Chessington & Hook United - Chalky Lane

Chessington & Hook United FC

Chalky Lane
Chessington
Surrey
KT9 2NF

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Ground Number: 344
Friday 21st March 2014
Chessington & Hook United 0-1 Cove
Combined Counties League - Premier Division










CHESSINGTON & HOOK FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was founded in 1921 as CHESSINGTON, joining the Kingston and District Football League. They were Division 4 champions in 1923 but were relegated back in 1929. After World War 2, the club joined the Sutton & District League. They finished bottom of the league in 1946, failing to win a match and drawing only twice, and were placed in Division 2 for the following season. After finishing bottom in 1948, they were relegated to Division 3A, where they finished bottom in 1951, being relegated to Division 4A. They won promotion as runners-up in 1953 and then in Division 3A in 1955. The Division 2 title came the following year, followed by the Division 1 title in 1958. Finally, they were Premier Division runners-up in 1960. Between 1967 and 1969, Chessington spent a couple of seasons in the Middlesex League Premier Division.

 In 1971, the club was renamed CHESSINGTON UNITED and joined the Surrey Senior League. This went on to become the modern-day Combined Counties League. When the league was split into two divisions in 1981, Chessington were placed in the Eastern Division. The league reverted to a single division in 1982, but Chessington left the league after finishing bottom in 1984. The club was renamed CHESSINGTON & HOOK UNITED in 1986, following a merger with a local youth team. They joined the Surrey County Premier League in 1994, and after finishing as runners-up to Virginia Water in 1997, were promoted back to the Combined Counties League. They were long-time members of the Premier Division, achieving a record high of 3rd in 2005. However, they finished bottom in 2014 and were relegated to Division 1. A 3rd place finish behind Farleigh Rovers and AFC Croydon Athletic meant an immediate bounce-back, but they were relegated again after just one season. There would be no coming back this time, and since 2021, they have played in the Southern Counties East and Southern Combination lower tiers.

Chessington & Hook United have played 18 seasons in the FA Cup, reaching the 1st Qualifying Round five times. Numerous seasons have been played in the FA Vase. Their best run came in 2005 when they beat Horsham YMCA, Caterton and London Colney before a 2-1 defeat to Cammell Laird in the 4th Round. Local cup wins include the Surrey Premier Cup in 1999, the Surbiton Times Cup in 1923 and the Kingston and District League Junior League and Junior Teck Cups in 1956. The club originally played at a ground on Leatherhead Road, which later became a supermarket and housing. In 1924, they moved to the Sir Francis Barker Rec on Leatherhead Road. They currently play at Chalky Lane in Chessington, which is located next to Chessington World of Adventures.

The area of Chessington is located in Kingston Upon Thames and has a population of just under 19,000. The Bonesgate Stream, a tributary of the Hogsmill River, runs through it. The popular theme park resort Chessington World of Adventures (opened in 1987), which incorporates Chessington Zoo, is located in the south-west of the area. At 207 Hook Road is a Blue plaque commemorating the author Enid Blyton, who lived at the address between 1920 and 1924. Other famous residents have included Soccer AM's Helen Chamberlain, singers Bob Geldof and Petula Clark and World Cup-winning footballer George Cohen.  The former RAF Chessington Hospital, demolished in the 1990s, first opened as RAF Hook around 1938 as a regional barrage balloon depot and was operated by RAF Balloon Command. It became a vital part of Britain's defence against the Luftwaffe in World War II, and originally featured several large barrage balloon sheds as well as extensive garages and workshops for the station's support vehicles.

MY CHESSINGTON VISIT

I always live going to see Friday night football, it's a lot better than staying in and having a few pints or going out on the town. I was really pleased when it was announced that there would be a game this Friday. I had seen lots of games in the Combined Counties League during AFC Wimbledon's two seasons there and had seen both of tonight's teams in action during that time or since.  I had seen Chessington & Hook walloped 6-0 and 7-0 by AFC Wimbledon in the 2003-04 season. Cove had fared even worse, getting smashed 8-0 which was at the time the biggest thrashing that I have seen handed out, and the most goals I have seen scored by one team in a game. I'd also seen them win 2-1 at Marlow United in the Bucks team's only season in the FA Cup. The game had been played at Flackwell Heath and was really good, from what I remember. The day started off with a hugely busy day at work, probably one of the hardest of the year so far and that was really the last thing I wanted with only a few hours sleep. I finished at 2 and went home, having a bath and then updating my blog before having dinner and leaving just before 6. I'd have preferred more time to chill, but with the roads inevitably proving to be difficult on a Friday night, I maybe could have done with going even earlier.

