No.29 - Sat. 17th January 2009; Peterborough & District League Premier Division 2.00pm at The Greetham Community Centre, Great La, Greetham, Oakham, Rutland. (Att: 14; Admn & Prog: N/A)
Matchday images (10) >view> Rutland Rangers (3) 4 Wimblington (0) 1 Veni, vidi, vici!
The Letters of Pliny; Virgil’s Aeneid; Horace’s Odes and the Works of Cicero were just some of the set books that I can remember studying for my A Level in Latin. It really was heavy going and needed quite a bit of mental gymnastics to get to grips with the work. Although it seems a very long time ago now since I was a pupil at the Wolfreton Upper School in Kirkella, I can still vividly recollect the poetry and prose written by such esteemed authors. There were many times too when I wondered why I had actually chosen this difficult subject as one of my main Sixth Form options. With very few Romans to converse with, surely this was a waste of time? But remarkably it soon became one of my favourite lessons (after PE of course). Later and now in middle age, I can fully appreciate all those hours spent learning new verbs and endless lists of vocabulary, the roots of which make up most of the English language. My rusty knowledge of Latin often proves useful when playing a game of Scrabble, solving clues in the Times Crossword and working out the daily Countdown conundrum featured on a popular TV game show. Well now you can add ground hopping to that list! Remarkably my long-term memory came in handy today as we headed up the A1 on our way to football. After missing out on a game last week (despite two intense hours of desperately phoning around clubs in the morning) normal service was thankfully resumed today. It was reassuring that all of my enquiries were met with a positive response. It certainly makes life much easier when the voice at the end of the line is upbeat and brings you news you want to hear. Anyway after a bit of deliberation we opted for the Peterborough & District League Premier Division fixture between Rutland Rangers and Wimblington FC. It would be a new ground too. It was by now 1.30pm and the Great North Road was surprisingly clear of traffic (I do realise that these words may well come back to haunt me one day!). We were looking for the next important landmark on our itinerary when daughter Steph suddenly piped up: ‘What’s all that about Dad?’ She pointed to the road sign on our left displaying the county boundary of Rutland*. What do the words underneath it mean? It says: Multum In Parvo’. At this point I felt a huge sense of elation knowing that for once I could give her a proper answer rather than making something up and bluffing my way through it all. Teenagers do put you on the spot and ask some awkward questions (usually more to do with borrowing money or arranging sleep-overs). I told her that the legend, written in Latin, translated into: ‘Much in little’. But by the time I had gone on to explain what this motto meant, she had characteristically returned to her cyber world and was once again listening to P-Diddy on her fully charged I-Pod. Now what would Cicero et al have made of that? The great orator surely would be lost for words!! Ah the joys of Latin!!! ‘The Ram Jam Inn’ came and went before we duly turned off towards Oakham along the B668 reaching our venue, the Greetham Community Centre, within a matter of minutes. Despite the cold breeze it was a dry and sunny location. In fact it was a welcome change from last week when the arctic conditions confined me to the living room sofa and an afternoon spent watching the ‘Gillette Soccer Special’ with Jeff Stelling and his enthusiastic panel. Phil Thompson is a real tonic on such days. Thankfully it was back to real football again. Nirvana! For the record Rutland Rangers are currently sitting at the top of the Premier Division having won 14 games out of 18, earning 44 points along the way. They have scored 66 goals no less but this is not the highest as Ramsey Town has that distinction by netting 70 times so far this term. All the details are published on the excellent league website. Rangers’ success is all the more impressive when you consider that the club only won promotion from Division 1 at the end of last season. Before play visitors Wimblington occupied a respectable mid table position. I had a distinct feeling that there might be a few goals in this one! As hoppers that’s what we crave for, don’t we? This match, like all the others in the league, was carried over from last week when freezing conditions caused all games, except one (at Moulton Harrox), to be postponed. And it didn’t take long for the hosts to exert their authority on proceedings by building up a commanding three goal lead before the interval. Jamie Saddington opened the scoring (on 11 minutes) after beating the offside trap to slide the ball beyond the keeper. Seven minutes later Rangers doubled their lead when Michael James Nelson (18) toe poked the ball into an empty net from close range. Next Lee Forbes added a third with an easy side foot tap in from the edge of the six-yard box (34). The league leaders looked to be coasting when Richard Nelson netted a fourth following a corner (55) to all but end the game. But then something unusual happened. The Rangers’ coaching staff decided for some reason to give several of their players a rest and stopped the game