Match : London Scottish v Yorkshire Carnegie
Squad : Bowen, Quincy, Richo, Beebs (5th cap)
We have long had the plan to cover off a "big" non league game and so the target became the FA Vase 'semi finals. After researching the clubs left in the draw of the Vase plus the more senior FA Trophy we plumped for the Surrey hotspot of Chertsey and their 2nd leg against Northwich Victoria. Tickets were bought and plans were made.
Then a tropical storm blew in with some fierce gales and plenty of rain. The first leg was postponed a week thus pushing the second leg back a week too. That meant we had tickets for a town with no game. We needed a Plan B.
There were frankly little appealing options in London in the non league sphere but there was a rugby match of interest so that is how we ended up at London Scottish rugby club in Richmond.
The day started as usual at Peterborough train station but for once we were heading south. There was evidence of people departing off to a march somewhere but apart from that it was a simple journey into London. Once there we headed to the nearest pub...which happened to be 10 yards away from the platform in the station.
Anyone who remembers the old Kings Cross effort at a pub will know it can be a poor show. The Coopers was on the platform and was pretty shoddy on all fronts. When Kings Cross was revamped a few years back they made the clever decision to convert some of the old offices into a pub. Run by Fullers (the people that used to own the Fullers Brewery) The Parcelyard is a pretty good effort. The choice of beers is superb and the food top notch too.
The place was still fairly quiet when we got there but filled up considerably in our time there. We kittied up and ordered beers and breakfast. The full English wasn't cheap (£10.95) but was excellent - good sausage, cracking black pudding. The beer was good too - Mosaic Pale Ale for me. Great start to the day.
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| Quincy not happy despite the excellent breakfast |
Once at Richmond we headed towards the river and the White Cross pub. the pub and it's front terrace is susceptible to the tide of the Thames but on arrival all was dry. This is a Youngs pub, one of a few in the area, and the beer choice was decent - I tried the Meantime IPA - not bad. We managed to get a table outside and enjoyed the sunshine for a bit.
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| The White Cross |
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| Out to the River Thames |
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| Much happier now |
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| Beebs on beer |
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| Richo at the Ship |
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| Quincy getting happier by the beer |
The ground is literally around the corner from the station and we picked up tickets in the car park before making our way into the ground. The ground is pretty much one stand and some railings. With the stand fairly full it meant there was lots of space around the ground to stand at the railings and get close to the action. The amenities though were all back out of the gate. However a likely looking security guard let us in the VIP entrance to the bar rather than walk around. At the bar joy - London pride on tap from cask - and it tasted superb.
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| The Main Stand |
Back outside and it's game on. At least it is for Yorkshire Carnegie who take charge from the start and then keep a firm grip all game. The standard of rugby on show was very impressive and some of the handing would have shamed some of those taking part in the 6 Nations. Carnegie manage 4 tries in a one sided first half and go in 28-3 up thanks to efforts from local Yorkshire lads like Antonio Kiri Kiri and Fa'atiga Lemalu.
Half time means scram rather than scrum so we head into the refreshments area. First a beer and then a look at the food on offer and wow - a full canteen experience and we are front of the queue. So Scotch pie and chips all around then. It was very good too but for a lack of gravy. We sat and enjoyed the food, the beer and a bit of a chat. By the time we make our way back out we've inadvertently missed 9 minutes of the 2nd half. Nothing's changed mind.
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| Scotch Pie, Chips, London Pride. |
So it was back to the station and back to the Big Smoke. We were tempted to head for Covent Garden but instead opted for the Tower Bridge area. We got off the tube at London Bridge and as the advance party turned left instead of right we ended up in The Barrowboy and Banker. Although not before being run over by a red light avoiding Deliveroo cyclist.
The Barrowboy had another good beer selection but it was obviously a meeting place for many as it was busy and very very noisy. So after one we headed down towards Tower Bridge on the lookout for the next tavern of choice. That turned out to be The Draft House.
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| Beebs has a toilet for a brain....apparently |
So it was time to head back towards Kings Cross via a nice walk across Tower Bridge. Standing on the platform with the sign reading 6 minutes me and Quincy caved and had to retreat back out of the station to find somewhere to relieve ourselves (no toilets in the station). We still managed to catch the train and back to Kings Cross for a snack before boarding the train for a sleepy ride back to Peterborough.
Not the cheapest day out as you can imagine but the beer was top notch as was the game, And to play us out....
Stats
Match
Greene King IPA Championship
London Scottish 20 Yorkshire Carnegie 42
Stadium – Athletic Ground, Richmond. Capacity – 4,500
Attendance – 1,324
Pubs - 8
Best - Good beer everywhere but I liked the Tap Tavern and the pint of London Pride
in the ground may have been the best of the lot
Worst - The Barrowboy and Banker - too noisy but frankly it was the worst of an extremely good bunch
Breakfast - The Parcelyard - yum
Lunch - Scotch Pie and fries - yum
Dinner - Kings Cross Leon and Maccy Ds
Pies - Very good
Marks
Ground - 9/10
Match - 9/10
Beer - 10/10
Food - 8/10
Pie - 7/10
Enjoyment Factor - 9/10