And that was to prove to be the case. My sat nav ummed and arred before sending me through London as the M25 was knackered both ways. After avoiding traffic on 2 journeys so far last week, my luck was about to run out. I joined the South Circular near Hanwell Town FC, and for a few miles, everything was going swimmingly. However, as soon as I hit near Chiswick and Brentford, the problems mounted up. The traffic was crawling if it was moving at all, and it wasn't until the A3 that I got moving at any pace. Even then, I had to watch myself as there were multiple speed cameras along that road. I eventually got to Chessington at 8.10, grabbed my bag out of my boot and rushed into the ground. I was shocked to be charged £8 for entry and a single sheet of A4 for a programme, especially as I was 25 minutes late. I didn't say anything as I wouldn't want to offend someone who may be a volunteer working at the gate. But inside I was fuming, it later transpired that I had only been given the programme cover for full price - I later got given one for free by a fellow groundhopper and Leeds United fan, which restored my faith in humanity. As it turned out, it was not a bad programme with everything you need to know and a bit of reading material too. He saw my Wycombe badge and said hello and gave me a couple of bits of interesting news. I found out that Wycombe no longer uses Paul Dennis, our club photographer for many years, in a bid to cut costs. It's a shame, as Paul is a really nice bloke and came on the train from Maidstone every week, so he was making a big effort. But the club has to think of any way they can to cut costs, and it was the right if a slightly disappointing decision.



As for the game, or what I saw of it, Cove pretty much bossed it. One interesting name in their lineup was Neville Roach, the former Reading striker. He was also a trialist for Wycombe in February 1999, playing one reserve game against QPR. There were plenty of appeals for both sides, and the linesman who was on the side that Cove were attacking seemed especially keen to raise his flag for offside at any given opportunity. The only goal of the game came from an uncommon situation. Chessington were penalised for a pass back to the keeper, which you don't see punished that often. The free kick was fired straight at the wall, but from the resulting corner, a Cove player headed in to give them the victory. They had a late chance to double their lead, but the free kick was well saved by the Chessington keeper. It hadn't been the greatest of games, but I was glad to see a goal in it. The journey home wasn't much better. I was delayed 25 minutes on the M40 as they had closed all but one lane to carry out a small section of roadworks. I was starving and wanted to get home, as I certainly wasn't going to spend any more money at the football ground. If they had played fair, they'd probably have sold me a few quid worth of food, a pint, a Bovril and maybe something else. I eventually got in at 10.45 and after a couple of bottles of cider, some food and a browse on the internet, I went to bed just before midnight.

MY EPSOM & EWELL VISIT 

v Badshot Lea, CCFL Premier South, 16/11/25

With me having been to so many grounds, new midweek ticks were becoming a rarity, and so I was open to a revisit. This was especially true with Colin, keen to get his count up, and I was always open to visiting grounds I had not been to for ages. This was the case with Chesstington & Hook, last visited in 2014 and a rather disappointing experience, along with photos that I was not happy with. There was also the bonus of going to Wetherspoons in Staines for dinner, one that I was unlikely to visit otherwise. The only negative was the £10 entry fee that Epsom & Ewell levies for step 5. In fact, the club seemed to be doing everything in its power to alienate people from coming. They had banned a 44-year-old supporter named Richard Lambert in January over a dispute involving a Twitter handle, at least that's the rumour, as the club refuses to comment. The current ownership seemed very hostile, but I was willing to give them a chance. Having been nomadic for over 32 years, you'd have thought they would be grateful for any support. I think that Mr Lambert was behind the superb programme they issued when I visited them in 2015 at Chipstead. Certainly, his website was a real treasure trove of memories and an archive that any club should cherish.

From our game in Enfield, it was a 25-minute walk to Brimsdown station. I watched the Burton Albion v Wycombe Wanderers game, which ended 0-0. I was also able to get my blog up, well before the train, which was delayed for 8 minutes. My journey required a change at Tottenham Hale onto the Victoria Line. Colin was smashed off his tits on his epilepsy drugs and hadn't spoken for an hour. He took ages in his beloved Greggs, getting food, and it was like having a child with me. We got the Victoria Line to Victoria, cut off from the world due to the Underground being stuck in the past with no signal. Due to his state and me not fancying a trip over to Elephant and Castle, I decided to order my 'new' laptop online, getting off at King's Cross instead. Still no WiFi due to me being on a 'piggyback' network, we had thirteen minutes to wait for our train to Amersham. That was after Colin tried to get on one of the many trains to Hammersmith in his confused state. We eventually got the one we needed, and I got my laptop order in. Having to flog my old one myself rather than trading it in will be a whole lot of extra legwork, but it is what it is. I was back at Amersham at 7 and had less than ten minutes to wait for my bus. Had I left it too much later, they'd have gone down to hourly, another good reason to avoid a post-match diversion.

