Club Background
When we made our only previous trip to Beveree Stadium (commonly known as The Bev) back in 1988 the opposition was merely known as Hampton FC. However, although it now has a different name it is still the same club – no amalgamation or phoenix club out of administration or liquidation here, unlike a number of our opponents this season – just a decision to extend its handle in 1999 in an attempt to convince the good people of the Borough (the only one in London to stretch over both sides of the Thames) on the other (Richmond) side of the river that it was their team too. Given the Borough has a population of around 200,000 while the Beavers average gates in the six hundreds this name change hasn’t perhaps had as much impact as hoped.
The club, formed in 1921, spent its first four and half decades knocking around in County level football in Middlesex and (slightly weirdly as the wrong side of the river) Surrey leagues. In 1964 the Beavers moved up the amateur ranks into the Spartan League, which it won four times between then and 1971, then it switched to the Athenian League. With the ending of the amateur/professional distinction in the early Seventies and the beginnings of the structuring of a single football ‘pyramid’ the club became founder members of the Isthmian League.
There were 25 seasons bobbing around various lower Isthmian divisions before finally getting promoted to the Premier Division in 1998 (we thus just missed them by a couple of seasons).
Five seasons of mostly struggle ended in 2002-03 when, winning only three league games all season, the club ended 30 points adrift of the safety line and was relegated into Division One South. Following this horror show Alan Devonshire, who’d left Maidenhead United after a successful six seasons when his Chairman stepped down and Devonshire decided to follow suit, was appointed manager at The Bev. Conveniently for the Beavers he brought the bulk of the Magpies’ winning squad with him.
Although not promoted in his first season, finishing 5th, it didn’t matter as one of those frequent reorganisations of the lower football levels (this time for the creation of Conference North and South) saw Hampton & Richmond Borough moved back into the Isthmian Premier anyway for 2004-05. Devonshire guided the club to 6th, then 5th (losing in the Play-off Final to Fisher Athletic), and finally promotion as Champions in 2006-07.
The first season in Conference South saw the Beavers finish 3rd (losing to Eastbourne Borough in the Play-off Final) and the second campaign 2nd (again reaching the Play-off Final and again losing out, this time to Hayes & Yeading United). After two such close misses the following two seasons were anti-climactic with 14th and 18th place finishes and at the end of the 2010-11 campaign Devonshire departed for Braintree Town. Assistant manager Mark Harper stepped up a rung but the Beavers were relegated in 2011-12 back to the Isthmian. Despite this the club initially stuck with Harper, but when it was clear he wasn’t going to get it back out of the IPL at the first time of asking he was out, on April 1st 2013. Again the club appointed from within, first team coach Paul Barry and player Darren Powell stepping up. Their first full season of 2013-14 saw the most middle of mid-table finishes in 12th and when the 2014-15 campaign didn’t start well they were gone in September.
This time the club looked outside for a new manager and in came Alan Dowson. The rest of that campaign was spent fire-fighting to sort the team out and keep it up; and very successfully so as the next season Dowson took the Beavers to the title by a single point over Bognor Regis Town and automatic promotion up to National League South.
In the play-offs in 2016-17 it was not to be a double promotion, knocked out at the semi-final stage by Ebbsfleet United. The next season they sent one better, getting to the Play-off Final, only to lose to Braintree Town on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Dowson left two days later to take the managerial post at Woking.
Gary McCann was appointed in the summer of 2018 and guided the team to 15th, 8th (in the season eventually decided on PPG), in 6th (when the next season was abandoned), and 11th. He remained popular with supporters, having taken the club to two FA Cup First Round Proper appearances (as many as in the rest of its history), but this cut little ice when the Petruzzo brothers, Stefano and Rafaele, took ownership of the club in December 2022. McCann was out the door by the beginning of January.
The Petruzzos, if their self-publicity-machine* is anything to go by, are all “corporate transformation and demonstrators to the world that you can build a sustainable, community-first and youth led football business”. Unsurprisingly therefore, they recruited Mel Gwinnett who was coaching at the time at Barnet. Gwinnett (nine appearances in goal for Yeovil Town in the 1988-89 season) is very much in the fashionable modern technology based/statistical analysis/individual player development programmes/coaching style of manager. Whether that’s really transferable from the rarefied atmosphere and huge budgets of the Premier League and upper reaches of the EFL to NLS players rocking up for a couple of evenings training a week remains to be seen. One would assume the Petruzzos have an ambition to take the club full-time at some point though don’t appear to have had much specific to say on that so far.
