Going to Cambridge Again

 

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	Sunday 30 August 2026 at Grange Road (Cambridge University Rugby Union FC)
Result	Cambridge United Women 3 Dulwich Hamlet Women 2
Competition	FA Women’s National League D1 South-East, in the fourth tier of the women’s pyramid.
Hopstats	Ground #816 on my list, and I am here pragmatically due to the fairly short journey. I’ve been here several times for rugby union games but Grange Road can now enter my main groundhopping spreadsheet. As a student I lived for four years in Cripps Court of Selwyn College, the building in the background of some of my photos.
Context
It’s early in the season. Cambridge United have started with a win and a defeat, Dulwich Hamlet with two draws.
Match Report
Cambridge did most of the early pressing but with no end product. Dulwich were restricted to occasional breaks in the classic away team method. The visiting support in particular brought some noise to the occasion and I found myself googling why they have the extremely quaint cowbells. Or extremely irritating if you are sat next to a small child equipped with one, trust me on this. Most Cambridge danger came from set pieces or crosses, and Dulwich had a goal disallowed for offside. When the visiting keeper Tia Ginn had to make two saves in quick succession I noted that it was just a matter of time before Cambridge scored. What do I know? An unselfish pass gave an easy chance for Dulwich’s Leila Emmerson after the home defensive line had been broken. The home side suddenly looked rather ragged but they also missed a good headed chance for Olivia Cooke as half-time approached. They had been wasteful whereas the visitors had been particularly efficient. Offside this time Cambridge started the second half well, though. A couple of times the ball did not quite drop nicely for them in the penalty area and I noted just before the hour that they probably deserved an equaliser. It soon came with a textbook downward header from a corner, Abbie Jackson on the scoresheet from Sophie Jeffery’s delivery. They then took the lead. A misplaced Dulwich pass in midfield allowed Mollie Coupar to step in and finish calmly. Another dangerous corner curled just wide as the home side asserted themselves once more and it was Dulwich’s turn to look disorganised. It took a good save from Ginn to keep the score at 2-1 but not for long. On 82 minutes, the ball fell nicely from a corner this time and sub Cheyanna Norman scored the home side’s third Credit to Dulwich who kept going and put the result in doubt with a goal of their own after 86 minutes through Summer Roberts, and they were to have another good chance with a shot that drifted wide. The home keeper Lauren Webb, who had had a busy afternoon, had to make a good brave save after a misplaced clearance in these final tense minutes. A draw would have been fair but Cambridge held on by going to the corner flag in the last seconds. At the end of the game, I walked past my old rooms in Cripps Court and hoped that whoever is installed in them for the new term next month will embrace the traditional sports of corridor cricket and yogurt-pot football that may have taken place (depends who’s asking) on M staircase in the 1970s.
So What?
United go third in the division after three games. Hamlet are ninth (of twelve) and with two draws in their other games, are still looking for their first league win of the season.
Pix
This ground has been upgraded to an artificial surface and is currently an unusual mix of the old and new. The wooden stand with its bench seats is the kind that gets some groundhoppers excited. Cambridge in amber and black.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, I initially assigned Red from a distance as the colour for the Hamlet ‘keeper, but this turned out to be incorrect. Definitely Pink. Cambridge’s ‘keeper was in classic Green. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Home Win Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 49 (108 from 222)
What Next?
Maybe I kick my professional prep down the line for another day and head out for a Bank Holiday Monday hop. Will depend on weather and traffic. (Spoiler : I was at Boston Town, blogpost to follow.)