I arrived home stinkingly sober, which was annoying, as I could have saved money by driving; having intended to drink, I took the bus. Unlike last week, it was 7.30 ish as opposed to midnight, so I was able to imbibe. A few cans, a couple of rums. Predictably, Colin hadn't a clue what the score was, so I filled him in before an unhappy slump to bed. Sunday was suitably predictable, very pleasant in the empty store for 4.5 hours, and I even got to listen to my own sounds, unbeknownst to the supervisor - the Bluetooth music hat was a brilliant purchase. The second part was pure hell, with it being very busy due to Sunday and Christmas, and I was constantly being pestered for help. I had an early night, and Monday was far more pleasant. I finished off my Christmas shopping and also put in a couple of requests for stuff I wanted. My day off work on Tuesday saw rain for a while before I could get out. I was expecting my new laptop to be delivered at a certain time, so I couldn't hang about. I went out around 11 and got around 8 miles in whilst I listened to podcasts and audiobooks. I was back in time for something to eat and spent the afternoon setting up my new laptop, which arrived on time. I left at 5.15, picking Colin up on the way at my local bus stop. It was crappy local roads at first, not great in the dark and then there were the usual queues on the M25. Nothing unreasonable, though, and we were in Staines at 6.10. Parking was free and plentiful, but busy. It was then a five-minute walk to the local Wetherspoons, the George. A gourmet Buffalo burger with all the trimmings and a Cranberry Juice was a tasty bargain at £8.46. We were back at the car in good time, but Colin had left his phone in Wetherspoons. It's one calamity after another with that boy. We got to Chessington at 7.20, finding a space in the dark car park. It was the tenner entry as expected, but a nice welcome, and I was enjoying my second visit more than the first.

 

Epsom & Ewell were 13th in the table and had won six, drawn seven and lost eight so far. They were in mixed form and had been thumped 4-0 by leaders Cobham on Saturday. Badshot Lea were 10th, having won seven, drawn nine and lost five. They were unbeaten in four and had beaten Balham 1-0 on Saturday. This match had already been played up to half-time on 22nd November when it was abandoned. The reverse game had also been played at Badshot Lea, both games ending 0-0. Epsom and Ewell had the better of the early stages, but it was Badshot Lea that took the lead on 9 minutes. It was a well-worked goal, a volley across the box and a header from six yards by Luis Hamblin. It was 2-0 after 19 minutes, an attack down the left with Hamblin providing an assist for Brandon Vangrove. It was a similar move down the right that produced their third, this time, Mark Holley scored. The second half continued in the same vein, and Badshot Lea made it 4-0 from a penalty on 57 minutes, Luis Hamblin with another. Then, two minutes later, Stan Jones deflected a shot in off the post to make it 5-0. A penalty on 87 minutes, Ben Jordan made it 6-0, and that was that on a miserable night for the hosts.

THE GROUND

CHALKY LANE is your usual step 5 type ground. There is the obligatory arena-type stand, though it is bigger than most, holding 200 according to the programme. One interesting and nice part of the ground is a wooden bit of cover behind the goal. It's only flat standing, but it looks like it's made of bamboo and is a nice-looking and unique touch to the ground. The rest of the ground is open, flat standing. Luckily, I had been here before, so I got some better pictures in daylight. The tea bar looked to have a decent selection of stuff, looking at the sign, but the clubhouse looked pretty shabby and unloved. The ground is near Chessington World of Adventures, but I didn't see anything in the way of takeaways or pubs when I was driving. 

2025 GROUND UPDATE AND PICTURES

Not a lot had changed between my visits ground-wise, but I was more impressed on my second visit. The best area was still the covered area behind the goal, which is still unique amongst all the grounds I have visited. The bar had been smartened up and was more welcoming too. The Epsom & Ewell Club shop was small, but appeared to have a decent range of small items. Overall, a nice place to visit, which would be better with a bricks & mortar stand and a bit more colour in terms of the teams that play there.