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Turning The Town Red
Aug. 2nd, 2021 09:45 pmTo London on Saturday for Clapton Community's pre-season friendly with Cuffley. Bought a can of Red Stripe in the Matchday Centre bar but it poured out of the can funny, making an almighty mess on the table. On inspection by the barmaid, it turned out to be iced. So was the next can she opened, but third time was lucky.
The game was played on the 3G pitch, so we had to stand around the outside of the cage to watch. That prompted some discussion as to whether this would count as ticking the ground for groundhopping purposes. I got talking to several of the CCFC faithful, including Simon, a Scouser who gave me one of his Peroni beers. Everyone was looking forward to next week's trip to Manchester to play FC United. We noticed that despite the reasons we'd been told we had to play on the 3G (repairing of a fence on the main pitch, and reseeding the pitch of the Stray Dog) there was no work being done on either pitch. Meanwhile, it wasn't long before the game became one-sided and CCFC ran out 9-2 winners.
On my way back to the tube station I noticed Clapton Craft beer were still open. I popped in to browse and bought a Black Forest gateau imperial stout I hadn't heard of, Wald, from a London brewery also new to me, Hammerton.
Yesterday another trip to the capital to see the CCFC women's team in an away friendly with Brentford - back at Bedfont Sports, the ground on the doorstep of Heathrow.
Changing trains at Clapham Junction, I was shocked to see all the food and drink outlets gone from the concourse. Where they all normally stood there were just empty spaces and an unrelieved view of the back wall. Digby's coffee, the one fixed outlet, was shut. The Pumpkin coffee bar on the platform was open but by the time I reached the platform there wasn't time to get a cuppa before my train left.
So I had to get lunch in Feltham. On the walk from the station to the ground, I passed a couple of take-away fried chicken places but nowhere with eat-in seats, until finally I reached a pub, The Green Man. Had an excellent chicken wrap and sweet potato fries there. Alas, they were out of Parma Violet cider. From there, made the leisurely stroll to the ground where I met a couple of the girls and one of the coaches sitting at the tables between the clubhouse and the pitch and said hello.
Watched some Olympic athletics, including the men's 100 metre final (Zharnel Hughes' false start was a shock; never imagined I'd see an Italian win 100m gold) over a berries Old Mout in the bar.
Paul and one other CCFC fan were present, so we watched the game together, periodically chatting with club photographer Nick before kick-off and at half time. Sophia Axelsson, one of our goalkeepers, played the whole game at right back and did well. Lucy Spours, Emily Link and Maria Mendonca had great games. Polly Adams did well in goal. We lost 1-0 but that was no disgrace away to a team one league higher.
Train home to Fareham, and on to the Crofton pub where the family were gathered for a celebration meal for my cousin Sam's birthday (she'd travelled down from Malvern for a few days). I sat with my cousin Gayle and her boyfriend Paul and we chatted about the Olympics. After a Southern fried chicken burger, I ordered a three scoop Amaretto sorbet for dessert but ten minutes later a waitress informed me that they only had enough Amaretto sorbet for a single scoop. I had to top it up with two scoops of champagne sorbet. Meanwhile people were making plans for Sam's next visit next month, with a day trip to the Isle of Wight suggested.
As I hadn't had much chance to chat to Sam last night, met her and her sister Jacqui this afternoon in my local. We talked past holidays and future travel hopes over ciders and watched the GB ladies' hockey team beat Spain in a shoot-out on the big screen, then they went off to treat themselves round the shops.
The game was played on the 3G pitch, so we had to stand around the outside of the cage to watch. That prompted some discussion as to whether this would count as ticking the ground for groundhopping purposes. I got talking to several of the CCFC faithful, including Simon, a Scouser who gave me one of his Peroni beers. Everyone was looking forward to next week's trip to Manchester to play FC United. We noticed that despite the reasons we'd been told we had to play on the 3G (repairing of a fence on the main pitch, and reseeding the pitch of the Stray Dog) there was no work being done on either pitch. Meanwhile, it wasn't long before the game became one-sided and CCFC ran out 9-2 winners.
On my way back to the tube station I noticed Clapton Craft beer were still open. I popped in to browse and bought a Black Forest gateau imperial stout I hadn't heard of, Wald, from a London brewery also new to me, Hammerton.
Yesterday another trip to the capital to see the CCFC women's team in an away friendly with Brentford - back at Bedfont Sports, the ground on the doorstep of Heathrow.
Changing trains at Clapham Junction, I was shocked to see all the food and drink outlets gone from the concourse. Where they all normally stood there were just empty spaces and an unrelieved view of the back wall. Digby's coffee, the one fixed outlet, was shut. The Pumpkin coffee bar on the platform was open but by the time I reached the platform there wasn't time to get a cuppa before my train left.
So I had to get lunch in Feltham. On the walk from the station to the ground, I passed a couple of take-away fried chicken places but nowhere with eat-in seats, until finally I reached a pub, The Green Man. Had an excellent chicken wrap and sweet potato fries there. Alas, they were out of Parma Violet cider. From there, made the leisurely stroll to the ground where I met a couple of the girls and one of the coaches sitting at the tables between the clubhouse and the pitch and said hello.
Watched some Olympic athletics, including the men's 100 metre final (Zharnel Hughes' false start was a shock; never imagined I'd see an Italian win 100m gold) over a berries Old Mout in the bar.
Paul and one other CCFC fan were present, so we watched the game together, periodically chatting with club photographer Nick before kick-off and at half time. Sophia Axelsson, one of our goalkeepers, played the whole game at right back and did well. Lucy Spours, Emily Link and Maria Mendonca had great games. Polly Adams did well in goal. We lost 1-0 but that was no disgrace away to a team one league higher.
Train home to Fareham, and on to the Crofton pub where the family were gathered for a celebration meal for my cousin Sam's birthday (she'd travelled down from Malvern for a few days). I sat with my cousin Gayle and her boyfriend Paul and we chatted about the Olympics. After a Southern fried chicken burger, I ordered a three scoop Amaretto sorbet for dessert but ten minutes later a waitress informed me that they only had enough Amaretto sorbet for a single scoop. I had to top it up with two scoops of champagne sorbet. Meanwhile people were making plans for Sam's next visit next month, with a day trip to the Isle of Wight suggested.
As I hadn't had much chance to chat to Sam last night, met her and her sister Jacqui this afternoon in my local. We talked past holidays and future travel hopes over ciders and watched the GB ladies' hockey team beat Spain in a shoot-out on the big screen, then they went off to treat themselves round the shops.
