No.15 - Sat 22nd October 2011; Anglian Combination League Cyril Ballyn Cup Round 2;             1.30pm at the Britannia Baracks, Britannia Road, Mousehold, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 4HJ.

Matchday images (43) https://picasaweb.google.com/footballgroundsinfocus/CNSOBUFC

CNSOBU (0) 7  Hemsby (1) 1

CN is believing!

It's another lovely sunny Autumn day and once again we're off on the local cup football trail. Today sees the trusty (ish) Wraymobile head towards the outskirts of Norwich for some Cyril Ballyn Cup action. Open to teams that play in Division Two and lower of the Anglian Combination League, this is without doubt one of my favourite competitions which from past experience has usually produced some very exciting games. Indeed it was in the same round last season that we saw Aylsham based minnows Buxton FC lose 13-1 at the hands of a strong and merciless Attleborough Town side to create a new personal hopping goalscoring record. Bring it on!

Our destination is the magnificent Britannia Barracks, found just off Plumstead Road behind Norwich Prison. This is home to the uniquely abbreviated CNSOBU Football Club. Forget QPR, WBA or even Norwich CEYMS, there surely can't be many sides in the whole of the UK whose entire name is made up of such a lengthy acronym. In case you were wondering the letters taken together stand for the 'City of Norwich School Old Boys Union'. Did you guess right? No, we didn't either! As an aside one of my twins suggested something completely different but it is much too rude to print here without upsetting the PC police.

It appears that the once proud tradition where former pupils represented the school has seemingly been lost over the years and the team is no longer made up of students from this prestigious educational institution now referred to as CNS. However a new club ethos appears to have grown in more recent times with many of the players now drawn from the local Spanish or Portuguese community. I was reliably informed that at least six squad members playing today were from this ethnic persuasion.   

For the record CNSOBU is currently the lowest placed first team playing in the entire Anglian Combination League. Before the match today the club lies in tenth position (out of 14) in division six or 102nd in the whole league! By contrast high-flying visitors Hemsby are encouragingly at the moment sitting in runners-up spot in the Third Division, some fifty-three places higher in the rankings. On paper then it appeared that a comfortable away win (with a few goals thrown in for good measure) would be on the cards. However, no-one, not even the neutral hopping punters standing pitchside, could have foreseen the outcome of this one. It was certainly the stuff that hopping dreams are made of!!

Unsurprisingly it was the visitors from the east coast who took control of the game straight from the off. With barely two minutes gone on the clock Hemsby opened the scoring when tricky forward Louis Holdworth's speculative long range shot somehow found its way past Sean Bailey in the home goal. Just when we thought this was the start of a possible landslide defeat for the young home side they battled hard and equalised inside ten minutes when the skilful Armlin Alves netted from distance with a cracking strike. This was no fluke and moments later Jon Budderburo (17), with the help of Rob Pryers, volleyed superbly to add a second. By the interval the homesters dressed in red and white had notched a third when Amed Diallo (42) drilled home from the edge of the box to set up what was becoming a bit of a Cyril Ballyn banana skin.

As the game entered its last third it was clear that Hemsby were becoming increasingly frustrated when Steve George pulled down Oisin Gomez in the area. The CNSOBU forward stepped up to slot the ball home from the spot (63) to take the score to 4-1. Moments later Pryers (66) added a fifth from close range after good work by Budderburo inside the area. The rout was finally completed in the last ten minutes with further goals coming from Ally Bade (82) with a neat turn and strike from a tight angle and then Gil Bonito (90) who lobbed the hapless backpedalling Bailey from 25 yards out. Incredibly the hosts had won 7-1, each goal being scored by a different player, to book themselves a place in the Third Round(1). For the football neutral this most unexpected result certainly contributed to what had been a most exciting game. Don't you just love cup upsets?!!      

The match played on a superbly well grassed surface was attended by only 13 spectators. I was joined pitchside by ace FGIF correspondent and fellow Norwich based hopper Gyles Basey-Fisher who had decided to watch the game after his previously arranged Spanish Hop had bitten the dust. Having known Gyles for many years it was really great to catch up with plenty of amusing hopping anecdotes from times gone by as well as sharing a comprehensive round-up of things to do with our more recent football travels. What he doesn't know about the local football scene can be written on the back of a fag packet!! Arriving with only a few minutes to spare before kick-off (as usual) I was totally indebted to Gyles for his superb organisation in helping me out with those all important team line-ups. Cheers mate!

So what's the ground like? Found in a most spectacular setting, this definitely is a terrific location for any football ground connoisseur to watch a game. Access from Plumstead Road leads the visitor via the narrow Britannia Road along the edge of Mousehold Heath, an elevated woodland area offering terrific panoramic views over the city of Norwich. It is breathtaking! This is also the site of the Britannia Barracks, an imposing building that once provided a suitable place for volunteer Military Training to counter the threat of Napoleonic France. In the wake of British Army reforms it later became home of the Royal Norfolk Regiment in the 1880's. Today most of the buildings are now part of the adjacent Norwich prison (temporary home to some infamous male residents including, amongst others, Donald Neilson, Reggie Kray and Ronnie Biggs) which dominates the leafy surroundings and offers a truly surreal backdrop to the action.

With no dedicated parking spaces on site it is possible to leave your car safely along Britannia Road and nip (or should that be hop?) through the hedge to reach the adjacent playing field. Surrounded by large trees, fencing and local housing the venue has an enclosed feel to it. The main (and only) unroped pitch is found on the far side of the field with a smart elevated whitewashed pavilion at the 'prison end' which provides changing accommodation for players and officials. As expected there are no spectator facilities, dug-outs or refreshment provision at the ground but who cares when you're in hopping heaven?!

Without doubt it had been another cracking day out. Watching an exciting game in beautiful weather, set in a fantastic location and in great company, what more can an enthusiastic traveller really want? It was also another personal goal fest (my twelfth game of the season to produce five or more goals). I won't get too carried away as I know a goalless draw is only just around the hopping corner. With another tick off the Anglian Combination ground list I am now left with only a handful of clubs 'to do' in the competition (which by sheer coincidence includes Hemsby and the new Sprowston Wanderers base which Gyles told me is now at Thorpe School). The joys of watching teams with quirky names...have fun wherever you go!

NOTE (1). Travellers may be interested to know that CNSOBU FC will now meet Thorpe Village in the CBC Third Round here at the Barracks on the 19/11/11 (kick-off at 13:30)...  

FGIF Match Stats

Scorers: (H) A Alves (10); J Budderburo (17); A Diallo (42); O Gomez (63pen); R Pryers (66); A Bade (82) and G Bonito (90) and    (A) L Holsworth (2)

Attendance: 13; Admission and Programme: None; Match rating: 5/5; Ground rating: 4/5.

Links

http://www.angliancombination.org.uk/

edited on 23/10/11