Dripping In Sweat - Lewes vs. Dulwich Hamlet

View of The Dripping Pan towards the clubhouse end

Lewes is one of my favourite grounds and I'd been meaning to revisit for a long time. So on the first baking hot Saturday of pre season provided the perfect opportunity. There is a one division gap between the two sides although this could have been bigger if Dulwich had won The Ryman Premier Play Off Final against East Thurrock at the end of the previous season. My previous visit to Lewes had been when they were in The Conference South and they played Havant And Waterlooville on that occasion.

Kick off at The Dripping Pan

Dulwich take the lead when the ball is pulled back from the byline and slotted home. Lewes grow into the game as it goes on and they get an equaliser when the midfielder gives the ball away and they score from the subsequent attack. Early in the second half, Lewes take the lead when the forward dances through the defence to make it 2-1. This is where my memory begins to let me down, I know Dulwich respond with four unanswered goals but I don't remember too many specifics! A lesson to not take over a week to right a report. Despite my memory loss it was still an entertaining pre season match up.

Grass bank down one side which provides elevated views

Trains to Lewes depart from London Victoria and if there aren't issues with the train not being able to divide properly at Haywards Heath then the trip takes just under an hour. The ground is then literally round the corner from the station. As the home to Harvey's Brewery you'd expect Lewes to have a couple of decent and it certainly doesn't disappoint. The other side of The High Street to the station is the excellent Elephant and Castle which has over sixty beers on offer as well as tasty own brew. Then just around the corner is The Lewes Arms which had a good selection of beers and a decent garden terrace out back. The town itself is worth exploring beforehand with the picturesque High Street as well as the castle. The bar in the ground was also impressive with a couple of Harvey's hand pulled ales as well as the usual selection of lagers. 

Dulwich defend in the first half

One From The Archieve - Lewes vs. Havant And Waterlooville

For this weeks one from the archive I've chosen one of the most scenic and varied grounds I've visited. It also has a brilliant name - The Dripping Pan. Located just over 50 miles south of London and in the middle of The South Downs the town of Lewes is worth a visit itself. A short walk from the station is the high street which has many thriving independent shops which makes it different from so many other high streets. Also even closer to the station is the Harvey and Sons Brewery. There are tours of the brewery but it is essential to book in advance.

Elevated view of the action towards the terracing behind one of the goals.

As I said in the opening paragraph, the ground is varied in terms of accommodation of supporters. At either end of the ground there is terracing but only at 'the clubhouse' end if there covered standing. One one side of the pitch there is the only seating in the ground and the other side is a grass bank with railing at the top! The website states that the ground at one point may have been a quarry of some description and this would go some way to explaining the layout of the ground.

The grass bank side of the ground.

At the time Lewes were struggling in the relegation zone of the Blue Square South. In their previous home game they had let a three goal lead slip at home to relegation rivals Worcester City. This game was billed as a must win in the programme but unfortunately Lewes failed to deliver.

The only seating at The Dripping Pan.

Lewes performed OK in the first half and a few decent efforts on goal. Then in the second half Havant and Waterlooville took over. The first goal was a cracker, a bicycle kick from just inside the box. This was followed by a bullet header from a corner and unfortunately for the battling hosts, a defensive mix gifted the visitors a third.  

The Home / Clubhouse end.

Lewes went on to avoid relegation on the final day of the season. The clubhouse is quite small but does has some hand pulled ales from the brewery. The programme was quite disappointing, but the articles it did contain were quite interesting. The station is less than five minutes walk from the station and trains depart from London Victoria every 30 minutes and takes just over an hour. As with East Preston it is defiantly worth getting to Lewes early to take in everything the town has to offer.

Match action from the home end.