Old Carthusians II - Club Des Sports

Old Carthusians II

Club Des Sports

5 East Acton Lane

London 

W3 7HB

Club Des Sports Website

Old Carthusians TAL Page

Ground Number: 1513
Saturday 17th January 2026

Old Carthusians II 4-5 Old Haberdashers
Arthurian League D3

OLD CARTHUSIANS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was formed from the former pupils of Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey, in 1876. Reports in the press of games taking place at the school had appeared since March 1853, and Charterhouse had been one of the founding teams of The Football Association. It was one of several clubs formed from the old boys of public schools in England during the 19th century. Other former members of the school had previously founded Stoke-on-Trent F.C. in 1867, which would go on to be known as Stoke City. They were considered for membership of the Football League when it was established in 1888, and would have been its most southerly member. However, a move never materialised. Around the turn of the century, public school clubs began to shift away from the FA-endorsed game, which was increasingly dominated by the working class. After playing in just the Arthur Dunn Cup for almost a century, they were founder members of the Arthurian League in 1961. A competition separate from the FA-affiliated, it is exclusive to ex-public schoolboys clubs. They have won fifteen Premier Division titles and thirty Arthur Dunn Cups, making them one of the most successful clubs in the competition.

Old Carthusians are most famous for being former FA Cup winners in 1881. They beat Dreadnought, Royal Engineers, Clapham Rovers and Darwen prior to beating Old Etonians 3-0 in the final at Kennington Oval. They also reached the semi-final in 1885, losing to Blackburn Rovers as well as two quarter-finals. Old Carthusians have won the FA Amateur Cup twice - beating Casuals 2-1 in the final at Richmond in 1894 and Stockton 4-1 at Darlington in 1897. They've also won four London Senior Cups. In 2008, the club participated in a tournament featuring several former winners of the FA Cup, including Royal Engineers and Old Etonians. Along with Wimbledon and the Royal Engineers, the Old Carthusians are one of only three teams to have ever won both the FA Cup and the FA Amateur Cup. My game was watching their 2nd XI, who play in Division 3 (4th tier) of the Arthurian League. They were enjoying a reasonable start to the season. They'd been relegated from Division 2 in 2022 and had been in the lower mid-table ever since. 

MY VISIT

Once more, it would be a Saturday on public transport, although I was trying not to do the Essex Alliance for a third week in a row. As much as I'd enjoyed it, I had hoovered up all of the Wetherspoons in that area, and it wasn't the best area for the sort of pubs I like. I started making a list of the priority grounds that I had to do, focusing on step 6 and above. Bridport was by far the favourite as it was one I had been after doing for ages, due to the huge choice of decent pubs in the town. However, the UK being the UK, it was overpriced and inconvenient. The bus I'd need to get from Wycombe to Reading was regular, well-priced and reliable. The train from Reading to Dorchester South was going to cost £40.65, even with splits and taking a specific route. I could have accepted that were it not for the bus service at the other end to Bridport running just every two hours. It appears as if I will have to make it an overnight trip if I want to properly enjoy Bridport. Ludlow was a similarly great-looking town, but the cheapest I could get the fare down to was £46 (a more reasonable 17p a mile), which would involve me getting back at 11 PM and needing to get a taxi home.

Following a boozy Saturday, it was annoying to wake two hours before my alarm on Sunday and be unable to get back to sleep. It was also a hugely busy day at work, but for once, I quite enjoyed it. Work hard, play hard is my mantra, and I've certainly done both this weekend. It was another busy day on Monday, with my final plans for Saturday decided in the evening. The extortionate prices and numerous rail replacements prevented me from doing anything at step 6 and above. I would have considered driving, but Colin was busy elsewhere. I was glad of my day off on Tuesday and got my usual ten-mile walk to Wycombe and back. I was going to go to Chesham United v Milton Keynes in the evening, but in the end, I opted for a night in. The Football Traveller arrived on Wednesday following an easier at work. The earlier kickoffs were tight for a double, so I opted for a revisit to Cockfosters in the FA Vase. Should my earlier game not go ahead, I'd want a new ground and would head to the nearest Step 7 game confirmed on Social Media, possibly leading to the Essex Alliance for the third week in a row. I felt in a bit of a slump on Thursday owing to no midweek football, albeit through my own volition. It was a matter of getting through the week until it came to my one-day weekend.

