Bedmond - Toms Lane Recreation Ground

Bedmond FC

Toms Lane Recreation Ground

Bedmond Sports and Social Club

Bedmond 

Abbots Langley 

Hertfordshire

WD5 0RD

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Ground Number: 1172
Saturday 8th April 2023
Bedmond 1-3 Oxhey Jets Vets
Herts Senior County D3

BEDMOND FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The formation date of the club is not clear, but is believed be around 1913. Sometimes known as Bedmond Social, they spent their early years in the Watford and District and West Herts leagues. They joined the Herts Senior County League in 1958 and two years later, a 3rd place finish in Division 1 was good enough for promotion to the Premier Division. 10th in their first season was as good as it got for Bedmond and in 1964 they were relegated after finishing bottom. They remained in Division 1 until 1973 when a runners-up spot secured a return to the Premier Division. The best times for Bedmond came in 1985 & 1986 when they won and retained the Herts Senior County League championship. They won it again in 2013, this success just a year after they recovered from relegation bu finishing as runners-up to Aslan in Division 1 the previous season. A severe loss in from saw the, finish rock bottom in 2014 but win Division 1 the following season. The club then appeared to go into abeyance for a few years. They next popped up in 2019 under the name Bedmond Sports, finishing 10th in the Premier Division. They were demoted and then the next season pulled out of the league mid-season with their record expunged. This season, they are playing in the Herts Senior County Division 3 and sit in the top half of the table.

In terms of local cups, Bedmond won the St Johns Cup in 1950, the Rickmansworth Charity Cup in 1958, the Watford Peace Memorial Shield in 1973, the Apsley Senior Cup in 1974, 1975, 1985 & 1988 and the Aubrey Cup in 1981. Bedmond is a village in the Three Rivers district of  Hertfordshire. It is located around one mile north of the larger village of Abbots Langley. The Anglican Church of The Ascension in Bedmond is a rare example of a surviving "tin tabernacle", a pre-fabricated church building made from corrugated galvanised iron and one of only a few remaining in use for worship in the country. It was built in 1880 for the cost of £80, which was donated by the wife of the squire. It became a Grade II listed building in 1978.

MY VISIT

Originally on this day, the plan was to complete the Southern Combination D1 at Selsey. I was hoping for a nice day out on the train. However, upon checking the price on Thursday night, I was shocked by the disgraceful greed and grasping prices for the trip. Not for the first time, the public transport prices were exorbitant, £41.45 (21p a mile) for a 194-mile round trip, even with a Railcard discount and cheap buses. I did briefly consider the Hellenic Hop game at Woodcote but could find nothing decent to pair it up with. For once, fellow hopper Dan came up with a good suggestion. Galleywood v Sungate would mean a nice day in Chelmsford. The fare was £21.50 (17p a mile). Still not amazing value but a good service and a good day out. Even better there was potential for two games (firsts and reserves) as well as a reasonable-looking beer festival.

 However, another volte-face by me occurred on Friday night when I was driving back from Abertillery. Knowing I was going to have a late night after staying up once I got back. Not fancying an early start, I initially looked at pairing up Woodcote again but drew a blank. I then turned to something even more local - the Herts Senior County League. Bushey Rangers would have been my preference having already started a blog for an aborted visit on Tuesday. They were not at home but from the limited selection of fixtures, I picked out Bedmond. This was just an 18-mile drive from home and appeared to be a decent railed pitch. That's generally my minimum requirement for a ground and it looked worth a visit.

The day of the game came and I woke around 8.30 after just over five hours sleep. I finished off yesterday's blog, had a shower and got dressed before walking down town. Leaving at 10.15, I headed to Lidl, stocking up on cider, some stuff from their bakery for lunch and a couple of other bits. As time was not exactly generous, I paid £2 for a bus home, having walked six miles by the time I got in at 12:45. I eat some of my bakery stuff, caught up on YouTube and tried my best to research Bedmond FC. After my experience with the unreliable FA Full Time site, I left at 2, allowing half an hour extra time for a late diversion. In the end, I got there at 2.35, a full car park and players warming up on the pitch being a welcome sight. Had it been off, Colney Heath and Berkhamsted would have been my backups. I got some pictures before settling down on the halfway line for the game.

Bedmond were 5th in the HSCFL Division 3, having only played once in March & April. This came as they lost 2-1 to Sun Sports on 8th March but they had been unbeaten in the five before that, winning four of their games. Oxhey Jets Vets were in 12th and had a busy March. They'd lost in a cup game to Chipperfield Corinthians Reserves in their last game, but only on penalties following a 1-1 draw, They'd won 4-2 at Evergreen Reserves but had lost all off their other recent games, this included an 8-1 drubbing at Croxley Green. On a bobbly-looking pitch, Bedmond were in purple whilst Oxhey Jets Vets were in green. It was even early on but Oxhey were presented with a penalty on 15 minutes awarded for a trip in the area. Reece Turner stepped up and converted the spot kick to make it 0-1. The second half kicked off at 15:54, following a short halftime. On 51 minutes, Bedmond equalised. It was a lob by Connor McGrath over the stranded Oxhey keeper who had come out to claim the ball, from the edge of the area with the ball clipping the right-hand post on the way in. On 67 minutes, Oxhey retook the lead. A deep free kick was well put in by #11 and the ball was bundled home from close range, possibly an own goal. Bedmond were down to their bare bones according to what their players were saying. However., they spent far too much time blaming each other and the poor referee who got plenty of flack. It might not have been a perfect performance from the official, but I'd not envy being put through that sort of thing every week. Oxhey for their part were helped by an assured, steady and solid performance from their keeper who did nothing spectacular, but did the simple things well. The game was sealed in the last minute, a deep cross from the left found the visitors' #9 to make it 1-3. This sparked joyous celebrations from Oxhey and it was a deserved win for them.

It had been an enjoyable contest, even if you could see that the quality of play represented the level the players are at with some sloppy misplaced passes. I'll certainly be taking in more games in this league in the future. One such will be Bushey Rangers for sure. I was looking around on my app and really wanted to visit the  Two Trees Micropub in Watford. I was tempted to stop by and pick up something for the weekend. A small detour, but parking appeared to be at a premium. Instead, I headed for home via Tesco. I got a box to send the HiFi I'd sold on eBay, plus some Irn Bru and Kriek beer. I was back home at 5.40, having had a good day. Looking at the games I passed up, Galleywood lost 3-0 to Sungate and the Selsey game finished 1-1. It was to be an evening relaxing ahead of a trio of revisits on the Hellenic Groundhop tomorrow. It will be nice to just relax and watch a few games, It's also nice to support the hop, the clubs and with a full car, I will be helping three mates get new ticks too.

THE GROUND

TOMS LANE RECREATION GROUND is a solid venue for the level. Located on the edge of Bedmond village, it is attached to a smart social club which has a basic range of drinks and occasional food. There are plenty of photos of old teams on the wall. Outside, the pitch is railed on three sides with hard standing down one side. It's close to a bus route and there's a decent amount of parking.