No.3 - Weds. 19th August 2009; Kershaw Cambs County League Senior B Division 6.15pm at the Fowlmere S&S, London Road, Fowlmere, nr Royston, Cambs.
Matchday images (12) >view> Fowlmere FC (1) 1 Great Chesterford (1) 4
Saved penalty proves turning point!
What a great competition this is! Where else would you find clubs with such unusual sounding names as Saffron Crocus FC, Helions Bumpstead FC, Linton Granta FC and West Row Gunners FC? The Cambridgeshire County League, sponsored by Kershaws, certainly has its fair share of weird and wonderful village football club names within its ranks. No other competition can surely beat this one when it comes to such quirkiness. Now you can add Fowlmere FC to that list. The Sports and Social Club, based on the outskirts of the beautiful and picturesque village, one of southernmost in Cambridgeshire, is set in open countryside close to the famous Duxford Air Museum on the A505. The first team has just just gained promotion and will compete in the Senior B division (the third tier of the CCL) for 2009-2010. Many travellers (particularly those based in the East of England) will be familiar with postings made this on site by super hopper and FGIF correspondent Brian Buck to publicise the annual Fowlmere Charity Cup competition held here at the end of each season. As is customary in this particular league, the opening programme of fixtures usually commences during a midweek with plenty of early evening kick-offs to titilate the ambitious hopper. Tonight the annual curtain raiser would be a tough debut for Fowlmere as the club welcomed opponents Great Chesterford FC (from Saffron Walden) to the London Road ground. The game turned out to be a real cracker. Fowlmere got off to the perfect start when Rob Cripps (4) met the ball, crossed to the edge of the area, with a low drive that found its way through a group of players and into the bottom corner of the net. The goal certainly caught out some of the spectators who were still making their way over from the bar to pitchside. This definitely inspired the hosts, dressed in garish illuminous yellow and black striped shirts, to press for a second. But no one could have predicted what would happen next. The two incident packed minutes which followed certainly changed the outcome of the entire game. Paul Middleton, a lean and hungry looking teenager, managed to beat the offside trap and dribbling the ball from a wide position into the six yard box, unleashed a fierce shot from an acute angle on goal. His effort easily beat the Chesterford 'keeper Daniel Chapman but was cleared off the line by the back-pedalling full back Leigh Thompson. The defender however had made a desperate lunge towards the ball and used his outstretched arm to prevent a goal being scored. Many felt he was indeed lucky not to receive his marching orders after the referee decided on the lesser punishment of a yellow card. Middleton himself took the spot kick but Chapman (12) guessed right and dived acrobatically to his left hand post to save the shot. Within a split second the quick thinking keeper kicked the ball straight out of his hands sending it down to the far end of the field. His long ball was struck with such force that it landed on the edge of the opposing penalty area taking his opposite number Paul Harben in the Fowlmere goal completely by surprise. The ball bounced over his head leaving him totally stranded. Zak Rayner (14) who had followed the flight of the ball beyond Harben had the simplest of chances when he ran onto its path and tapped it home from only two yards. It ended a breath-taking move leaving everyone present totally stunned. The visitors took control of the game and simply outclassed the league newcomers in the second half. Within four minutes of the restart keeper Harben pulled off a terrific save diving low to to deny Lee Baxter (49) from close range. Moments later agile Ben Hornby rose to challenge for a high ball with the home keeper but his effort was blocked. Before the ball was cleared he met it once again with his head and managed this time to send it over a group of defenders and into the net to give his side the lead. Adam Porter was close to adding a third when his effort inside the penalty area was adjudged offside. Rayner (77) had more luck though when he did beat the offside trap after running onto a well timed pass from John Lambert to place the ball calmly beyond the outstretched Harben. With only five minutes left David Wilson coming up to join the attack at a corner rose highest to place a bullet header into the back of the net making it 1-4. Fowlmere kept fighting but by full-time they had certainly met their match. The game was played in beautiful warm sunny conditions on a flat, well grassed and manicured surface. A crowd of just over forty spectators were in attendance most congregating in front of the social club alongside the touchline. Mrs W decided to place our picnic chairs in a more shaded area behind the goal. Shame we forgot the cheese and cucumber sandwiches! Like the majority of clubs in this division of the County League, Fowlmere sadly do not issue a matchday programme. However refreshments including drinks and snacks are available throughout the game from the bar in the clubhouse. The ground is also similar to many others found in this league in terms of its basic layout. The main entrance off London Road is signposted on the right hand side just before the High Street cross-roads. A long narrow driveway bends left before opening out into a large car park where there is plenty of availablle space. The site which shares with cricket comprises of a village hall/clubhouse with a players' changing pavilion located at the far end. The playing fields are bordered by neatly trimmed hedges and bushes to give it that more enclosed feel. Two football pitches are marked out on the site, separated by a cricket square in the middle of the field. The main pitch used for tonight's game is nearest to the S&S club buildings and adjacent children's playground. It is roped along each side. A series of picnic benches are laid out closeby to provide a decent view of the action for the more relaxed hopper. There is no cover (or dug-outs) so travellers should pick a decent day weatherwise to attend matches here. Planes from Stansted are a frequent distraction with commuters and holiday-makers using the overhead flightpath from London's third major airport. It was certainly a rewarding visit for the hoppers from racing HQ. Watching a terrific game of football on a lovely sunny summer evening in such beautiful surroundings was definitely a real treat. What more can a traveller want? A trip to Fowlmere FC comes highly recommended. The joys of hopping in villages with quirky names!! FGIF Match Stats Scorers: (H) Cripps (3) and (A) Rayner (14 and 77); Hornby (53); Wilson (85) Attendance: 42; Admission: N/A; Programme: N/A; Match rating: 4/5; Ground rating: 4/5. Links - Map edited 28/08/09
