Wroxham UFO riddle finally solved
THE mystery of a UFO spotted at Wroxham has finally been solved, I can reveal today.
The incident, which has baffled experts for the past five months, occurred in the vicinity of Trafford Park, home of Ridgeons League Premier Division side Wroxham.
The incident was reported on the evening of December 17 last year when eye witnesses said that an Unidentified Flying Object was spotted mid-way through the first half of a Ridgeons League Cup second round tie involving Wroxham and local rivals Norwich United.
The UFO was seen briefly hovering in the Wroxham penalty area, but disappeared after Norwich United scored and was not seen again. There have, however, been unconfirmed sightings since in Suffolk, especially around the Hadleigh area, since the end of January.
Please excuse the self-indulgence, but welcome to my very own end-of-season Ridgeons Scene & Heard awards.
Regular followers of my blog may have twigged that the above is a cryptic reference to my son Ben Garnham scoring his only goal of the season – hence the Unidentified Flying Object analogy – whilst playing for Norwich United in what was his last appearance for the Planters before joining Hadleigh United.
Seeing Ben score was my personal highlight of the season, but how was it for you? Perhaps you have your own thoughts on the season and would like to email me at nick.garnham@archant.co.uk, and I will publish the best ones on my blog during the summer break.
Below I look back on the best and worst from my travels around the Eastern Counties over the past nine months in my own end-of-season awards, with apologies to those clubs I did not see play.
Best game: Leiston v Lewes in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round proper. The FA Cup was on display, a big crowd and a rip-roaring game. An historic day for the Suffolk side saw them deservedly hold their Blue Square Premier opponents to a draw, before causing an upset by knocking them out in a replay.
Worst game: Norwich United 0 Haverhill 0. A bore draw between two teams battling against relegation. Nuff said.
Best day: Norwich United’s visit to Needham Market in mid-October. A gloriously sunny afternoon and great hospitality, even the 3-1 defeat did not spoil my enjoyment.
Worst day: Manager Paul Chick’s first game in charge didn’t exactly go to plan – Norwich United were 5-1 down at half time away to Wroxham two days after Christmas! There were no further goals in the second half on a bitterly cold day – and Ben was an unused substitute. The only plus point was using my new Sat Nav for the first time!
Best team: Lowestoft Town, although I only saw them play the once. They ripped Needham Market to pieces in the first half of the Suffolk Premier Cup final and, even though they wilted under Needham’s second-half fight-back, still had enough about them to win on the night. The stuff of champions.
Best individual display: Leiston striker Tes Bramble in their win at Norwich. Not only did he score twice in a 2-1 win but his hunger and all-round game was first class. How different would Leiston’s season have been had he been fully fit all season?
Best goal: Woodbridge Town’s second goal in their 4-0 win away to Whitton United. A Whitton corner was cleared and John Sargeant broke down the left wing before playing in a perfect cross for Lee O’Neill to guide a first-time volley into the net. Shame it was subsequently expunged from the records!
Most comical goal: Wroxham’s Andy Key was left with a simple tap-in for the third goal in the 5-1 thrashing after Norwich United keeper Nathan Pauling fell over and ended on his backside attempting to clear a Tom Jeal back pass! A belated Christmas present if ever there was!
Best save: Harwich & Parkeston right back Michael Murray who literally threw himself in the way of a well-struck goalbound shot by Norwich United striker Keith Hetherington and somehow managed to keep it out. Top-class defending.
Best comeback: FC Clacton overturning a two-goal deficit to defeat Hadleigh United 3-2 edges out Needham Market’s second-half revival from 2-0 in a splendid Suffolk Premier Cup final against Lowestoft Town at Portman Road, which ultimately end in a last-gasp 3-2 defeat.
Worst day’s weather: It has to be Saturday, December 13 when I opted to watch Felixstowe & Walton United v Harwich & Parkeston at Dellwood Avenue - one of the few remaining fixtures not to fall foul of the foul weather. Boy was it cold, wet, windy and totally miserable.
Biggest waste of time: Travelling to King’s Lynn in early December for a Norfolk Senior Cup replay to be told 10 minutes after arriving that the match was postponed due to a frozen pitch – a 148-mile three-hour round trip for nothing!
Best ground: I may be biased, but with good car parking, a superb new clubhouse and one of the best pitches to boot, it has to be Hadleigh United.
Worst ground: Whitton United – Assuming they stay with the Ridgeons League, the sooner they move to a new home the better!
Best pitch: Kirkley’s newly-laid pitch was a sight to behold at the start of the season, although Tiptree’s ran it close.
Best programme: Tiptree United for use of colour or Kirkley for sheer volume of pages.
Worst programme: Wivenhoe Town – The black and white photocopied front cover was not up to the standards you would expect from a Premier Division club.
And finally
Worst car park: King’s Lynn – There were so many puddles that the club should consider hiring out fishing nets so that children can enjoy themselves in the rock pools!