With the recent appalling weather preventing much match play one of our local clubs has turned their attention during the festive season to accreditation issues in order to maintain their present status or perhaps to achieve promotion.

Stockbridge are due to face a League ground inspection in January and are pressing on with improvements to their facilities.

Since their last Wessex League inspection Stockbridge have improved the showers in the visitors changing room to four as required. They have also increased the seating in the dugouts from five to ten seats.

The Robins have also provided a hospitality room for visiting officials. By the time of the inspection the club will have completed cover for the disabled and some spectators at the front of the changing rooms which will also facilitate a protected walkway to the pitch.

New stand needed.

Stockbridge chairman Trevor Dance has put in a lot of work, looking at various stands and one of the options was identical to Verwood FC's. First impressions were that it looked impressive, but the Robins' decision not to have plastic tip-up seats looks to be the right one as on revisiting some of the Verwood seats are damaged already. Trevor is now waiting for quotes, before the club can progess the stand project further.

Ground vandalism.

Unfortunately Blackfield & Langley have had to report that they have just had 60 yards of their perimeter fence destroyed. Also they have had some plastic stand seats set fire to and others ripped out.

Meanwhile Hythe & Dibden have had similar problems with damage to their dugouts, stand and pitch barrier.

Stockbridge also have had their fair share of damage and it seems as more effort is devoted to improving the ground, the more there is for the vandals to destroy.

Stockbridge hope to be back in Wessex League Division 1 action next Saturday when they travel to Amesbury.