Rising Ballers Kensington 1 - 1 Windsor (Combined Counties 1), Tuesday 8 April 2025
On one of those strange April evenings, when the air is chilly but full of hope for Spring, I found myself in Greenford (West London) for a 1st Division Combined Counties match. This was my first in this league and indeed one of only a handful of matches I have seen in the West side of London. The Combined Counties covers Berks, Bucks, Hants, Herts, Kent, Oxf and the western bit of London - so I guess its footprint is 'the westerly bit of the South East'.
Rising Ballers Kensington (great name) share the ground of North Greenford United, located between Sudbury Hill and Greenford. Upon arrival I was about to hand over the entry fee (to a group of away fans!) before realising this was FOC. I had a cup of tea (including complimentary biscuits!) from the bar and surveyed the league table. Two points separated Rising Ballers and the visitors (Windsor - not Windsor and Eton!), both hovering over the relegation zone.
The match was full-blooded to say the least and started with a bang when Ballers had an early penalty saved. After this, Windsor dominated much of the half with their sharp passing and took a slender lead into the break. I nipped into the bar to see the end of the 1st half of Arsenal-Real Madrid (and to warm up!).
The second half was more even and Ballers really upped their game to match Windsor. Ballers - in a distinctive white and gold Madrid-esque kit - seemed like they wanted it just a little more. They deservedly equalised when they successfully converted a penalty, and after this either side could have won it. 1-1 was a reasonably fair result, although it didn't do either side any favours. Meanwhile, across London, it transpired that Arsenal had beaten Real Madrid 3-0 - a strange evening all round.
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