We fortunately avoid another artificial pitch. It’s the new owners intention to install one but they didn’t get the planning permission sorted out in time so The Beavers carry on on grass for 2023-24.
In the summer of 2023 the club decided to drop “Borough” from its name. Suspect it didn’t take the decision early enough to get the change ratified by the football authorities for the 2023-24 campaign as both the FA and the National League still have it officially as Hampton & Richmond Borough this season.
(* Footnote: In a very lengthy list of people they wanted to thank a remote YTFC connection crops up: “Paul Tisdale, World Class Football Operator” – assuming it is the same Paul Tisdale. His Royal Highness William Prince of Wales also gets a mention – no YTFC connection as far as I know.)
We’ve Met Before
Previous Results for Yeovil Town First Team vs Hampton & Richmond Borough
| 09/02/1988 | Away | ACD4 | W | 2-0 | 413 | Randall, Pearson | |
| 11/01/2020 | Home | FAT2 | W | 4-0 | 1689 | Murphy 38, 46, 62, Bradbury 70 | |
| 23/09/2023 | Away | NLS | W | 2-1 | 1269 | Stevens 34, Murphy 43 | |
| 16/12/2023 | Home | NLS | D | 0-0 | 3388 |
Results Summary For Yeovil Town First Team vs Hampton & Richmond Borough
| Home | Away | Overall | ||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
Club Statistics
RECENT RESULTS
| 05/08/2023 | Eastbourne Borough | Away | NLS | L | 0-1 | 1950 | ||
| 12/08/2023 | Chelmsford City | Away | NLS | D | 1-1 | 622 | Donaldson 28 | |
| 15/08/2023 | Dartford | Away | NLS | D | 1-1 | 879 | Inman 82 | |
| 19/08/2023 | Truro City | Away | NLS | W | 2-1 | 257 | Cheadle 22, Kurran-Browne 52 | |
| 26/08/2023 | Bath City | Away | NLS | L | 1-3 | 1024 | Hall 90+3 | |
| 28/08/2023 | Aveley | Away | NLS | L | 0-3 | 471 | ||
| 02/09/2023 | Farnborough | Away | NLS | L | 1-3 | 783 | Robinson 89 (o.g.) | |
| 05/09/2023 | Weymouth | Home | NLS | W | 1-0 | 723 | Seymour 88 (pen) | |
| 09/09/2023 | Weston-super-Mare | Away | NLS | D | 1-1 | 883 | Bloomfield 40 | |
| 16/09/2023 | Southall | Away | FACQR2 | W | 2-1 | 242 | Seymour 12, Deadfield 90+4 | |
| 23/09/2023 | Yeovil Town | Home | NLS | L | 1-2 | 1269 | Seymour 90+8 (pen) | |
(Owing to an over-run of building work at Beveree Stadium the club has requested and the National League agreed that the opening three home fixtures – vs Chelmsford City, Dartford and Aveley – can be reversed, the club thus beginning the season with a run of seven away games.)
LEAGUE ATTENDANCE STATISTICS
Highest League Attendance: 1,269
Lowest League Attendance: 723
Average League Attendance: 996
CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS
| Games Without A Win: | 2 | Games Without A Home Win: | 1 | |
| Games Without An Away Win: | 4 | Games Without Defeat: | 0 | |
| Games Without A Home Defeat: | 0 | Games Without An Away Defeat: | 1 | |
| Games Without A Draw: | 1 | Games Without A Score Draw: | 1 | |
| Games Without A No-Score Draw: | 10 | Games Without Scoring: | 0 | |
| Games Without Conceding: | 0 | Home Results Sequence: | WL | |
| Away Results Sequence: | LDDWLLLD | Overall Results Sequence: | LDDWLLLWDL |
Club Information
Address : Beveree Stadium, Beaver Close, Hampton, Middlesex, TW12 2BX.
