Welcome to The Caburn
Ringmer vs AFC Uckfield Town
The Caburn
Peter Bentley Challenge Cup
August 29
A little way outside the county town of Lewes lies a pretty little village. At its heart is a cricket field overlooked by houses straight out of Midsomer Murders. But this little village also plays host to a bit of cup football history.
Because nearly 45 years ago Ringmer FC became the first village side in the country to reach the first round proper of the FA Cup – when they were beat 3-0 by the Colchester side that famously went on to defeat Leeds. In true Nomad style, I was unaware of such a fact before stumbling on the ground. But as it turns out it was a perfect spot to see the first cup game of the season.
The main stand
Ringmer’s ground is delightfully named The Caburn. It’s tucked away just off the main round and cricket pitch, by the side of a shopping parade. At the front is a perfectly sized car park. And then behind it is the social club, which boasts the cheapest pint in Ringmer. Game on.
The ground itself could have been super. A tidy turnstile, smart chalkboards with legible writing (for a change!) with most of the ground abiding to a colour scheme of dark and light blues. There were two “main stands” – one opposite the main building near the dugouts, the other including a few seats near the clubhouse. However, – and I don’t mean this as a slight to the volunteers that keep this cracking village club going – it generally had a bit of a tired feel to it. Some of the metal fencing in front of the seats harked back to Highbury’s West Bank in the 1980s while around the ground there were overgrown brambles, large steps on the footpath and rusty metalwork. I know though it will annoy the committee more than this humble visitor so look forward to seeing improvements next time I visit.
The teams make their way out…
As for the game, well it was an entertaining affair. Ringmer, ranked a division below the visitors and without a win so far, started out the block like Dwain Chambers. Somehow they bundled the ball up the field and Matthew Maclean slotted home. From thereon in it was all Uckfield though.
With their two central midfield players dominating and number 10 Scott Taylor being too quick, both physically and in mind, for the Ringmer defence, they started to come back into the game. Two goals in two minutes half way through the first half say the visitors take the lead. And so it remained until the break.
“Right, what we need to do is keep it tight early on…”
After the half time oranges, Uckfield’s fitness started to tell. The front running of Taylor, Drew Greenhall, and Michael Lloyd pushed back the home defence, who were left chasing shadows and then simply shout each other when they caught their breath. They were not helped though by their midfield who simply refused to track back or show for an out ball when the blues eventually did win the ball back.
The turning point of the game was when one of these trough balls saw the home keeper Graham Leach rush out and bundle over a Town attacker. Somehow he escaped with a yellow. Given what was to come, he might have wished it was a red. Taylor scored the penalty to make it 3-1.
Ringer go one nil up. Is a surprise on the cards?
Then the defence truly crumbled in the last 20 minutes, with a further four for the visitors. Perhaps comically, one of these was a second penalty, when defender Sasha M’Baye handled on the line with the score 5-1. Even some of his own players were laughing at the madness of it, given the match situation, potential suspension and fine of a few crisp banknotes. By the time he got back to the club house minus his shirt it was 7-1, with Davey converting the penalty for his hat trick and Taylor grabbing another.
Ringmer did manage a consolation with literally the last kick of the game, although quite why Amir Zarei decided to celebrate with a somersault only he will know.Perhaps his top knot was done up too tight….
So 7-2 – goals galore for this cup clash. And a very decent day out if truth be told. Ringmer’s boss Sammy Donnelly clearly has his work cut out to cobble his side into one that will play for the full 90 minutes. As for Uckfield, I have a sneaky feeling they will spring a few surprises in the Premier Division this year.
THE ESSENTIALS
Ringmer FC
The Caburn Pavilion,
Anchor Field,
Ringmer,
Lewes,
East Sussex
BN8 5QN
http://www.ringmerfc.co.uk
@ringmerfc
Getting there and away
Nomad feels ripped off – I paid a fiver, not £3.50…!
Car: Head north from Lewes, then take the first right when the road forks towards Ringmer. The Caburn is located just off the main road as you enter the village. Turn right opposite the cricket green onto Springett Avenue and then first left on to Anchor Field. Car park is directly on your left.
Public transport: No train station but the 28/29 runs every 30 minutes on Saturdays from Brighton through to Tunbridge Wells and drops off in the village centre.
Programme
The essentials….
16 pages was a little thin and while it was a glossy affair and was nicely laid out, it was a little light on content. What let it down the most though was it was riddled with spelling mistakes and missing words. On the positive, the insert from the chairman Derek McDougall expressing condolences to the family and friends of those that died in the Shoreham Airshow crash was a nice touch.
Food and drink
Given that the team is sponsored by Turner’s brewery it was a shame not to see anything from the local brewer on tap. But Long Blonde from the Long Man brewery is a tasty drop and looked well kept. Nomad was on a health kick though so it was lime and sodas for the afternoon. As for food, there was an impressive list of food available, cooked to order. Nachos set me back £2 and were brought to my table in the club as I caught the last few minutes of the Newcastle vs Arsenal game in the club.
Welcome to the clubhouse
Clubhouse
A little dated but very spacious. Pictures of Ringmer teams from yesteryear were fascinating. The bar prices were good and the beers well kept. It was nice to see part of the area being hired out for a christening as an extra bit of revenue.
Toilets
Located towards the back of the club. Once you found them they were clean. No queue either.
The teams!
MATCH FACTS
Ringmer FC
Matthew Maclean 2
Amir Zarei 90
AFC Uckfield Town
Scott Taylor 26, 52, 75, 90
Howard Davey 27, 70, 85
Attendance 49
Someone’s getting shirty
Ringmer FC
1.Graham Leach
2. Andy Corrigan
3. Ben Thomsett
4. Matt McLean
5. Sasha M’Baye
6. Anthony Storrie
7. Shaun Loft
8. Nana Baa
9. Danny Turner
10. Jack Robinson
11. Robbie Frost
On the ball… Great to see two female lino’s
Subs
12. Amir Zarei
14. Kelvin Katahena
15. Lucas Tredrea
16. Bradleigh Jacobs
17. Hemmet Ovalsi
AFC Uckfield Town
1. Nick Collick
2. Callum Legate
3. Howard Davey
4. Dan Barnard
5. Lewis Parsons
Ringmer goalie somehow escapes a red after felling an opponent in the box
6. Harry Mills
7. Sam Ellis
8. Nathan Millroy
9. Drew Greenhall
10. Scott Taylor
11. Michael Lloyd
Subs
12. Joe Miller
14. Aaron Singha
15. James Firman
16. Dan Andrews
Scouting report
When you let in seven goals is hard to see any positives. To be blunt Ringmer looked like a team that lacked belief and wasn’t used to winning games. Nana Baa showed a good turn of pace, but so often his first touch let him down. Their best player was probably Sasha M’Baye at the heart of the defence. But when you shout at your own players for making a mistake and then get sent off for handball on the line while losing 5-1, it’s hardly a good omen. But with experienced manager Sammy Donnelly at the helm, they should be fine.
Ringmer’s boss reads the riot script from the Steve Brown’s guide to management
As for the visitors, there were plenty of positives. Unlike their opponents this was a team that was used to winning, securing promotion to the Premier Division last year. Standout was Scott Taylor, a diminutive sort with a quick brain and even quicker feet. But special mention should be made for Howard Davey, who bagged a hat trick from left back. The midfield pairing of Nathan Millroy and Dan Barnard were decent – lots of energy and clever enough to pick a pass when needed.
Carry on up the Combi 