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Dec. 9th, 2007 10:00 pmSet off at 8 am for the Hawk girls' League Cup tie at Carterton - no buses before 9 am on Sundays so had to walk to the Portsmouth ferry.
As the whole South of England has been having absolutely foul weather this weekend, there was to be a pitch inspection at about 9 or 9.30 so I spent the whole of the first leg of the train journey waiting for a phone call from Lisa to say the game was off. But my phone still hadn't rung when I arrived at Guildford around 10.10. As my mobile sometimes has problems receiving signals on that stretch of railway, I phoned Lisa from Guildford station to get the joyful news that the game was definitely on. Headed for the coffee kiosk for a celebratory latte with a shot of Irish Cream syrup.
Arriving at Oxford, I consulted a map at one of the bus stands outside the railway station to locate Magdalen Street, where I knew a bus to Carterton, the X1, went from. On the way there, walking along George Street I spotted, just yards away, a number 100 bus to...Carterton. I sprinted and just made it, thanks to a lady with a trolley-bag getting on slowly.
The bus called at a stop on the edge of Carterton, just walking distance from the sports field. I arrived there at 12.45 and soon spotted Trevor and Dick. There was a pavilion there with dressing rooms and loos, but nothing else - no food or drink, not even any vending machines. With no floodlights either, we were kicking off at 1.30 in case extra time was needed.
I'd seen something that looked like a shop in the distance down a nearby road, so told Trev I was going down there in search of a pub or some such place where I could get some lunch, but Trev said there was nothing down there. And the town centre was too far away to walk to and back in 40 minutes. Assuaging my hunger would have to wait until I got back to Oxford after the match.
Dick spotted just after I arrived that the sun was threatening to break through, and said he hoped that was an indicator of the afternoon's weather. No such luck. It was freezing throughout the match, though mercifully we had just a couple of spots of rain, during the first half. I was OK with my new Red Bull F1 rain jacket and my Thinsulate hat and gloves, but some of the other spectators weren't too keen to come out of the pavilion again after half-time!
But the weather was soon forgotten as THE GIRLS WON 9-0! Our second was a peach - Jo slid in to win a tackle 25 yards out, and in so doing struck the ball on the volley and sent it lofting into the top corner! I was glad to see Abi, who played a stormer, net her first goal for Hawks, and Jodie get on the score sheet.
Had only a few minutes to wait for the bus back to Oxford. After wandering down a couple of streets in search of a pub offering a traditional Sunday roast - in vain - it was now 5pm and I was Hank Marvin, so needed little persuasion to enter the Halal Munch kebab house across the road from the train station and order a large Doner, chips and a Coke.
The board advertised burger sauce as one of those available, but sadly the owner had none today. He did, though, have barbecue sauce, which I'd never been offered on a Doner before so gave it a whirl - very tasty actually!
Came out of the kebab shop just after 5.30 and found myself with a 40 minute wait for the Guildford train. Browsed through some books in WH Smith in the station and, since I'd spent less than expected on today, found myself buying, for £6.99, an autobiography of a woman telling of her struggle with Tourettes and OCD. Skim-read bits of it on the station and on the train to Guildford (where I had to stand in the door area between carriages with five others, as the carriage seats were full - apart from two naughty people who'd bunged bags or jackets on the seat next to them - till Reading). It seemed quite an interesting and moving story.
At least from Guildford there was a non-stop train to Havant, then at Havant there was a Portsmouth train right behind that one. Home for a hot drink.
As the whole South of England has been having absolutely foul weather this weekend, there was to be a pitch inspection at about 9 or 9.30 so I spent the whole of the first leg of the train journey waiting for a phone call from Lisa to say the game was off. But my phone still hadn't rung when I arrived at Guildford around 10.10. As my mobile sometimes has problems receiving signals on that stretch of railway, I phoned Lisa from Guildford station to get the joyful news that the game was definitely on. Headed for the coffee kiosk for a celebratory latte with a shot of Irish Cream syrup.
Arriving at Oxford, I consulted a map at one of the bus stands outside the railway station to locate Magdalen Street, where I knew a bus to Carterton, the X1, went from. On the way there, walking along George Street I spotted, just yards away, a number 100 bus to...Carterton. I sprinted and just made it, thanks to a lady with a trolley-bag getting on slowly.
The bus called at a stop on the edge of Carterton, just walking distance from the sports field. I arrived there at 12.45 and soon spotted Trevor and Dick. There was a pavilion there with dressing rooms and loos, but nothing else - no food or drink, not even any vending machines. With no floodlights either, we were kicking off at 1.30 in case extra time was needed.
I'd seen something that looked like a shop in the distance down a nearby road, so told Trev I was going down there in search of a pub or some such place where I could get some lunch, but Trev said there was nothing down there. And the town centre was too far away to walk to and back in 40 minutes. Assuaging my hunger would have to wait until I got back to Oxford after the match.
Dick spotted just after I arrived that the sun was threatening to break through, and said he hoped that was an indicator of the afternoon's weather. No such luck. It was freezing throughout the match, though mercifully we had just a couple of spots of rain, during the first half. I was OK with my new Red Bull F1 rain jacket and my Thinsulate hat and gloves, but some of the other spectators weren't too keen to come out of the pavilion again after half-time!
But the weather was soon forgotten as THE GIRLS WON 9-0! Our second was a peach - Jo slid in to win a tackle 25 yards out, and in so doing struck the ball on the volley and sent it lofting into the top corner! I was glad to see Abi, who played a stormer, net her first goal for Hawks, and Jodie get on the score sheet.
Had only a few minutes to wait for the bus back to Oxford. After wandering down a couple of streets in search of a pub offering a traditional Sunday roast - in vain - it was now 5pm and I was Hank Marvin, so needed little persuasion to enter the Halal Munch kebab house across the road from the train station and order a large Doner, chips and a Coke.
The board advertised burger sauce as one of those available, but sadly the owner had none today. He did, though, have barbecue sauce, which I'd never been offered on a Doner before so gave it a whirl - very tasty actually!
Came out of the kebab shop just after 5.30 and found myself with a 40 minute wait for the Guildford train. Browsed through some books in WH Smith in the station and, since I'd spent less than expected on today, found myself buying, for £6.99, an autobiography of a woman telling of her struggle with Tourettes and OCD. Skim-read bits of it on the station and on the train to Guildford (where I had to stand in the door area between carriages with five others, as the carriage seats were full - apart from two naughty people who'd bunged bags or jackets on the seat next to them - till Reading). It seemed quite an interesting and moving story.
At least from Guildford there was a non-stop train to Havant, then at Havant there was a Portsmouth train right behind that one. Home for a hot drink.
