Football Season Is Over - Lyndhurst vs. Infinity

Main stand at Hamble Club

As I had other commitments the following weekend and having opted for cricket on the Saturday, Bank Holiday Monday would be me last game of the season. For a long time I had planned a revisit to Lancing for The RUR Cup Final but I then got wind of The Hampshire League Cup Final at Hamble that would provide one last new tick of the campaign. The final pitted Senior Division runners up Infinity against Division One champions Lyndhurst. All I knew of either team was that Infinity lost a winner takes all match for the title to Bush Hill on the last day of the season. The only Hampshire League ground I had visited was Liss Athletic a number of seasons ago and I remember really enjoying my afternoon.

Kick off at The Abbey

Infinity unsurprisingly have a lot of the ball early on but it is Lyndhurst who have a shot blocked on the line for the first big chance of the game. The first opportunity for Infinity comes as the man cuts inside and the Lyndhurst keeper has to make a great save. As with so many times this season, I'm away from the pitch as the first goal goes in (great hot dogs at Hamble by the way) which goes the way of Lyndhurst. Infinity come desperately close to equalising with a close range header that thunders against the bar.

Lyndhurst keeper claims the ball

Lyndhurst don't take long to double their lead as the forward beats the keeper to a long ball before putting the ball into an empty net. Infinity are given a way back into the game when the Lyndhurst defender turns his back and the ball strikes his arm from close range. He is then sent off for what I presume was dissent. Infinity then make big use of the man advantage as they score two headed goals to go into the lead adding a fourth from close range in the closing stages.

Infinity looking to get back into the game

The closest station to Hamble Club is unsurprisingly Hamble. To get here you need to take a train to Southampton from Waterloo and changing there for the train to Hamble which takes around two hours. The ground is then a ten minute walk away. I got off a stop early at Netley and walked through the fascinating Royal Victoria Park which was the former site of a military hospital and had I done my research properly I would have allowed myself time to go around the museum. It is then possible to walk along the water into Hamble its self. By the water there is The Bugle which had a good outside section as well as a good choice of ales. Then more or less next door is The King and Queen which was good for the same reasons. The clubhouse had the sports channels and sold cans and as I mentioned earlier, the food is very good too. 

Dugout side of the ground