Ground #410 - Hargrave Park

Date: 29th March 2025
Location: Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex
Ground: Hargrave Park

My third new ground of 2025 was on Saturday 29th March at Hargrave Park in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. The game was Stansted vs. Takeley in the Essex Senior League.

Hargrave Park is a combined football, cricket and tennis club venue near the centre of the village, just off the main road. Stanstead Mountfitchet is 3 miles west of London Stansted Airport. The ground is mainly surrounded by housing with the and sits is about a mile north-west of Stansted Mountfitchet railway station. The venue opened in 1935 with the club moving in a couple of years later.

The entrance the ground is at the eastern end. The clubhouse is located in the small car park outside the ground and has an electricity station next to it. Because of this there is a thin walkway behind the southern half of this end but after the clubhouse it opens up to the wide expanse of the neighbouring cricket pitch. The cricket pitch extends round to the northern side of the football pitch so there is lots of open space here. This side thins out as it heads west due to a wooded area with the dugouts just before this.

The western end has a strip of hard standing for its length but lots of space space behind with which runs up the back fences of the adjacent houses. The southern side has an old wooden stand with three rows of wooden benches and a number of supporting beams for the roof. The dressing rooms are contained within this structure. Towards the western end is covered standing area with wood decking at the back to slightly elevate viewing. There are a number of shipping containers beyond this close to the south-west corner.

The game was a local derby for the two clubs either side of Stansted Airport. The hosts came into the game 2nd bottom but only 3 points from safety. The visitors were 3rd in the table - in the playoffs but with an outside chance of the title. Unfortunately the derby was a very dull encounter with little to report on. The best chance of the first half fell to Takeley's Coby Miles who shot across goal and wide from the left side of the area. Shortly after the restart Charlie Allum saw his 25-yard volley palmed away by the Stansted goalkeeper as Takeley pressed. The key moment came a quarter of an hour from time when Lanrenaju Balogun was tripped in the Stansted box and the referee pointed to the spot. Jordan Westcott went low to the keeper's left as he dived right. The away side had a chance to notch another goal in the final minute when the ball went through to Coby Miles on the left but up against the keeper he blazed over. Takeley needn't have worried though as Stansted rarely threatened as they went down to a 1-0 defeat. 

Result: Stansted 0-1 Takeley

Division: Essex Senior League

Attendance: 234