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Writer's pictureGloucester Groundhopper

The Lawns (Cribbs FC)

Updated: Feb 12, 2023

Welcome to the latest installment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.


For this chapter, we ventured back down the M5 for another taste of Hellenic League Premier Division action as Cribbs FC took on Worcester Raiders in a top of the table clash. The Lawns was the host for the game.


It's All In The Name


For decades, possibly more than a century, and especially when the shopping centre was built and the entire area became Cribbs Causeway, local legend held that this was named after Tom Cribb.


Tom Cribb was a bare-knuckle boxer who was probably Britain's most famous man for a time, especially after he became the closest thing to an official 'world champion' when he controversially defeated a former American slave named Tom Molineaux in 1810 and again the following year.


The legend that Cribbs Causeway was named after him persisted for decades until a map of the area bearing the name Cribbs Causeway was discovered in the 1960s. It was from 1777, four years before his birth.


There have been two theories about where the name Cribbs came from since then. The first comes from the word 'crib,' which means a person's home. Someone's crib in mediaeval English meant a place to sleep, and it wasn't always very nice - hence the crib in the barn in the Nativity story.


A crib was somewhere between a hovel and a home, but thanks to American urban slang, the old word 'crib,' which means "home," has returned to the fore.


The other possibility was that there was a family named Cribb, or Crybe, or Cribbe, or some such spelling.


Some More Notable People From Bristol:


  • Banksy- Artist

  • James May- Top Gear Presenter

  • Josie Gibson- Big Brother Winner

  • Judd Trump - Snooker Player

  • Lee Evans- Comedian


A History Lesson From AFC Finners


Cribbs FC were founded in 1958 in London as Sun Life Assurance, with their name coming from their parent company Sun Life, a Canadian Financial Services company. Sun Life’s London office moved to Bristol in 1976, and so the football team followed, moving into their current home in 1978. Sun Life were promoted to the Avon Premier Combination that year, and would stay there for 20 years. They changed their name to AXA in the 90s, and won promotion to the county league in 2000. Their name changed to Cribbs Friends Life FC in 2011.

They won the Gloucestershire County League in 2012, then making it a double by winning the Len James Cup. This got them promotion to the Western League Division One. They changed their name to Cribbs FC in 2013, and were transferred to the Hellenic Premier Division in 2021. They finished 4th and won the Hellenic League Cup, and now they are looking to build on this and find their way into the Southern League.


Honours


🏆 GFA Challenge Cup Trophy (Winners: 2018-19)

🏆 Hellenic League Cup (Winners: 2021-22)

🏆 Les James League Cup (Winners: 2011–12)


An Interview With Cribbs FC Manager, Richard Luffman:


GG: Could you tell us a little bit about Cribbs Football Club?


RL: Cribbs FC is a Bristol-based club that was previously known as AXA Sunlife.

It's a fantastic club with a distinct personality unlike any other I've visited.


GG: How long have you been with Cribbs FC, and do you recall your first game?


RL: My first game will be in the FA Cup in September 2020. We scored after 8 seconds and haven't looked back since.


GG: Can you tell us something interesting about Cribbs FC?


RL: England has trained on our field.


GG: How do you feel about working for a club in the lower leagues, and how does it differ from working in the higher leagues?


RL: Well, that means more jobs for everyone. I have a few, in addition to being the first team manager. But I adore it in every way.


GG: How important is the club to the community?


RL: Probably not as much as it should be because we are a working club and cribbs isn't much of a community. However, with our recent success, we hope to start changing that with the construction of 1500 houses next door.


GG: What are the clubs' long-term goals?


RL: Promotion to the Southern League in January 2023 (at the time of writing).


GG: What do you think is the most famous thing that has happened on the field?


RL: During my time at the club, Dan Webbs' 8-second FA Cup goal was the fastest in the 20/21 season competition.


GG: If you could only sign one player to play for the club for one game, who would it be?


RL: Matt Le Tissier


GG: What is your favourite aspect of playing football?


RL: Getting three points


GG:  Who is the best footballer you’ve seen play at Cribbs’ ground and why? 


RL: Jake Hodgson.  Cribbs Legend, our captain.


GG: Finally, could you tell us why people should come to Cribbs?


