Love 2, Actually

Specimen Programme from a recent game

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Monday 23 April 2018 at The Spencer Recreation Ground
Result	Sandridge Rovers 2 Ware Sports 1
Competition	Hertfordshire Senior County League Premier Division (Step 7)
Hopstats	Ground 643 on the lifetime list, and I am here for a Monday evening kickoff in the sunshine because I’m up-to-date with my marking and for a long-overdue visit to a ground close to home.
Context
Both teams doing well in the division, and Sandridge will be seeking revenge for a big defeat in the reverse fixture.
In one sentence
Credit to both teams as you wouldn’t have known this was an end-of-season fixture played mainly for pride, and it was a game settled by an unusual free-kick.
So what?
The teams are 5th and 2nd in the league, with Bovingdon romping away to the title.  A few teams have an insane number of fixtures to complete.  Unofficially I predict both teams could get overtaken by one of them to end the season 6th and 3rd, but no lower.
Match Report
The match started in breezy conditions and both teams took a few minutes to get used to the flight and bounce of the ball.  Sandridge took the lead with a cross from the left wing.  Sean Mboto had already made his presence felt with speed and directness, and his cross was poked in from close range by Stuart Love. Rayston Whyte was the standout player for Ware early on and his efforts in midfield created their first good chance, blocked by Warren Bell in the home goal.  It remained a good contest throughout the half, with plenty of effort and commitment. 1-0 Ware Sports improved after the break.  They were a few cm taller and newtons heavier (proper units for weight in this blog, oh yes) on average.  A Ware header just wide was followed by a rattling of the crossbar at the other end.  Bell then made a superb one-handed stop from a close range shot as the visitors gained control.  The equaliser was around the hour mark and a looping placed header from #5 who had stayed upfield after the corner.  1-1 at that stage was a fair reflection of the play, and I don’t think too many people would have complained if it had stayed that way. The winner had an element of surprise in that it came from a freekick given by the assistant referee when the away keeper had carried the ball out of his own area during a clearance.  You don’t see them given very often – I was at the other end so can’t comment further.  In the gathering gloom, Love kept the shot low (maybe as the wall jumped, I can’t be sure) and it found the bottom corner for his second goal.  Meanwhile, a jazz band was moving into the village hall for practice as the game came to an end.  The hectic and relentless pace of Hertfordshire life continues.  A good win for Sandridge and a sense of what might have been for Ware Sports. As a postscript, I’ve mentioned before in this blog that Sandridge have a couple of Yapps on the playing staff, and I was able to meet their father in the clubhouse afterwards.  A quick check of mutual family history knowledge and it is clear that there is a fair chance that we are related, maybe about eight generations back would be my guess subject to more research.  It’s a small world, but we are in the process of taking over the south-east en route to world domination. Thanks too to the very welcoming club officials who gave me some past programmes.  Much appreciated, gents.
Ground Pix
Match Pix
Sandridge in the black-and-white.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Orange at home to an eyeball-searing abomination that has to go in the Fire Cracker group.  Good job it is horses and not bulls in the adjacent field is all I am saying. Results so far after 143 fixtures: Based on conventional 3pts for a win, 1pt for a draw, but also -1pt for a goal conceded (GC) and +5pts for a clean sheet (CS).  Colours ranked on a points per game (PPG) basis. For new readers the odd .5 was caused by a shocking half-and-half shirt and the .1 was due to a substitute goalkeeper in a different colour.  The Fire Cracker colour was confirmed with the help of the social media team at Dulux UK.  All of this arises from a comment attributed to Petr Cech that orange is the best colour for a goalkeeper because it changes the behaviour of other players around the box. P W D L GC CS Pts PPG Red 10.0 5.0 1.0 4.0 11.0 3.0 20.0 2.000 Blue 37.1 16.0 7.0 14.1 52.0 14.0 73.0 1.968 Grey 45.5 21.0 10.0 14.5 73.5 12.0 59.5 1.308 Green 74.0 36.0 10.0 28.0 123.0 19.0 90.0 1.216 Purple 14.0 6.0 3.0 5.0 31.0 4.0 10.0 0.714 Fire Cracker 3.0 1.0 0.0 2.0 6.0 1.0 2.0 0.667 Maroon 5.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 9.0 1.0 3.0 0.600 Orange 31.5 10.0 7.0 14.5 50.5 6.0 16.5 0.524 Radioactive Bile 15.0 7.0 0.0 8.0 30.0 2.0 1.0 0.067 Yellow 31.0 8.0 7.0 16.0 65.0 5.0 -9.0 -0.290 Pink 15.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 30.0 1.0 -8.0 -0.533 Black 5.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 14.0 0.0 -8.0 -1.600 White 1.9 0.0 0.0 1.9 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -2.105
What Next?
Follow @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!  Nothing specific planned as yet.