Telephone Number : 0208 979 2456
Email : info@hamrichfc.com
Owners : Stefano and Rafaele Petruzzo
Chairman : Jacques Le Bars
Matchday Manager :
Club Secretary : Richard Parsons
Team Manager : Mel Gwinnett
Capacity : 3,500
Seated : 644
Covered Terrace : c. 800
Surface : grass
Record Attendance : 3,500 v Hayes & Yeading United, Conference South Play-off Final, 7th May 2009
Colours : dark blue shirt, dark blue shorts, dark blue and white socks
Nickname : The Beavers
Programme : £2.50 (last season, no indication found as to whether that remains the price for 2023-24)
Ticketing
THERE WILL BE NO SALE OF TICKETS TO AWAY FANS AT THE GROUND for our trip on Saturday 23rd October with a 3.00 p.m. kick-off so all purchases must be made on-line HERE. This is a segregated match so obviously select the away option. Our allocation is 625 tickets. The turnstiles half way along the side of the stadium are the entry point for away fans.
Prices :
Adult: £17.00
Concession* (65+, serving members of the emergency services, NHS staff, Blue Badge holders) : £12.00
16-18 Year-Old : £5.00
Under 16 : £3.00
(* Relevant ID may be requested at the turnstiles.)
Disabled : The usual spaces in the ground reserved for wheelchair users are in front of the main stand and access is via the Guests Gate. However, wheelchair users can also be accommodated around most of ground-level standing areas and you may request a different area (e.g. closer to other away fans assuming this match will be segregated). To reserve a disabled car parking space contact the club before match day.
Official Away Travel
The Green & White Supporters’ Club is running away travel to Hampton & Richmond Borough on Saturday 23rd September, with a 3.00 p.m. kick-off.
Details are as follows:
Members: Adult £26; Concession £24
Non-Members: Adult £29; Concession £27
Coach departs Huish Park: 9.00 a.m.
To book, call Paul Hadlow on 07736 044570 (after 6.00 p.m. please) or email him on paulhadlow@outlook.com.
If you are getting in touch by email, please make it clear which match you are booking for and that you give your full name, the names of people that are travelling and a contact telephone number.
You may be asked to pay a £5 deposit to reserve your seat.
Directions To The Ground
General
Hampton (Village) – a suffix it likes to add thus revealing the sort of demographic to be found there – is part of the Borough of Richmond upon Thames which is towards the western edge of London. From Huish Park to Beveree Stadium is 115 miles.
By Road
Assuming no roadworks or other impediments this is a simple one from the Yeovil area: A303 and then M3. Leave the M3 at Junction 1 (Sunbury Cross Roundabout) taking the fourth exit off the roundabout onto the A308 (Staines Road East). Keep following the A308 (it becomes Upper Sunbury Road after crossing Portland Bridge) all the way into Hampton (at which point another name change, to Thames Street). Turn left into the High Street (A3008). Take the first left off the High Street into Station Road. A couple of hundred yards along Station Road turn right into Beaver Close and you’re at the stadium.
Alternatively as the M3 runs out, instead of coming off at Junction 1 (above) the other option is to carry straight on, as the motorway becomes the A316, for another couple of miles, exiting at Apex Corner Roundabout for the A312 (Hampton Road East becoming Uxbridge Road) which brings you down into Hampton and the High Street (A3008) from the north. Turn right into the High Street, then right into Station Road, right into Beaver Close and you’re at the stadium.
Parking
Don’t be fooled by the stadium ground plan with Car Parks labelled 1, 2 and 3. All three are tiny. Regular parking at the stadium is minimal (though there is a bit of additional over-spill on rough ground, but that’s weather dependent).
Being London, alternatives can be tricky. Swathes of the Borough are Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ). No point even looking for a space in those without a permit. Most of the Hampton district isn’t within a CPZ but don’t let that encourage you – that’s because there’s hardly any visitor parking full stop anyway.
Hampton basically doesn’t do car parks. There are some free ones up on Hampton Common and Hampton Hill but they’re about a mile and a half from the ground. The only one can find near the ground is at Hampton Railway Station (see below): £3.50 all day on a Saturday, but with between 5 (FIVE) and 8 (EIGHT) – there’s some debate exactly how many it has – spaces good luck with securing one of those!
