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Old Etonians v Old Salopians

11am  5 December 2015

Arthurian League, Premier Division
Old Etonians 0 Old Salopians 0 (att 8)

Ticking off the home ground of a former FA Cup winner is a rare thing these days (just the new stadiums for Arsenal and Cardiff City in recent years) but, unknown to many, twice winners Old Etonians still play Saturday football.

They last lifted the trophy in 1882, and these days any silverware is likely to be restricted to the Arthurian League or the Arthur Dunn Cup, both competitions open to old boys sides of public schools.

They're well placed in this season's Arthurian League, so will be disappointed that they failed to overcome Old Salopians (alumni of Shrewsbury School) at a very blustery Dutchman's Playing Fields in Eton.

It wasn't a great game in all honesty, but the conditions made any attempt at decent football extremely difficult. The home side came closest to breaking the deadlock, hitting the frame of the goal during the second half.

The "playing fields of Eton" dominate the land to the north of the Berkshire town. Regular readers of this blog (if there are any) may recall a September visit to Eton College's Independent Schools Cup match, played on a sports field known as "Mesopotamia". The old boys pitch is part of a different ground, known as "Dutchman's" and accessed off Pococks Lane.

The morning kick off was apparently due to school sports events taking precedence later in the day, and usefully provided me an opportunity to visit a famous footballing name. The "crowd" of eight included three other groundhoppers, similarly attracted by the early kick off, a trio that I assumed to be wives/girlfriends of the players, and the referee's dad.









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