages of adverts.......All yours for £1!! This has got to be the best value for money and most interesting programme I have seen at Non League level for quite some time!
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merse
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Post by merse on Jun 24, 2009 3:14:48 GMT
 I think anyone who is connected with Buckland Athletic Football Club should be very proud indeed. What began as a youth team at Sandringham Park in 1977 has burgeoned into a thriving and successful club with it's own ground and of course it's own youth section thriving beneath the umbrella of the senior set up. Buckland quite rightly style themselves as "Newton Abbot's most forward thinking football club".....................and quite rightly too for they have shown just what can be done with a little imagination (witness that two tier, two way facing stand), a lot of commitment and a good set of determined volunteers with a definite plan and loads of pride and enthusiasm. The club has not once looked back since moving into their own home at Homers Heath where the facilities and beautiful scenic location pay testimony to the very ethos of the club. One of their great characters, Clive Holmes; sadly passed away the winter before last and I travelled home for his funeral where I was astounded to find myself amongst throngs of folk dressed in Clive's trademark bobble hat and shorts ~ even wellies some of them; for this was the spirit and affection that the community held their charismatic and eccentric friend in and they have since named the grandstand at Homers Heath "The Clive Holmes Stand" and I have been curious enough to go out to Decoy and see it for myself. His younger brother Nigel has been a leading light and founding inspiration of Buckland Athletic since their formation all those years ago, whilst his namesake (but no relation) Roy Holmes remains as Club chairman having been their first ever manager way back in the days of the Torbay Pioneer League and the beginning of this story. Although I have lived away from NA for so long, I always look for the Buckland Athletic results and league positions in the NLP each week and frequently scan their website and hope one day to get to a game at Homers Heath.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2009 21:02:20 GMT
I've sung the praises of Buckland Athletic before and will do so again. SW Peninsula fixtures now available at www.swpleague.co.uk. |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Jun 24, 2009 22:03:25 GMT
I think Buckland have entered the FA Cup for the first time this season..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2009 5:32:00 GMT
I think Buckland have entered the FA Cup for the first time this season.. Yes, they have. There's been so many entrants in recent years that places are now being rationed at Buckland's level (non-league step 6) but they qualified by finishing in the top four of their league. |
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Post by bucklandgull on Jul 10, 2009 4:45:33 GMT
Buckland Athletic have been drawn at home on the 15th August to Hamworthy United.
We are away that day, any who cant make the away trip why not go and visit the Bucks at Homers heath where you wil be made most welcome, for Bucklands 1st ever venture in the FA cup.
Maybe we will get the gulls in the 1st round proper !!!!
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tufc01
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Post by tufc01 on Jul 10, 2009 12:06:08 GMT
Buckland Athletic have been drawn at home on the 15th August to Hamworthy United. We are away that day, any who cant make the away trip why not go and visit the Bucks at Homers heath where you Will be made most welcome, for Bucklands 1st ever venture in the FA cup. Maybe we will get the gulls in the 1st round proper !!!! I would second that. A most welcoming and 'homely' club that is a pleasure to visit. Facilities and ground are good and the food and drink were as good as any we have sampled on our travels. I haven't been to many 'local' games as i usually like to travel to away games, however for the weeks that we play up in the North East i might just venture down and enjoy a game there. I was also pleasantly surprised at how they played. Also by having floodlights i would have thought there might be a few evening kick offs?? and with us only having 3 midweek home league games, more opportunities to get down there. Footnote: I forgot to mention it in my earlier post about how good the program was. I think someone mentioned that it won an award for best program in their league (and they won best ground??) and its not difficult to see why. Once again comparison can be made with some of the trash that was served up as a 'program' last season and this one would more than hold its own in that league. |
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Post by bucklandgull on Aug 13, 2009 19:13:41 GMT
Buckland Athletic have been drawn at home on the 15th August to Hamworthy United. We are away that day, any who cant make the away trip why not go and visit the Bucks at Homers heath where you wil be made most welcome, for Bucklands 1st ever venture in the FA cup. Maybe we will get the gulls in the 1st round proper !!!! Just a reminder if any Gulls fans want to see a game on Saturday, and are not going away with Torquay. why not come up and support Buckland Athletic at Homers Heath ko 3.00 pm entry £5.00 should be a great day in the history of Buckland Athletic 1st time in the FA CUP. The second Yellow Army, in south Devon |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Aug 13, 2009 19:19:28 GMT
Thanks for reminding us, I may well now go to the buckland game and take my radio with me and do a radio report when I get home.
