Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2010 22:12:37 GMT
Last season I reported on a few trips into the country to places such as Holsworthy, Tavistock, Appledore and Porthleven. This season I’ve not been undertaking so many ventures of this kind: partly because the way our fixtures have fallen; partly because there’s not many local(ish) grounds left on my mental “to do” list. But, now we’re reaching the end of the season – and the pressure has eased – there’s time to go off the beaten track.
Now, of course, if I was serious about such matters, the winter’s appalling weather would have offered a heaven-sent opportunity with all those re-arranged fixtures on just about every day of the week. James Wright of the Non League Paper tells me he’s so busy compiling results that he’s virtually no time to go to midweek games other than to see the mighty Taunton Town.
But, on the other hand, the backlog is a gift to the Mr Barmcakes of this world who – having now moved to the West Riding – is stealthily on track to exceed his 370+ total of last season. I’ve not seen too much of Mr Barmcake myself this season, my last spotting of him being at Hayle on Good Friday where he was stood by a corner flag taking - in customary fashion - hundreds upon hundreds of photographs. Apparently the urge to photograph has taken such a hold that he can no longer be relied upon to provide the correct scorelines from the games he watches.
Hayle on Good Friday? Ah yes, I just happened to be down in Cornwall and it was the occasion of the annual Easter Groundhop (not that I managed more than two of the seven games). A crowd of 400, ten times the normal turnout at Hayle and - of the additional 360 - I guess a fair number spent the ninety minutes talking about all manner of things other than the game in question. Aside from the chatter there was an eerie silence, broken only by the recording of goal and booking times on innumerable charts and speadsheets. Furthermore, I fear the secretary of a leading Southern League club in the region is now pitifully reduced – between pasties - to logging the times of when the ball hits the woodwork.
And what can I tell you of Hayle? Windy, foul weather (it hailed); tidy clubhouse and stand; barren treeless landscape. Also that Wayne Quinn – Sheffield United, Newcastle United and England U21 – plays for them.
Picture of Hayle’s ground from Geograph:
And so to last Sunday’s visit to Galmpton Gents. Not strictly in the countryside, I suppose, but a good stopover between sampling the new cafe at Berry Head (impressed but can they do something about that loudly shutting door?) and walking through to Paignton via Broadsands and Goodrington (the new Red Rock cafe certainly being on my "return list"). In case you’ve missed the story, Galmpton Gents is a merger of Galmpton United and Torbay Gents. They play next to the main road and Churston GS on a pitch which has been turned through 90 degrees in recent years. Another tidy clubhouse, dug outs, a stand more suited to the pitch’s former alignment and a pitch which is fenced and roped off. The basics for the SWPL really.
Sunday’s game against Appledore was – as they say – a lively affair. Not the strongest of referees, plenty of keen challenges for man rather than ball and a colourful manager in the shape of Galmpton’s Adam Kerswell. Indeed, Mr Kerswell only appeared to open his mouth when it came to matters regarding the referee. No encouraging his players; no tactical advice; just abuse towards the referee. Most curious. The highlight for me was this little exchange: Referee: "If you want to say anything, say it to me afterwards". Manager: "I’m not ****ing talking to you, just read my ****ing report". He didn’t last too long on the touchline after that. Gents? I think not on this occasion.
Nonetheless a decent affair won 3-2 by Appledore. Galmpton seemed to suffer from playing games on both the Saturday and Sunday as well as from some of their players appearing in a Sunday cup final in the morning before playing again in the afternoon. That, I imagine, is one of the bugbears of football at that level: players who opt to play for both Saturday and Sunday teams. That’s okay to a point but I hear of Southern League players at some of the Somerset clubs who deliberately choose not to sign contracts so they can play both Saturday football (for payment) and Sunday football (for “expenses”).
Galmpton Gents: static.panoramio.com/photos/original/23282733.jpg
Now, by the time I’d been to Galmpton, I’d checked the fixtures and could see a rocky path to addiction and insanity opening up: Truro on Thursday (well, I’m down there working, aren’t I?); Buckland on Friday (on the way home, isn’t it?); somewhere on Saturday; Bickleigh on Sunday (the Exe Valley is lovely at this time of the year); Exeter Civil Service on Monday (a local derby against Alphington just ten minutes walk from home). Hang on, hang on – I think I’m turning into Mr Barmcake here.
