It took me 45 years to visit the Abbey Stadium, where Cambridge United took on Teddy Sheringham's Stevenage, in what could be described as a local derby. Having first had contact with Cambridge United through football at the University in 1970, I had never been to their ground. I had been to and played at Cambridge City FC though-a bit nearer to the college.
So an Alumni weekend proved a perfect opportunity for me and my college chums to have a snack at the Plough at Green End and then watch some footy. The pub backs onto the river Cam, into which many a college rower had met his/her doom during the bumps. Our "footballers' boat" nearly sank a mere few yards away from the gawfawing beer drinkers in the pub garden, during May Bumps one summer.
Having been bumped and sent towards a tree stump in the river bank and "holed", bow 4 had to jump out of the boat, wade to the river path and carry their oars home-a matter of a few miles past thousands of amused watchers. Stern 4 rowed the wounded eight back to the boat yard. We were not charged for the damage-all in the name of sport.
My buddies and I were treated later, to a League Two Feast of long ball and much maul, football. As we entered the tidy, yellow and black stadium, the players were warming up near a corner flag which as you know stands 5 feet out of the ground. Most of the players seemed to dwarf the post, suggesting that this was going to be a mighty battle of giants. It was. Two balls left the stadium, beginning their trajectory from a large centre back's clearance.
The good news was the home programme (£3) which told me much about the community and the club. Very positive, lots of stuff about helping people get into football and informative.
At half time, the pitch (which was also very good), was covered by local junior players in a 5 aside game, some grown up sponsors who tried to hit the waste bins with a ball from about 40 yards-difficult with boots on, harder in high heels and probably pissed!!
The club mascot, Marvin the Moose, why?, seemed overwhelmed by the presence of a sponsors' mascot (at least a bloke in a Bob the Builder uniform) who silently greeted us at the gates. Moose was not amoosed.
We didn't imbibe the local fayre having stuffed ourselves with "sticky chicken" and other delights at the Plough, so we cannot judge the club's pies or ale....they would have been cheaper than the Plough's menu easily!
So for £19 (concession entry), which is significantly more than Barnsley FC (£12 north-south divide), we got to enjoy seats with little leg room, have a view of 95% of the pitch-that height measuring corner flag was not in view and a bonus was an eye catching mature lady fan, in a white top and green support, seated a couple of rows behind us.
With university and schools in mind, we had the pleasure of seeing CU's Harrison Dunk, a Millfield School ex pupil and Independent Schools' player, who played against my old school, Charterhouse in 2008. I learned from the programme that Oxford United have signed Durham University's physics graduate Jonny Giles, perpetual motion. Added to that, Ronnie Henry, who is Ron Henry's nephew, played for the opposition.=; see previous blog.
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/the-contents-of-claret-jug.html
It was an afternoon full of joy and good material for this blog!
I left Cambridge at 6am this morning, got to Huddersfield around 9.15, in time to watch Hepworth United Juniors U12 lose a very good game (2-4) to presently unbeaten Pudsey D! (in a Division 6 league match) who are top of the division. It has been a long day.