Dave
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Post by dazgull on Aug 14, 2009 13:45:19 GMT
i was there on monday night when they played cullompton and everyone there is excited about the weekend and hoping every thing goes off without a hitch. the weather looks ok so hopefully a good crowd will be in attendance. there was 167 on monday so anything over 300 will be very good....alas im not here weekends so cannot make it but they are in a very similar kit and colours to us so go along and support them.
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joebarlow
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Post by joebarlow on Aug 14, 2009 17:08:31 GMT
It is going to be a good game that and hopefully buckland have a successful time in the FA Cup. The FA Cup can not only be a money spiner for a club but also furfill dreams the club and the players may have like getting to the 1st round proper of the cup may be a dream and draw a big dream and I would go to the match but I am in Manchester at the moment so cant make it
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2010 19:38:59 GMT
Victory today for Buckland against Bodmin in the final of the Throgmorton Cup at Cullompton - the first time Bodmin have failed to win a trophy (league or league cup) since the inception of the SWPL in 2007.
Windy conditions, bumpy pitch but a good tight contest. Bodmin took the lead in the first half, Buckland equalised in the second and won through a Lynchy penalty in extra time. Fully deserved as indicated by Bodmin's keeper Kevin Miller (yes, that one) being
awarded man of the match.
Trophy presented by Carl and Valerie Throgmorton - once sponsors of Torquay United through Westward Developments - who made sure each player got a bottle of champagne. As sponsors they seem to be real enthusiasts going to plenty of games through the season.
And, for Buckland, four points from the last two games should be enough to win the league on goal difference unless Bodmin run riot in their last two matches. Buckland v Falmouth at home on Wednesday...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2010 11:36:25 GMT
Any news on whether Buckland Athletic are making a (legitimate) effort for Western League status by the way Barty? Not seen anything in print one way or the other although I've been told - through the grapevine - that they may be interested in 2011. The agreement between the leagues (encouraged by the FA) is that the SWPL Premier is on a par with Western League One and feeds directly to the Western Premier. It's not yet been tested and I'm not sure how it fits with the normal two-up/two-down arrangement between the two divisions of the Western League. In this way, I don't know if second place would be good enough in subsequent years. But, usually, it all seems to be done on the hoof as clubs fold, decline promotion or fail ground gradings. Lower down, Brixham United have applied to join the SWPL Div 1 (E) although the rules say they must finish in the top two of the SDL to qualify (which isn't going to happen). The rules also say that no more than one team from each feeder league can be "promoted" in any season. Given Brixham United are the only SDL team to apply - and have passed ground grading - there's probably a fair chance they'll qualify wherever they finish. Bideford, apparently, are about to decide whether or not to take up a place in the Southern League. Going back to Buckland, their reserves have just retained the Devon Senior Cup and look set to win SDL Div 1. Meanwhile the 3rds are well-placed to become SDL Div 4 champions... |
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merse
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Post by merse on May 4, 2010 14:05:03 GMT
Any news on whether Buckland Athletic are making a (legitimate) effort for Western League status by the way Barty? Not seen anything in print one way or the other although I've been told - through the grapevine - that they may be interested in 2011. Bideford, apparently, are about to decide whether or not to take up a place in the Southern League. From Buckland Athletic's point of view it's vital that when such a club is "developing" up through the pyramid they progress at a rate commensurate within their capacity to support that promotion; what with increased travelling and demands on their infrastructure etc. Having spoken to Nigel Holmes and others involved with the club in the past I'm sure they've got their heads very firmly screwed on whilst at the same time they have the enthusiasm and ambition to remain upwardly mobile. Bideford are a different animal however, whilst on the one hand they have the town to themselves as far as being the only club in town of substance; when I spoke to Sean Joyce and their chairman after a game at Heybridge Swifts I was at a few years ago they were telling me what a financial basket case the club was at that time and how alarmingly attendances had imploded since the "great days" of old and I certainly recall the last time they went into the Southern League how it almost destroyed the club financially and they beat a hasty retreat back into the Western League! |
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2010 22:07:13 GMT
Buckland 2 Falmouth 2
Buckland not at their best tonight. One down at half time after a nervous start; losing 0-2 with seconds of normal time remaining and looking like Falmouth had done a job on them. "Consolation" on ninety minutes; equaliser after two minutes or so of stoppage time. One game left, equal on points with Bodmin, Buckland +70 to Bodmin's +64, Buckland at bottom-of-the-table Holsworthy on Saturday.
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