Buckland gets the chop and I’m sure I can do something other than watch Bickleigh v Appledore on Sunday (however nice that pub by the river) and – as for the Civils on Monday – that’s gloriously snookered by a text from a mate in Newcastle suggesting a visit to Argyle instead (when it’ll be my pleasure to be an away supporter at Gnome Park). On that basis I think I can skip a visit to the addiction clinic and slip in a game today....
Ah, Witheridge, one of the rising teams in Devon football, financially supported by someone or the other (Devonshire Homes perhaps?): in the middle of lovely countryside and holding their own in the SWPL Premier (with brand new floodlights to boot). Worth a look sometime, surely?
Hands up, if you’ve been to Witheridge. On the old main road between Tiverton and South Molton in high country. Quiet and relatively prosperous I’d say. And, for my guide, a Torquay United supporter who spent the first six years of his life there and knew enough to say “that used to be the school; that was a pub; that was a shop”. Who we wonder lives there now? Professionals commuting to Barnstaple and Tiverton? The retired who favour countryside rather than coast? Home workers? Probably not - we contend - too many of the agricultural labouring classes whose family names adorn the tombstones in the cemetery. Having said that, we got the impression that the ladies in the tea room at the football club had fifty or sixty years' accumulated gossip to share.
But, whoever lives in Witheridge these days, not too many of them make it along to the football (where attendances average 84 according to the SWPL site). But, for today at least, there was a relatively substantial away following of around a dozen. Yes, St Blazey were in town: the noisiest fans in the league with the most flags. I tell you there was quite an atmosphere in the main stand.
Alas, the game itself wasn’t so hot. End of season stuff, I suppose. A half-decent first-half; lots of endeavour; missed chances; a referee who saw little. A game which needed a goal but didn’t get one until St Blazey scored just before the end by which time we were deep in conversation about matters Plainmoor (with our musings punctuated by updates from Taunton where Ryan Ashford – ex-TUFC- was running riot for VT FC) . But, nonetheless, a good place to visit on yet another fine spring afternoon. There’s another game at Witheridge tomorrow, one on Wednesday and one on Saturday if you’re interested...
Richard Lamacraft (ex-TUFC) plays for Witheridge as does one of the individuals in this picture. Who?
Now, of course, if I was serious about such matters, the winter’s appalling weather would have offered a heaven-sent opportunity with all those re-arranged fixtures on just about every day of the week. James Wright of the Non League Paper tells me he’s so busy compiling results that he’s virtually no time to go to midweek games other than to see the mighty Taunton Town.
But, on the other hand, the backlog is a gift to the Mr Barmcakes of this world who – having now moved to the West Riding – is stealthily on track to exceed his 370+ total of last season. I’ve not seen too much of Mr Barmcake myself this season, my last spotting of him being at Hayle on Good Friday where he was stood by a corner flag taking - in customary fashion - hundreds upon hundreds of photographs. Apparently the urge to photograph has taken such a hold that he can no longer be relied upon to provide the correct scorelines from the games he watches.
Hayle on Good Friday? Ah yes, I just happened to be down in Cornwall and it was the occasion of the annual Easter Groundhop (not that I managed more than two of the seven games). A crowd of 400, ten times the normal turnout at Hayle and - of the additional 360 - I guess a fair number spent the ninety minutes talking about all manner of things other than the game in question. Aside from the chatter there was an eerie silence, broken only by the recording of goal and booking times on innumerable charts and speadsheets. Furthermore, I fear the secretary of a leading Southern League club in the region is now pitifully reduced – between pasties - to logging the times of when the ball hits the woodwork.
And what can I tell you of Hayle? Windy, foul weather (it hailed); tidy clubhouse and stand; barren treeless landscape. Also that Wayne Quinn – Sheffield United, Newcastle United and England U21 – plays for them.
Picture of Hayle’s ground from Geograph:
And so to last Sunday’s visit to Galmpton Gents. Not strictly in the countryside, I suppose, but a good stopover between sampling the new cafe at Berry Head (impressed but can they do something about that loudly shutting door?) and walking through to Paignton via Broadsands and Goodrington (the new Red Rock cafe certainly being on my "return list"). In case you’ve missed the story, Galmpton Gents is a merger of Galmpton United and Torbay Gents. They play next to the main road and Churston GS on a pitch which has been turned through 90 degrees in recent years. Another tidy clubhouse, dug outs, a stand more suited to the pitch’s former alignment and a pitch which is fenced and roped off. The basics for the SWPL really.