The nearest definitely FREE on-street have found is just under a mile (so about 20 minutes walk) from the stadium at the north end of Tudor Road and in Cambridge Road. Pretty much everything nearer appears to be double yellow/resident only/metered. If resorting to a metered space expect to pay from just under a fiver for three hours rising in hourly increments to just under a tenner by the time reach six hours. Richmond Borough uses RingGo.
By Rail
The nearest station is Hampton which is 0.4 of a mile (c. 8 minutes walk) from the stadium. Don’t confuse it with Hampton Wick Station – if get off there it’s a 2.7 miles walk (though a pleasant enough one through Bushy Park) to the ground; or with Hampton Court, the station of that name being the other side of the river. Hampton is on the Shepperton Branch Line with all services (two an hour each way on a Saturday) provided by South Western Railway.
From Yeovil Junction you’ll need to go up to Clapham Junction to get a connection back down to Hampton. Total journey time is between 2 hours 45 mins and 3 hours 15 mins depending on service chosen.
From London the terminus is Waterloo. Hampton falls within TfL Zone 6 so for those with the relevant Oyster or Contactless Pay that’s considerably cheaper by about a third than buying a standard rail ticket. There are two trains an hour on a Saturday with a journey time of around 40 to 45 minutes.
Exit the station on the south side and turn left along Station Road. There’s two pubs, both below, to pass (or not pass) on the 0.4 of mile walk to the ground.
By Bus
The services passing the ground, with stops just outside along Station Road, are the Nos. 111 and 216 from TfL. Alight at Stop E if travelling from West to East and Stop F if travelling East to West. Buses in London do not take cash.
By Taxi
A selection of Hampton taxi companies can be found here.
Web Resources
Web Sites
Hampton & Richmond Borough FC – Official Site.
hrbfc_official – club’s YouTube channel.
Beveree Chat – unofficial forum.
Social Media
HAMRICHFC – Official Twitter (X) account.
Local Press
Richmond & Twickenham Times – amidst lots and lots of rugby, and pretending Chelsea and to a lesser extent Brentford fall within its catchment area, has occasional Beavers coverage.
Food & Drink
General
Comes as no surprise the gentlefolk of Hampton haven’t allowed a Spoons in their midst – the nearest is three miles away in Kingston upon Thames (apparently the hyphens were abolished in 1965) and has the river as a barrier to keep the oiks at arms length. Perhaps more surprising is Hampton doesn’t have a micropub; and nor does it seem that the ‘Craft Beer Revolution’ has disturbed its sleepy countenance as yet. There are four pubs within easy ambling distance of the stadium and with nothing further away that appears to merit the hassle of a longer walk the list provided (below) begins and ends with them.
Club Bar
The Beveree has several bars and several food points. It is a CASHLESS stadium, card payment only. As this will be a segregated fixture what we have access to will depend on where we’re put and how the stadium is cordoned off internally. The club’s website does carry the statement: “Please note that for certain fixtures, alcohol will not be permitted outside the clubhouse or outdoor fan zone areas.” Guess we’ll find out when we get there.
Local Pubs
Bell Inn: A gastro-pub overlooking the Thames. At £21 (TWENTY-ONE) for its Philly Burger – to be fair this particular burger was a Finalist in the National Burger Awards 2021 and it does do cheaper options – it had better be a damned fine gastro-pub! Kitchen is closed Monday and Tuesday then rest of the week food service is noon – 3.00 p.m. & 5.30 p.m. – 10.00 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, noon – 10.00 p.m. Saturday and noon – 9.00 p.m. Sunday. Has up to four cask beers with Doom Bar and Sambrook’s Wandle on regularly and changing options from the likes of the Portobello and Twickenham breweries though it does range further afield occasionally. The keg fonts have multinational stuff such as Cruzcampo, Estrella, and Heineken’s (still branded Beavertown) Gamma Ray and Inch’s by Bulmers for the cider. Sports TV, beer garden, large car park to rear. Opening hours noon – 11.00 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. 0.2 miles (4 minutes walk) from the stadium a hundred yards from the eastern end of Station Road.
The Bell Inn, 8 Thames Street, Hampton, TW12 2EA. Tel: 020 8941 9799. Map: Bell Inn.
