Warlingham

I took the opportunity of visiting Warlingham, who play in the Combined Counties League First Division, on 5th May 2007, when they lost 3-1 at home to Frimley Green. You can't really get more basic than this. A simple roped off pitch in a public park, but no less enjoyable for it. an end of season match, but entertaining, on a sunny afternoon.



The "do's & don'ts" from the local council!



This was the only building, changing rooms, and a small tea room club house area. There was no licenced bar.



Teams helpfully displayed, for those who like to keep such records.



Along with a nice touch, greeting the visitors on it.



Here I'm on the halfway line, looking across to the dugouts.



A bit of goalmouth action.



And action on the ball, which shows the open parkland behind.



A look at the dugouts, with some of the roped off crowd just past them.



Again there's nothing to see, groundwise, just openness.



At a guess this was one of those 'groundhoppers'! ;-)



This was the tea bar, inside the main building, & after a can of coke for refreshment on a warm day I went home!

Worcester Park

Worcester Park play in Division One of the Combined Counties League, & I visited them in the 2007/08 season. A very basic roped off pitch, as you'd expect at this level, but with the 'bonus' of a small area of cover along the side. My visit was for a 1-1 draw with Farnham Town.



You have to cross this little bridge to get into the ground.



In the corner is the cricket scoreboard. Like many clubs at this level it is football in the winter, with ball & bat in the summer months.



Here we are in the corner of the pitch, looking over to the dugouts, with cover behind.



And behind this goal we see the club house, and changing room building.



Another look across the pitch, but with the rope and corner flag in view.



The open expanse of the roped off touchline area.



About to kick off, we glance across the pitch again.



And here we get both the covered stand and the clubhouse in view.



Behind the other goal is the railway station, so you can watch the match from the platform if you want! Note the park bench, set back a bit, but nice to laze on when it's a bit warmer.



A shot of the only built up part of the ground. Basic, but more than adequate, and not to say welcome, at this lowly level.



Decent steps of terracing under the cover.



And railed off, rather than roped, over here.



Past this corner we're back round to the club buildings.



Back along the 'built up' side there's a gate through to the adjacent bowling club. I have no idea who the "F. Lake" referred to on the gate is.



Looking down, by the dugouts, I go for an 'arty' shot!



A bit of action, taken from the same spot, which clearly shows how open the ground is.



Deliberately taken into the sun, just because I was curious how the photo would come out!



This is the Worcester Park player/manager Lee Mooney, who played for Dulwich Hamlet in the late eighties! Here he is coming off the bench, only to be refused permission to enter the field of play, as one of the officials picked up on the fact that some of the studs on his boot were missing!



So he had to change, and borrow someone elses boot to get onto the pitch!

Whitstable Town

Whitstable Town is another delightful ground on the Kent coast, currently in the Ryman League Division One South. I visited this for a Dulwich Hamlet game at the weekend. I've been here once before, for a Hamlet Youth Team John Ullmann Cup Final, in May 1994. I vaguely recall we lost to a dodgy penalty in the last minute; but it was back in my drinking days, so don't recall too much about the ground, so it was a pleasure to finally go back, having missed the previous Dulwich Hamlet First Team visits here, as I was working.





A few minutes before kick off, I approach the turnstiles.



The local paper gives good coverage of their matches.



One of our fans shows off his betting slips from the local William Hills, which offer correct score odds on all Whitstable Town games. Sadly he never had nil nil!



As you come through the turnstiles the bar is to the left, as is hard standing in front of it. But you can't go further down this side, as it's blocked off for the changing rooms & dugouts. So we will go round the ground anti-clockwise.



To the right, as you walk in is their club shop. They sell red & white bar scarves, hand knitted by the wife of the club chairman apparently!



The Club flag flutters in the wind, sadly I didn't quite get a full shot of it.



From this corner we look across to the stand on the far side, I loved the club name on the roof, and the lettering on this gate.



Here we see the tea bar, & the covered terrace behind this goal.



Before moving round we look back down the side, where you can see how fae spectators can go, to the end of the building.



The cover behind the goal, with path at the front.



A good shot of many of the Hamlet fans who'd travelled to the Kent coast...two from Belgium!



Moving round we continue past the covered terrace.



Here we look across to the strange dugouts. A modern one, to the right past the pylon, for the away team. The home staff & substitutes in the lder ones in front of the changing room building, to the left of the pylon.



Back behind the goal two Hamlet fans are engrossed in the match.



A lovely shot of the main stand.



Here we look back behind the goal, from the corner.



With a corner flag shot over to the dugouts.



Now we're heading down the other side, with the grass behind the path, within the ground, doubling up as an extension to the car park!



From here we look back behind the goal.



Moving along we reach the stand.



I go to the back & take a picture to the left.



And one to the right.



In the centre is the directors' box, for club officials, & assorted hangers on, no doubt!



To the side of the stand, at the far end, is this entrance.



Another look at the stand, from this end.



And it's open hard standing for the rest of our journey around the ground.



Now we've turned behind the goal, there appears to be a step of terrace right behind the goal.



Or is it? This looks like the concrete base for some sort of stand that hasn't been built.



Onto the far corner at this end, a look over to the main stand again.



And down the final side, that's a toilet block on the right.



From here we look back to the open end.



There's a children's playground along this side, and these strange 'stand alone' steps. Was there once steps all the way along?



The older home dugouts, in front of the changing rooms.



This is my good friend Nicolas, who travelled over from Namur, in Belgium, with his fiancee Danuta. If anyone from Whitstable Town stumbles across this post may I say a big thank you for giving them a name check in the programme.



Flags out behind the goal in the second half (nowhere to hang them properly in the first forty five minutes!) Note the Belgian flag on the left, and the Paris Saint Germian one! Nicolas is an ardent PSG fan.



In the middle is Jack McInroy, editor of the esteemed fans' journal the 'Hamlet Historian'. He is sitting with two Hamlet old boys, who played for the club in the early fifties!



Nicolas again, with the Dulwich Hamlet First Team manager Craig Edwards.



And as they shake hands it's time for us to say goodbye to Whitstable Town as well, one of the more delightful trips at a very friendly ground in the Ryman League Division One South.