Sunday’s game against Appledore was – as they say – a lively affair. Not the strongest of referees, plenty of keen challenges for man rather than ball and a colourful manager in the shape of Galmpton’s Adam Kerswell. Indeed, Mr Kerswell only appeared to open his mouth when it came to matters regarding the referee. No encouraging his players; no tactical advice; just abuse towards the referee. Most curious. The highlight for me was this little exchange: Referee: "If you want to say anything, say it to me afterwards". Manager: "I’m not ****ing talking to you, just read my ****ing report". He didn’t last too long on the touchline after that. Gents? I think not on this occasion.
Nonetheless a decent affair won 3-2 by Appledore. Galmpton seemed to suffer from playing games on both the Saturday and Sunday as well as from some of their players appearing in a Sunday cup final in the morning before playing again in the afternoon. That, I imagine, is one of the bugbears of football at that level: players who opt to play for both Saturday and Sunday teams. That’s okay to a point but I hear of Southern League players at some of the Somerset clubs who deliberately choose not to sign contracts so they can play both Saturday football (for payment) and Sunday football (for “expenses”).
Galmpton Gents: static.panoramio.com/photos/original/23282733.jpg
Now, by the time I’d been to Galmpton, I’d checked the fixtures and could see a rocky path to addiction and insanity opening up: Truro on Thursday (well, I’m down there working, aren’t I?); Buckland on Friday (on the way home, isn’t it?); somewhere on Saturday; Bickleigh on Sunday (the Exe Valley is lovely at this time of the year); Exeter Civil Service on Monday (a local derby against Alphington just ten minutes walk from home). Hang on, hang on – I think I’m turning into Mr Barmcake here.
Buckland gets the chop and I’m sure I can do something other than watch Bickleigh v Appledore on Sunday (however nice that pub by the river) and – as for the Civils on Monday – that’s gloriously snookered by a text from a mate in Newcastle suggesting a visit to Argyle instead (when it’ll be my pleasure to be an away supporter at Gnome Park). On that basis I think I can skip a visit to the addiction clinic and slip in a game today....
Ah, Witheridge, one of the rising teams in Devon football, financially supported by someone or the other (Devonshire Homes perhaps?): in the middle of lovely countryside and holding their own in the SWPL Premier (with brand new floodlights to boot). Worth a look sometime, surely?
Hands up, if you’ve been to Witheridge. On the old main road between Tiverton and South Molton in high country. Quiet and relatively prosperous I’d say. And, for my guide, a Torquay United supporter who spent the first six years of his life there and knew enough to say “that used to be the school; that was a pub; that was a shop”. Who we wonder lives there now? Professionals commuting to Barnstaple and Tiverton? The retired who favour countryside rather than coast? Home workers? Probably not - we contend - too many of the agricultural labouring classes whose family names adorn the tombstones in the cemetery. Having said that, we got the impression that the ladies in the tea room at the football club had fifty or sixty years' accumulated gossip to share.
But, whoever lives in Witheridge these days, not too many of them make it along to the football (where attendances average 84 according to the SWPL site). But, for today at least, there was a relatively substantial away following of around a dozen. Yes, St Blazey were in town: the noisiest fans in the league with the most flags. I tell you there was quite an atmosphere in the main stand.
Alas, the game itself wasn’t so hot. End of season stuff, I suppose. A half-decent first-half; lots of endeavour; missed chances; a referee who saw little. A game which needed a goal but didn’t get one until St Blazey scored just before the end by which time we were deep in conversation about matters Plainmoor (with our musings punctuated by updates from Taunton where Ryan Ashford – ex-TUFC- was running riot for VT FC) . But, nonetheless, a good place to visit on yet another fine spring afternoon. There’s another game at Witheridge tomorrow, one on Wednesday and one on Saturday if you’re interested...
Richard Lamacraft (ex-TUFC) plays for Witheridge as does one of the individuals in this picture. Who?
