Kelvedon Hatch - New Hall

Kelvedon Hatch FC

New Hall Ground

Kelvedon Hatch Village Hall

School Road

Kelvedon Hatch

Brentwood

Essex 

CM15 0DH

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1294

Saturday 6th April 2024
Kelvedon Hatch 0-5 Harold Wood Athletic
Essex Olympian Premier

KELVEDON HATCH FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1920 and was set up to allow local youngsters to play football. After playing for many years in local football, they moved up to the Mid-Essex league in the 1970s and enjoyed a fruitful decade there. The most significant progress came in 1985 when they joined the Essex Olympian League. They started in Division 2, winning the title in 1990 for promotion to Division 1.  They have remained here ever since despite some close shaves. The league was known as the Essex Intermediate League between 1986 & 2005 and the top tier was renamed the Premier Division in 2008. Kelvedon Hatch remains one of the league's most successful teams, having won the title on five occasions, the last being in 2016. They have also been runners-up ten times and finished in 3rd place on three occasions.

Cup honours include the Essex Saturday Premier Cup in 2015, the Essex Junior Cup in 2011, three Essex Intermediate Cups, five Essex Olympian Senior Cups, eight Essex Olympian Challenge Cups, three Ongar Charity Cups and the Bill Spurgeon Cup in 2003. Kelvedon Hatch is a village around four miles from Brentwood in South Essex. It has a population of approximately 2,500. It is home to the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker, the largest and deepest cold war bunker open to the public in South East England. The Coppice, Kelvedon Hatch, is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.

MY VISIT

I was a bit limited as to where to go on this Saturday due to yet another train strike. As ever, I wanted to leave the car at home and so I'd have to go from Amersham due to the Chiltern Line being out of commission. My first thought was Waltham Cross as they used the 3G at Cheshunt FC, which was one of the grounds I needed to complete the Herts Senior County Premier. However, they had no reliable social media accounts and the 3G would be better saved for wet weather. The same applied for Old Southendian. Miraculously, little rain was forecast for this weekend and Kelvedon Hatch appeared a solid and decent choice. The pitch was also a good drainer and so it won out over Cambridge University Press and Runwell Sports as the trains were also more plentiful for this one. Brentwood Wetherspoons would be another one off the list and would be ideal for an early lunch with the game kicking off at 2.

Since my last blog, I'd enjoyed another day off on Tuesday and a pleasant walk to Wycombe and back. It had not rained all day so I was surprised and disappointed when Holmer Green v Bagshot was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. It was a real crunch relegation clash between the bottom two sides in the Combined Counties D1 and perfect after a busy weekend of travelling. I guess the damage had already been done the day before and overnight but it leaves Holmer with ten games to play in the last month of the season. The same was true of fellow hopper Dan's match at Bovingdon on Wednesday. I awoke at 5 am for work on Thursday to the standard sound of rain on the window. By the time I had driven to work and got petrol, it had stopped, so I was hopeful that I'd be seeing a game, or if not, a decision before I left. This turned out to be the case and at around 11, Hinton announced the game was off. Despite the disappointment, I was grateful to them for making an early decision.

There was more rain on Friday morning of course, but that soon subsided and Accuweather assured me that we were in for a good old-fashioned dry Saturday. Work was a breeze but I was frustrated that the holiday I requested on 23rd March would not be approved until 15th April at the earliest. All down to an administrative error and the one manager who has access to the system rightfully enjoying time off visiting family in Asia being away. Hopefully, I will still be able be acle to get decent-priced airfares for the start of June. It was an early night for me and I had a patchy but lengthy night's sleep. I awoke early and watched TV before getting up and getting ready. I left early having cut it fine previously and was glad I did. The bus stop was closed due to roadworks and I had to walk five minutes up the road to the next stop. The timing of the buses to get the train were not great and so even after stopping at Tesco for a meal deal, I had nearly twenty minutes to wait for the half-hourly service. 