RL: Without a doubt, the best place in Bristol for non-league football, with an unrivalled pitch, great team, and brilliant people.


Matchday: Cribbs FC 2-0 Worcester Raiders


We travelled to Cribbs on a slightly warmer Saturday afternoon. Living in Gloucester makes it easy for me to get on the M5, so after a short journey down the motorway, we arrived at Cribbs Causeway. Due to our early arrival, we decided to have a look around the shopping centre, and unknowingly stumbled upon a Wallace & Gromit show that was going on, so we enjoyed looking through that. After that, we headed over to the stadium.


The stadium is a bit difficult to find, as it is actually next to a school, and a hockey pitch, so luckily there was someone there to show us how to get to the ground. There is free parking available at the ground which is always a welcomed bonus.


There is a club house at the stadium, which was delightfully quaint. There is a wonderful man who will serve you in the bar, who is polite and really helpful. They were showing the early kickoff in the bar, which was West Ham United vs Chelsea, so that was nice.


The bar also serves a variety of rolls (named 'Roy's Rolls') for 2 for a £1- yes that's not a typo, a quid. The club have said that they don't want the cost of living crisis to price out their fans, so they wanted to keep costs low on food and drink. The rolls available today were cheese and onion, cheese and tomato, beef and ham. There is also hot food available at the ground, which is sold outside the clubhouse. They serve burgers and hotdogs, as well as bacon rolls. I have to say that the burger wasn't the nicest burger I've ever eaten, but for the price they were asking (£3.50) it was good quality.


We then entered the ground, we were offered a deal by Cribbs FC manager that allowed fans to have a match ticket, a pin badge, a programme and a hot drink for a tenner. Which is great value (even more value for money when they offer you half price on that). We were also allowed access to the changing rooms and onto the pitch. The club has a really good set up and it's always nice to be allowed access to some behind the scenes things, so we are grateful for that opportunity.


The fans were really welcoming too. They were really chatty and a good laugh. Cribbs make a great effort to have an atmosphere l too. They have a set of speakers that blare out music (louder than an atomic bomb). Apparently, the club likes to play Nessun Dorma before every match to build atmosphere, then have the players walk out to One Step Beyond by Madness. It's fantastic that a club at this level make such an effort towards the atmosphere, it shows their attention to detail.


Teamsheet


Cribbs FC


Manager: Richard Luffman


Rob Brown

Sonny Harnett-Balkwill

Josh Bennett

Ryan Calney Ryan Crouch

Ross McErlain

George Kellow ⚽️

Matt Hurley

David Duru ⚽️

Steve Murray

Jake Hodgson (c)


Substitutes


Charlie Dashfield

Nick Jones

Joe Hillard

Ben Bament

Bailey Croome


Worcester Raiders


Manager: Karl Gormley


Ryan Young

Syrus Warren-Paul

Luke Gaffney

Harry Stratford

Jay Sauntson

Brogan Halpin

Joe Billingham (c)

Jade Ferron

Louis Monaghan

Jordan Murphy

Manny Olaloko


Substitutes


Richard Smith

Bailey Fuller

James Timmins

Vanylson Silva

Samuel Carey


The game started fairly evenly as both sides looked to work eachother out in a top of the table clash. The first chance fell to Cribbs when a good ball from Matt Hurley saw Steve Murray cut inside and shoot just wide. Cribbs then took the lead when David Duru beat the defender and passed the ball into the corner. Worcester Raiders then had a chance of their own when Louis Monaghan had an effort parried easily away.


Cribbs doubled their lead in the second half when their man was bundled over in the box, resulting in a penalty. George Kellow stepped up and fired low into the bottom right corner to make it 2-0. Cribbs then had a chance to make it three when their midfielder picked the ball up and unleashed a long shot that landed just wide of the post. The best chance of the half for Worcester Raiders fell to Bailey Fuller who got a shot away from distance after some great hold up play from Smith, but it was held well once again. The game finished 2-0 as Cribbs gained three points that keeps the pressure on league leaders Malvern Town.


Scores On The Doors


Atmosphere: 5/10

Food and Drink: 7/10

Stadium: 3.5/10

Welcome: 9/10

Overall Experience: 8/10

GG





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