Aces of Herts

The new season's fashion statement for goalkeepers. See below.

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Saturday 2 September 2017 at Green Lane
Result	Bovingdon 4 Ware Sports 1
Competition	Hertfordshire Senior League Premier Division (Step 7)
Hopstats	Ground 614 on the lifetime list. I have to stay local today and this is the undoubted game of the day in my home county league.
Context
First plays second. Someone’s 100% league record will have to go.  Both sides have won all four games so far, but Bovingdon have a much better goal difference.
In one sentence
Bovingdon sprung the Ware Sports’ offside trap in the second half but were made to work harder than the scoreline suggests.
So what?
Bovingdon lead the division by two points and Ware Sports drop to fourth.  Belstone also have a 100% win record but from one game fewer.
Match Report
On one of the best playing surfaces I have ever seen at this level, Bovingdon took an early lead. Andrew Ofosu burst through with pace from the right and accelerated across the opposing keeper to score with a left-footed shot.  Ware Sports equalised rather against the run of play from the penalty spot just a few minutes later.  The game settled into a classic home-away pattern with Bovingdon having massively superior possession but Ware Sports looking dangerous on the break.  Ofosu was a continuous nuisance to the visitors, but Sports had a great chance just before the interval.  It needed a great block by the home keeper to hold the scores level. Bovingdon asserted themselves right after the break.  Their right-back broke the offside line with a run from deep, skated past the goalkeeper and smacked the ball into an empty net.  Within ten minutes they had a two-goal cushion with a straightforward goal, with Ofosu also having hit the post in the meantime.  One more goal was disallowed for handball. A goal for Ware at this point could have made things tense, but Bovingdon defended well enough.  After 82 minutes I saw my first soccer sin-binning.  The Herts County League is one of the pilot project participants.  I can’t express a meaningful opinion really – on this occasion there was no impact on the result.  Bovingdon added a late fourth to enhance their goal difference further, shortly after a penalty shout had been controversially denied.  They look a well-drilled and physically fit side who are equipped to make good use of their excellent home surface.  They have made an early statement that they can win the division this year.  Ware Sports won't be far behind.
Ground Pix
There are two adjacent pitches, completer-finishers please note! Bovingdon A team were drawing 0-0 on the other one.  Nice ground in the sunshine with a decent clubhouse and bar.
Match Pix
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats
Pink beats something that I am arbitrarily sticking with Orange, having thought about Trump and Fresh Volcanic Lava as alternatives.  Anybody wearing THAT with pink boots deserves to let in four if you ask me.  The stats are now based on 400 goals conceded in 113 games. Results so far: Based on conventional 3pts for a win, 1pt for a draw, but also -1pt for a goal conceded (GC) and +5pts for a clean sheet (CS).  Colours ranked on a points per game (PPG) basis. P W D L GC CS Pts PPG Red 8.0 4.0 0.0 4.0 8.0 3.0 19.0 2.38 Blue 28.1 11.0 5.0 12.1 44.0 10.0 44.0 1.57 Maroon 4.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 6.0 1.0 6.0 1.50 Grey 40.5 20.0 8.0 12.5 66.5 11.0 56.5 1.40 Green 55.0 26.0 7.0 22.0 95.0 15.0 65.0 1.18 Orange 23.5 8.0 4.0 11.5 38.5 5.0 14.5 0.62 Yellow 24.0 7.0 6.0 11.0 46.0 5.0 6.0 0.25 Purple 11.0 5.0 2.0 4.0 25.0 2.0 2.0 0.18 Pink 13.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 27.0 1.0 -6.0 -0.46 Radioactive Bile 12.0 5.0 0.0 7.0 26.0 1.0 -6.0 -0.50 Black 5.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 14.0 0.0 -8.0 -1.60 White 1.9 0.0 0.0 1.9 4.0 0.0 -4.0 -2.11
What Next?
Watch @GrahamYapp on Twitter for details!