Once I'd got work out of the way on Friday, I drove home to find my unofficial Wetherspoons Guide had been delivered, quite an interesting book for £15. I got changed and caught the bus to Beaconsfield to tick another one, freshly opened on Tuesday. The bus was 25 minutes late, no wonder as the driver kept stopping to chat to random people on the journey, though he seemed like an amiable chap. Wetherspoons 470, The Chiltern, was a mixed bag. The range was limited, no boxed cider sadly, and the drinks service was slow. Food service was superb, though, very fast and piping hot. Prices were above average, in line with Central London. But £10.57 for two pints of Stowford Press, wings and chips along with Naga sauce, is a bargain in one of the most expensive towns in the country. Overall, a very poor place and the traffic was chaotic, which probably led to the bus delays. I was back just after 5, having had a pleasant afternoon. I had a few more drinks at home and the usual early night with my body clock set to work mode.

 

As a result, I woke up at 5.30 and watched YouTube whilst I waited for my alarm. At 7, I got up, got ready and had breakfast before leaving at 7.45. As it was to be a sensible day, drink-wise, I was able to drive to the station in the dark and drizzle. The Chiltern Line service was bang on time and nice and peaceful. From there, it was a bus to Cricklewood, home of Gary Sparrow in the excellent sitcom 'Goodnight Sweetheart' and also Hendon FC's former ground at Claremont Avenue. It was an interesting journey at first, past Lord's Cricket Ground and Abbey Road studios. The Beaten Docket was Wetherspoons 473 for me. No box cider but Breakfast Muffin, Stowford Press and an energy drink were £4.88 in a pleasant environment. Great service too. I made the pint last until it was time to leave at 10, unusual for me. A beaten docket is a losing ticket, often associated with horse racing – a feature of this area in the late 19th century. Attracting thousands of race-goers, Kingsbury Races were held five times a year, on land leased by William Perkins Warner, proprietor of the nearby Old Welsh Harp. I left at 10 and walked 15 minutes to Brondesbury Station. It was then a Mildmay Lane train to Central Acton. It was then ten minutes walk to the ground. I feared it might be off as both of the main pitches had kids' games on. It was third time lucky though as my noting down of team colours did the trick, I found the players warming up on a distant pitch, newly buil,t going by the overhead view on Google Maps.

 

Old Carthusians II were 4th in the league, having won seven, drawn one and lost five of their games so far. In their last game, they beat Old Harrovians II 2-1. Old Haberdashers were based out of a school of the same name in Elstree. They were 8th, having won two, drawn two and lost six so far. They had lost their game to the weather last week, but before that, they beat Old Harrovians II 5-2. The game kicked off late at 11.14. The game started with Carthusians on top, but it was Haberdashers who opened the scoring through a swift break and a shot into the bottom right of the net. It was all square on 12 minutes, a well-worked move saw the attacker slip his marker and finish from ten yards. Haberdashers retook the lead on 14 minutes, a cross from the left and a low finish into the bottom right-hand corner from inside the six-yard box. A looping cross from the right and a header made it 3-1 on 31 minutes. Another cross from the left and a volley at the back post made it 4-1 on 34 minutes. Two minutes later, Carthusians pulled one back, a finish by #9 from wide on the right. On 39 minutes, the arrears were further reduced from a penalty, but it was 5-3 on 42 minutes, a great shot into the top corner from 20 yards out. There were no further goals until 77 minutes, when Carthusians pulled it back to 5-4 from close range. In the last minute, the home keeper was sent off for handling outside of the area on the halfway line as he came up to help the attack. It was accidental, but probably a correct decision, going by the rulebook.

 

THE GROUND 

CLUB DES SPORTS is a multi-pitch complex with facilities for all kinds of sports. The main pitch is the best one and has a viewing area with a building, balcony and dugouts. There are also two more basic 3G cages which do the job without much fuss. The what3words location for the pitch used in the Arthurian League is ///trend.tulip.paper. This is well hidden and not visible on Google Maps satellite view. There are facilities at the ground, but I didn't check them out. The public transport links are excellent and good value. This is probably your best bet as parking is chargeable and quite pricey, although plentiful.