Holtwhites Sports & Socal Club
1 Kirkland Drive
Enfield
EN2 0RN
Ground Number: 1297
Tuesday 16th April 2024
Tuesday 16th April 2024
Hinton 0-4 Bush Hill Rangers
Herts Senior County Premier
HINTON FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
Hinton FC was established in 1957 and played in local leagues until they joined the Mid-Herts League in 1985. They remained there until 2002 when they were Premier Division champions. They joined the Herts Senior County League following this, finishing as runners-up to Hatfield Town in their debut season and then 4th in the Premier Division in 2004. Despite this, they were relegated in 2007 and spent until 2010 back in Division 1 until they were promoted back as runners-up to Letchworth Garden City Eagles. This time they won the Premier Division title in 2011, their first season back. They became a yoyo club between the Divisions between 2014 & 2016 before an extended spell in Division 1. Hinton were promoted back to the Premier Division in 2022 after finishing in 3rd behind Hertford Heath & Oracle Components. Local cup wins include the Aubrey Cup in 2004 as they beat Whitewebbs 3-1 in the final played at Ware FC's Wodson Park. as well as the HSCFL Chairmans Cup in 2015.
MY VISIT
My original visit was on April 4th was planned a fortnight prior when the fixtures for 'silly season' were announced. That's the time of year after the clocks go forward that allows teams without floodlights to catch up on games in midweek. With an absolute ton of games lost to the omnipresent rainfall, there would be plenty of choice. One of my priority step 7 leagues to complete was the Hertfordshire Senior County League and I had already reached around halfway. The grounds I'd been to so far were decent, so I would visit some of the more basic venues. The only downside was that the FA Full Time site administration was a bit slapdash and the site had misinformed me on more than one occasion. Luckily both clubs Twitter accounts were regularly updated and so in case of postponement, hopefully, I'd avoid a wasted journey. This turned out to be the case as at 11am on the day of the game, both clubs communicated that the game was postponed. Of course, the clunky and cumbersome FA Full Time did not reflect this which is why I'm reluctant to visit clubs who don't have a functioning Twitter page.
Upon looking on the social club website, I discovered that each player paid £175 a year to the club to play for the team, certainly an impressive level of commitment. Since the last game, I'd had the usually dreaded Sunday at work. However, on this occasion, it was a bit of a breeze. It had been a decent Saturday despite a few hitches. Perhaps it was the unusual breakfast of chicken Dhansak that cheered me up on Sunday morning. I'd put a video up on Twitter of the first goal going in before zooming out to reveal a sleeping Colin next to me. It got a decent reception on Twitter and whenever I needed cheering up, I watched to give myself a laugh. The boy had been a right pain in the backside but I think it was down to his epilepsy medication which on a bad day adversely affected him. Had it been anyone else, I'd have binned them off but he has a heart of gold. It was a very busy Monday at work, and of course, the rain returned with a vengeance for a while. I hoped there would be no problems with the pitch again but I would have to wait and see.
The game day came, and it was nice to wake naturally around 7.30. I got dressed, had a bath and got dressed before the usual walk down Wycombe. There I picked up a few things including some stuff from lunch. After a calm morning, it lot more hectic in the afternoon. Firstly, the weather was wet again, so I got the bus part of the way home. I had finally got my time off work approved after 24 days of waiting, so I booked flights and hotels. Ireland, Switzerland, Lithuania, Poland and Ireland were all considered. But for the best fixtures spread, it had to be Copenhagen, Malmo & Gothenburg. This is what I had an inkling of around a month ago when I requested my time off. However, the original plans of Oslo on Sunday had to be shelved due to travel times. As well as that, my Chromebook from Cash Converters arrived and was briefly checked over before I got back to booking hotels and transfers. I like to read reviews and do my research for a good night's sleep and so it took a good while to book everything. Copenhagen was pricey as expected and Sweden seemed dirt cheap by comparison. I left at 4.25 and was frustrated by slow drivers and roadworks on the way to Colin. It was also slow from his until we got on the M25. We were at the ground by 5.25 by which time fellow hopper Daniel had pulled out of coming. The car park was tight but we got a space.
It was a 6-minute walk to the Moon Under Water Wetherspoons where I had shawarma wrap, chips and a San Pellegrino lemonade for £7.14. It was unusual not having a pint but I decided to hold off until the weekend. It was also good to see another hopper, Richard, come over for the game. Hinton were in 4th place with a fair few games in hand. They were unbeaten in four games and had beaten Buntingford Town 2-1 on Saturday. Bush Hill Rangers had played two games more and had won three out of their last four. On Saturday, they had beaten Cockfosters Reserves 3-1. It was a fairly even first half with Bush Hill edging it. The visitors took the lead on 44 minutes, down the left and getting in behind the defence before crossing and crossing for a Kerem Ismial to finish. The second half saw the visitors double the lead on 61 minutes, Theo Madekurozwa bundling home a scrappy goal. On 87 minutes it was 3-0, a quick break and a well worked move which was finished off by Kymani Nelson. A 90th-minute penalty awarded for a trip completed the scoring with Jordan McKenzie netting the spot kick.
THE GROUND
HOLTWHITES SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB is a basic but tidy setup in terms of football. They sometimes have a hard rail but this was removed due to the cricket season coming up. Instead there is a rope either side of the pitch. The smart Pavilion has a bar but I didn't visit. Car parking is very limited but there are good food and drink options nearby including a Wetherspoons.
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