No.2 - Sat. 15th August 2009; Herts Senior County League Division 1 3.00pm at the King George V Recreation Ground, Bradway, Whitwell, Hitchin, Herts.
Matchday images (19) >view> Whitwell AFC (1) 1 Harpenden Rovers (0) 1 A memorable day!
For a self-confesssed sports junkie this was definitely going to be a very special day! In fact I just couldn't wait for it to start. By ten o'clock I was almost drooling as the titles came up on the TV to announce the start of the 12th IAAF Athletics Championships in Berlin, coverage on the Beeb. Before the intro music had faded I was already sitting on the edge of my seat, Athletics Weekly in hand, preparing for nine days of what would be unmissable track and field action. Since I first bought this esteemed publication as a gangly teenager my addiction to rankings lists still remains as strong as ever they did back in 1972. Today was no exception with the bumper edition devoting no less than thirty pages covering stats for every event taking place in these games. What an anorak!! For me one name stood out above the others: Jessica Ennis, a diminuitive but perfectly formed heptathlete fom Sheffield, who looked on paper, to be in with a shout of a medal for Great Britain. A rare occurrence these days. It was definitely going to be compulsive viewing...I digress. By half past twelve the champion elect had already amassed over 2200 points having successfully completed the first two opening events recording 12.93 secs in the 100m Hurdles and 1.92m in the High Jump. Conveniently for us there would now be an afternoon break before the next event (the Shot) which started this evening. But there was still no time to rest and with only a few hours to spare our attention now turned to football and what a feast we had in store! In the time you it takes you to say Football Grounds in Focus the Wraymobile was heading south along the A505 on its way into leafy Hertfordshire. Our chosen game today was the Senior County League fixture at Whitwell AFC in the club's Division one game against Harpenden Rovers. But before arriving at the King George V Recreation Ground our attention was drawn to events on Radio 5 Live where the first Premier League game of the new season between Chelsea and the mighty Tigers had kicked off. As we approached Baldock something very special happened. The was a stunned silence followed by mass hysteria as new signing Stephen Hunt had just scored for Hull against the run of play. It was all too much. Overcome with emotion we couldn't quite believe it. Despite heavy pressure my beloved football team had taken the lead scoring the first Premier League goal of the season. As expected it didn't last long though before the equaliser came but that didn't matter. Within five minutes we had pulled up at the Bull public house in the village of Whitwell and ordered drinks and nibbles. The hostelry which doubles as the football club's headquarters is run by an old Everton die-hard called Steve; a lovely bloke. As Chelsea snatched a winner at the death he glanced across the bar with a sympathetic eye knowing that our favourite club had lost the game in such a cruel way! I digress again. Whitwell AFC make a welcome return to the Herts Senior County League this season for the first time since 1992 after leaving to join the North Herts League. The club is fortunate in having a dedicated committee who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Affable, hard working and enthusiastic club chairman Denis Jared is like a breath of fresh air. Fondly referred to as the 'oldest hippy in town' by landlord Steve, his sustained efforts have enabled the club to take advantage of a Football Foundation Grant to build a new pavilion on land close to the main entrance. Work has already started and the new facility should be ready by the start of next season. As we arrived Dennis greeted us warmly and gave us a brief history of the club. He then led us into the old wooden pavilion. What an amazing building this is! One wall is completed covered with framed team line-ups and news cuttings collated since the club was formed. Dennis gave us a copy of the new matchday programme which he had penned for today's game. What a terrific surprise. It's amazing how eight colour photocopied pages can uplift the spirits... The game, played on a sloping but well grassed surface, was a keenly fought contest. The youngsters from Whitwell, dressed in their new red and black striped shirts, adapted well to life in the their new league. The lads dominated most of the first half with some neat passing play and created several goal scoring chances. A spell of early pressure eventually paid off when Aaron Welch (10) moved on to a through pass, turned in space on the edge of the area and drilled the ball past Neil Ring in the Rovers goal. Another Aaron, this one with the surname of Harvey, thought he had doubled his side's lead when he beat his marker to score. The striker was adjudged to have been in an offside position when he recieved the ball and so the effort was rightly ruled out. Whitwell managed to hold on to their slender lead going in to the half-time break. The second half was a different story though as Rovers came back into the game. The hosts were certainly under the cosh and their young giant of a 'keeper Adam Mardell (over six and a half feet tall) featured heavily in proceedings. Just when it looked as though the league debutants had done enough to take all three points Oliver Poole broke through on the home goal and was felled in the area before shooting. Rovers had a chance to equalise. James Eyre stepped up to place the ball perfectly in the corner and beyond Mardell to earn his club a share of the points. It was a cruel blow for Whitwell but for the neutral it was a fair result. The game was watched in baking hot conditions by a only a handful of spectators. Fellow hopper and non league officianado Tony Incenzo had joined me pitchside. He had eventually decided to make the relatively short journey from home after hearing the club was issuing. Hopefully this will be a regular print run during the coming season. I say this on behalf of all hoppers who often miss out when they find that many new clubs stop producing after the first few games. In conversation with Dennis Jared I felt confident that his club will go on to do this for the rest of the season. But check first just in case. Although the ground is only a few miles from junction 6 of the A1(M) at Welwyn Garden City, it is surprisingly set in beautiful rolling countryside marked with wonderful vistas all round. The entrance, signposted, off Bradway leads to a tight car park. Access at the moment is restricted by a number of high metal safety and security fences which surround the ongoing building work. After negotiating these you enter the playing field at the bottom corner. To the right and set at angle is the old wooden changing pavilion from where refreshments are dispensed during the afternoon. The main (and only) pitch is beyond a cricket square on the far side of the field. The playing area (which has quite a marked side to side slope) is fully roped off through thin plastic stakes around its perimeter. In some places, particularly on the far side where space is at a premium, the rope is attached to trees and a couple of wooden posts. Travellers will fully appreciate (if not salivate over) the 60 year old wooden stand which straddles the far touchline. It's an absolute gem and will appeal to all ground collectors. This would easily privide standing cover for up to fifty people but on a warm sunny afternoon like today the players understandably sat in front of this on plastic chairs. Together this side and the one behind the goal to the right give the ground a more enclosed feel unlike the rest of the venue which is more open being bordered by fields which stretch out away into the distance. The frequent distraction by Easy Jet planes travelling to and from neighbouring Luton Airport remind you once again that the urban sprawl is not far away. With plans to develop the site these are exciting times for Whitwell Football Club which boasts a thriving community ethos running several other sides in women's, junior and Sunday Football. A visit to this friendly, well run club is to be highly recommended. You will not be disappointed by what you find here and there's the added bonus of a programme for all paper chasers out there. We were well impressed on what for us was quite a monentous day. The joys of multi sport tasking continue!! FGIF Match Stats Scorers: (H) Welch (10) and (A) Eyre (83) Attendance: 14; Admission: Donation; Programme: Free, 8pp; Match rating: 3/5; Ground rating: 4/5. Links - Map edited 16/08/09
