SPORTS NEWS

Football
Ryman's League Division One

Dulwich Hamlet 0
Leatherhead 1


TUPNews recently paid a visit to Champions Hill, home of Dulwich Hamlet FC. I’ve missed seeing regular non-league football since I moved to London – I used to go to every Bath City home game during my previous life as a Somerset radiator salesman – so I like to go down and support the Hamlet boys every once and while.

The boys were unlucky this time around, conceding a dubious penalty and having a man sent off late in the second half. It’s a lovely club though, steeped in history. The last amateur player to win an England cap, Edgar Kail, played for Dulwich Hamlet. There’s a road named after him nearby.

Hamlet are managed by Martin Eede. Eede was the club’s chairman up until 2001, when previous gaffer Gweyne Berry resigned after a 6-1 defeat. Eede thought ‘fuck it, how hard can it be’ and appointed himself manager. He’s still the chairman. But best of all, he’s also the groundsman. My mate Tim’s uncle knows him, he manages Redhill FC.

Last season I went down the Hamlet only to find that the afternoon’s opposition were none other than AFC Wimbledon, the club set up by Wimbledon FC fans after their club was moved to Milton Keynes and renamed the MK Dons. The place was packed; I couldn’t get a seat. AFC Wimbledon ended up champions that year, but they weren’t all that spectacular against Dulwich Hamlet – it was even stevens for most of the match, before Hamlet conceded a soft goal in the last five minutes.

One of the funniest things I’ve ever seen was at a Dulwich Hamlet match. The team were a goal down against Newport Isle of Wight. There was a couple sitting next to me – he was fixed on the match, but she was reading a book. The book was titled “Coping With Loss”. An excellent book to read at a football match!