to make three substitutions on the hour mark. This so-called tactical strategy (or lack of it) totally altered the shape and balance of the team. I couldn’t see the logic behind this for the life of me. The Wimblington players suddenly found more space and quickly took advantage of their extra chances. Ten minutes later Danny Hotchkiss pulled one back for the visitors scoring from a superbly taken direct free kick taken a full thirty yards out from the goal. Keeper Shane Hicks was then called upon to make three fine saves in as many minutes before seeing two more shots come back off his woodwork. The custodian’s job was not made any easier as the ball kept changing direction in a swirling cross-wind which had increased in strength during the second half. Wimblington found the net again in the last minute following another free kick but the eagle-eyed referee noticed that the ball had crept into the goal through a gap in the side netting. As the aged official (who had a magnificent game by the way) blew his whistle it was the home side who breathed a collective sigh of relief knowing that the final score could have in fact been quite different. The match, played on a soft surface, cut up quite badly towards the end. After a quick head count I judged that fourteen spectators were in attendance. Some of the fans braved the cold conditions at pitch side whilst others decided to watch the action from inside the comfort of their vehicles. What a bunch of wimps! One of the locals explained to me that much of Rangers’ success this season was partly down to the large number of players who had come over to the club from neighbouring Cottesmore. By half time my temporary friend was on his way over to Rogues Park to watch the Leicestershire Senior League Division 1 game against high-flying Anstey Nomads. His words echoed in my ears when I learned the next day (Sunday) that the Amateurs had in fact been hammered 9-0! It seems that their loss is definitely Rangers gain! Like all clubs in the P&DL, programmes are not a priority and because of this may put many neutrals off from visiting clubs in this league. This seems a shame. Facilities at The Community Centre are basic but homely. The site, also used by the local village cricket club, is fully contained being bordered by hedges and fields to give it a tidy and enclosed feel. From the main entrance a short driveway leads to the club pavilion at the far end. The changing area also doubles as a makeshift tea bar from where hot drinks and snacks are served at half time. Behind here is the village bowls club. A modern skate park and floodlit tennis court offer locals extra leisure amenities. The pitch is over to the right and runs lengthways on the playing field where two permanent brick dug outs are positioned next to the right hand touch line. Behind the furthest goal some interesting pieces of ground maintenance equipment can be found and include an old-fashioned pitch roller that still has its own number plate. It looks like something out of the Wacky Races. Priceless! The village of Greetham (pronounced Gree-tham) is a mixture of stone cottages, several thatched cottages, converted barns and modern detached houses. It is mainly a farming community, but there are a few business people commuting to the nearby towns and cities with some RAF personnel from the neighbouring Harrier base at Cottesmore. The Country Park Hotel and Golg Club is a popular retreat. To reach the club come off the A1 at the Oakham exit (B668) and continue for a couple of miles into the village passing The Wheatsheaf Inn. The Community Centre (signposted) is easily found by turning right in Main Street and following Great Lane for about 200 yards. The ground is at the top of the hill on the left hand side. There are plenty of car parking spaces on site. A visit to Rutland Rangers Football Club comes highly recommended. It’s a friendly set up with helpful members of the Saddington family at the helm. It’s a father and son combination with Harry (Senior) performing many match day tasks whilst his son Andrew is the current first team manager. Both were invaluable in providing me the match information and the team line-ups on the day. And finally if you do get the chance to visit this tiny part of Rutland, remember the Latin phrase: Carpe Diem! It will certainly be well worth it. *Notes: Rutland is the smallest historic English county. Its greatest length north to south is only 18 miles (29.0 km) and greatest breadth east to west, 17 miles (27.4 km). Rutland has plenty to offer the tourist with Rutland Water, one of the largest manmade lakes in Europe, allowing visitors to fish, sail, climb, and cruise. There are a broad range of speciality shops located in its only two towns of Oakham and Uppingham. FGIF Match Rating: 4. edited 20/01/09
Visitors can also spend time at the stately homes at Lyddington Bede House, originally home to the Bishops of Lincoln; Belton House, which has played home to a number of films Pride & Prejudice and Jane Eyre, and one of the largest and grandest houses of the Elizabethan age at Burghley House near Stamford.
The horticultural delights of Barnsdale Gardens, the two hundred year old Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue and the enchanted Medieval Wing Maze are also within striking distance of the county's county town Uppingham.