Jolly Coopers: Independent Freehouse run by the same landlord and landlady since 1986 The Jolly Coopers pub also has a Mediterranean & Tapas style restaurant attached at the rear called Squiffy’s. Food service: breakfast 7.30 a.m. – 10.30 a.m. Monday to Saturday; main menu 11.30 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. & 5.00 p.m. – 9.30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11.30 a.m. – 9.30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon – 5.00 p.m. Sunday. Separate children’s menu available, with kids allowed up to 8.00 p.m. There are five handpumps, with Summer Lightning by Hopback the house regular and the other four changing and sourced mostly from London/South-East breweries but sometimes stretching further afield. Keg is mostly Heineken stuff (openly, or hidden behind alternative brand names). Sky & TNT Sports, disabled access, bar billiards, dart board, outside patio area. Opening hours from 11.00 a.m. (noon on Sunday) to 11.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday, midnight Friday and Saturday and 10.30 p.m. Sunday. 0.2 miles (4 minutes walk) from the stadium, in the High Street 50 yards from the eastern end of Station Road.
The Jolly Coopers, 16 High Street, Hampton, TW12 2SJ. Tel: 020 8979 3384. Map: Jolly Coopers.
Railway Bell: Nicknamed The Dip, this is under a 100 yards to the left after exiting Hampton Railway Station on the South side and 0.3 of a mile (six minutes walk) from the stadium. The two bar pub has five handpumps with changing beers sourced from all over the country generally from small independent breweries. Keg is harder to pin down but seems to be mostly Molson Coors stuff (hidden behind its multitude of brand names) including Aspall as the cider. Has a short menu (including separate items for kids) with food served noon – 3.30 p.m. & 5.00 p.m. – 9.00 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and noon – 6.00 p.m. Sunday. Sports TV, beer garden. Closed on Monday, it opens from noon the rest of the week closing at 11.00 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and half an hour earlier on Sunday.
The Railway Bell, Station Road, Hampton, TW12 2AP. Tel: 020 8979 1897. Map: Railway Bell.
World’s End: Closest pub to the stadium three minutes walk away. Couple of handpumps which mostly seem to be occupied by Greene King offerings (which is odd as CAMRA database says it’s independently owned and why would anyone voluntarily choose to stock GK beers?!). Keg is from the multinational giants. Presumably does some food – as the kitchen was refurbished last year – but no idea what or when. Has Sky & TNT Sports, Pool table and large beer garden with play area. Children allowed until 7.00 p.m. inside and 9.00 p.m. outside. Opens at noon every day and closes at 11.00 p.m. except Sunday when it’s 10.30 p.m. Note: This pub has been designated the “Away Pub” by the host club and will be opening an hour earlier than usual at 11.00 a.m. How much pressure and enforcement is attempted to confine/kettle visiting supporters there remains to be seen. I have no intention of using it as the beer selection doesn’t appeal.
The World’s End, 88 Station Road, Hampton, TW12 2AX. Tel: 020 8979 3073. Map: Worlds End.
Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You: Longstanding Glover Seb White says the fans are good eggs so that’s a fair enough recommendation. (The scheme launched by said Mr White in his time as a Beaver for raffling the naming of the ground resulting in the first winner being another Glover and so The Chris Sweet Beveree Stadium for a season was just one of those extraordinary coincidences.)
Top-Tip: With W*ymouth the only previous NLS visitors at the Beveree this season, singing “What’s it like to see a crowd?!” will be entirely legitimate.
Local Amenities: Thankfully don’t appear to be any events on at Twickenham Stadium this weekend or the whole area would be swamped with braying Hooray Henrys & Henriettas. Kew Gardens are lovely, Hampton Court Palace oozes history, Teddington oozes money… in fact the whole area oozes money. Outside of the central City of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea it has the next highest property prices and is the third wealthiest Borough in London. Which probably explains why, out of that 200,000 population only 600 or so are prepared to slum it down in National League South football.
Other Points Of Interest: Teddington Locks and Weir are where the Thames stops being tidal. An obelisk on the towpath there marks the end point of the legal authority of the Port of London Authority. (To be honest these are more obscure pub quiz style knowledge than actually being of interest.)
[No responsibility is taken for any inaccuracies. This page is entirely the product of bias and prejudice. ]