Hello, with no Saints game this weekend, if you fancy a bit of spicy local derby action, then Sholing make the short trip to Hamble to play Folland Sports FC in the Second round of the FA Vase. Kick off is 3pm. Ground is at Kings Avenue, just off Hamble Lane on the right hand side marked by the Red Arrow Sculpture thingy with the Harrier Pub opposite.
Ah the Harrier... brings back some good memories of my youth...Might pop along to this one if the weather is good.
The Red Arrow sculpture thingy just so happens to be the famous Folland Gnat fighter. Designed and built in Hamble and was the Red Arrows first display jet fighter. Still looks slightly better than the present day Hawk, in my opinion.
I stand corrected. Interesting and a bit sad also that both teams represent the "Planemakers" & the "Boatmen" showing what industry used to be in the area.
My first boat was a Fairey Marine [Hamble] built Albacore racing dinghy from 1951. Designed by Uffa Fox, on the IOW, it was of wooden sheet diagonal carvel construction, and was a thing of absolute varnished beauty. When I went to live in NZ I sold it to a local person here who keeps it locked up in his garage and has restored it to a gleaming condition. He utterly refuses to sell it back. Sadly, it has never touched water since, which is a shame because it's a fantastic boat to sail. I once came back from Cowes to Calshot and passed the RNLI boat mooring in just over 20 minutes. That's cracking along for an old 16ft planing dinghy. There used to be lots of highly technical industry in the Hamble area. Much of it is sadly gone due to government involvement and bungling.
Sholing won 2-1 today thanks to goals from Lee Wort and Mike Carter and now progress into the 3rd round of the FA Vase. A fiesty game as you would expect in a local derby, watched by around 250.