The platform and train were packed, even with no Chiltern Line running. Probably due to the first dry and reasonably warm Saturday in what felt like a couple of years. I'm not a huge fan of people so I just put my headphones on and listened to some podcasts. Despite the dry weather where I was, there were still plenty of matches wiped out in the west and north. I changed at Moorgate where there was an unusual 15 minute wait for my train to Brentwood. I was there by 11.45, so walked to the Dairyman Wetherspoons. After using the facilities, I ordered my food. I messed up slightly by ordering all of my items separately due to selecting the first option I saw but still got a good deal and more chips. Wetherspoons 321 had Prompt service, piping hot food, two pints of Black Dragon. Not many better than this outside of cider regions. Nice place for a couple of pints and food. The Korean strip burger was excellent. Having decided to chance the last possible bus to the game, it was no shock when it turned up 15 minutes late and was even later departing due to the waiting passengers. I made kickoff by the skin of my teeth and it was a pleasant place. 

Both teams did not have the greatest seasons with Kelvedon Hatch in 11th and Harold Wood Athletic 13th in a 14-team league. The hosts had not won in nine games and had lost 4-0 to leaders Old Southendian in their last game. The visitors had played seven games fewer and were in mixed form. Last time out, they lost 2-0 at Runwell Sports. Despite Kelvedon Hatch having the first chances, it was Harold Wood who opened the scoring on four minutes, a close-range finish from a corner by Billy Reed. There was not much of a response to this and Harold Wood made it 2-0 on 35 minutes, a square ball from the right was put home from six yards by Laurie Waters. It was 3-0 on 43 minutes, a Kelvedon man putting through his own net on what had been a flaccid first-half performance by the hosts. Despite coming close early on, Kelvedon Hatch were soon a further goal behind, a keeper parry and a follow-up by Freddy Shepherd saw Harold Wood go 4-0 up. A weak header against the left-hand post was as good as it got for Kelvedon Hatch. It got worse still on 78 minutes, Bobby Bailey's shot going straight through the home keeper for 5-0.

It had been an enjoyable afternoon, even if the hosts had not really got going. With half an hour until the bus, I headed over towards the Eagle pub, opposite the stop. Inch's was not the greatest, especially at £5.50 a pint but it passed the time and I was able to see the bus that I was getting later head towards Ongar where it would turn around and head back. The buses stopped even earlier than they did around our way here so I was glad it kicked off at 2. The bus was bang on time this time, much to my surprise. Google Maps said to go to Shenfield but I wasn't going to pay double fare unless I had to. The plan was the excellent Hop Inn in Hornchurch which I'd been to before.  A pint of Orchard Revival was excellent and I couldn't come somewhere like this and not have a pint of Ross Harry Masters Jersey. Service and atmosphere were impeccable but it left me with a decision. The distance meant I was unlikely to be back at Uxbridge for the bus to Wycombe that would allow me to get the last bus home and the internet was once more patchy on ID Mobile. I hadn't realised that the train was very limited from this part of the world but it was far easier getting home from Amersham. Once more I was thwarted by my laptop battery and I was quickly sobering up. But the overground to Romford, the Greater Anglia to Liverpool Street and the Metropolitan home seemed like the best option. I was back at Amersham at 8.30 and home by 9.15 via shops for dinner.

THE GROUND

NEW HALL is a very pleasant venue to watch a game . Two sides of the pitch are railed, the other two roped off. There is a building behind the goal with a club-related mural on and also a building in the corner which houses the changing rooms and a tea bar serving tea and coffee for £1 a cup. There is enough parking to go around. Public transport, the best option from Brentwood is the 21 bus which will get you to the ground ten minutes before the hour and pick you up at 17 past (if on schedule). Ignore Google Maps, get off at the Eagle and go up Eagle Lane where if you follow around to your left, you will find yourself on the far corner of the pitch.