Picture quiz - Basingstoke Town links

number 1 - Tim Sills?

2. Hankin, isn't it? Sillsy is indeed Number 1. How was the Camrose? Did you go when we won 3-2 in the Cup?

5 is Merse's favourite goalie...Nathan Abbey

Just a jest Crispy - the Herald Express article the other day about Megan's auction had Dave named as Loach.

Numbers 1-5 are, indeed Messrs Sills, Hankin, Roach, Winter and Abbey.

6 and 8 played briefly for us and I believe 7 hails from Newton Abbot.

My first visit to the Camrose as I missed our cup tie there twenty years ago. I doubt it's changed much in that time and it all looks rather shabby (with a horrible main road running close by). Nonetheless, a crowd of around 1600 at least managed to cover up the untidy bits and make it look half-decent on a sunny day. I understand there are plans to relocate to the rugby club just along the road.

Incidently, our visit is still acknowledged by an array of rather dated-looking black and white pictures on the wall of the club shop. Quite a battle from what I remember hearing.

As for the game, well you pay your money and take a chance with friendlies. Pompey fielded Distin, Diop, Kranjcar and Nugent from the start with Mullins, Kaboul, Basinas and Hughes coming on when all ten outfield players where subsituted at one fell swoop with around twenty minutes to go. By that time the game had degenerated, Sean Hankin had managed to kick a couple of far better-paid individuals and the early promise of Basingstoke's Jahson Downes had faded.

A first proper visit to the town of Basingstoke for me and I suppose it's an example of how towns can change drastically because of government policy. From around 17,000 people in the early 1950s its population grew to over 50,000 in around twenty years. Now it has over 80,000 people but, if you look closely enough, you can still find relics of the older market town. This is especially true close to May's Bounty, the town's cricket ground where local lad John Arlott first watched cricket in the 1920s (I see Hampshire are playing there in a few weeks time).

And, if know where to look, you can find the old Basingstoke by-pass which was part of the main route to Devon and Cornwall from the 1930s to the 1970s. Imagine what that was like on summer Saturdays forty odd years ago. Also, if you shut your eyes, you can see all those Grey Cars and Wallace Arnold coaches trundling to White Hart Lane for the replay in 1965...

Correct, sir! We must be nearing the time to launch the "which ex-Torquay United players have managed in the Football League?" thread....

And, on that list of Basingstoke players, is it the same Paul Chambers?

I wondered that. Did spot Harries there - no pic.