I am heading to Ripe today with strawberries which seems appropriate in July. Ripe is in East Sussex near Lewes, a town with a football club known as the Rooks. I played there in the 1970s encouraged by my school PE teacher, Ray Smith, to travel by Vespa from my home to practice and play. He thought I could cope with the standard of football in the Isthmian League at the ripe old age of 18. I continued to play for Lewes when I was at university travelling to either Lewes or a London region club at Weekends. We had a decent side, good enough to hold our own in the division and to win the Sussex county cup.
Today, the Rooks play in the Bostick Isthmian Division One, the club owned by the fans after a few years of mismanagement. Lewes is a community club which runs junior and women's teams.
The stadium is known as the Dripping Pan, a ground used for cricket from 1730 and football since 1885.
The "Pan" may have been dug out as a salt pan, Lewes being on a tidal River Ouse or the spoil was used to build a motte and bailey for William the Conqueror. There is a noticeable "mount" and the pitch is surrounded by banking which acts as a natural terrace. The ground has been developed to meet modern standards, limited by planning that protects the listed flint walls surrounding the stadium. Apologies for no pretty picture, I'm having a bit of a problem with my inserts.
No comments:
Post a Comment