Milton Keynes Party on the Pitch

Beers and Ciders

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Silver) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:21:00 +0000

Over 30 beers and ciders will be available over the weekend, a perfect compliment to the sports events, live music and sunny weather that's forecast. Click here for the full list of beers and ciders.

Final Band Line up Confirmed!

noreply@blogger.com (PotP Update) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:14:00 +0000

You wont be disappointed with this line up. We have increased the bill even further due to popular demand. Music is now starting from early afternoon over the weekend.

You can expect the best of local bands, our resident and world famous Chris George Marshall Band on both Saturday and Sunday. Not to mention some great covers acts bringing you some sing along rock anthems from the last couple of decades. Watch out for English Mustard on the Friday evening, who will be providing us with 2 hours of your rock favourites.

You will also be treated with some of the best bands from the neighboring counties. Probably best not to miss any of the following. Check out each of the bands of myspace by clicking on their hyperlink:

FRIDAY 22nd August from 7pm

19.00-19.45 Steffan Vale

20.00-20.45 Final Clearance

21.00-23.00 English Mustard

SATURDAY 23rd August from 2pm

14.00-15.00 Cyba Drummer

15.00-16.00 Marshalls band (resident band)

16.00-16.45 Re-Writing Destiny

17.00-17.45 Tom Craven

18.00-18.45 The Observers

19.00-19.45 Cut Out Blond

20.00-20.45 Stonebroke

21.00-21.45 Trash Monkey

22.00-23.00 Chris George and the Marshall Band

SUNDAY 24th August from 3pm

15.00-15.45 Marshall Band (resident band)

16.00-16.45 Band Substance

17.00-17.45 No Nonsense

18.00-18.45 Cousinavi

19.00-19.45 The Vision

20.00-20.45 Split Allies

21.00-21.45 Our Man in the Bronze Age

22.00-23.00 Chris George and the Marshall Band

Marshall Amps and The Chris George Band

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Silver) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Chris George will once again provide us with live versions of your favourite rock classics, as good, if not better than by the legends themselves! Chris George along with the rest of the Marshall Band, (yes Marshall Amps very own touring band), will be the Party on the Pitch 2008 resident band, playing both Saturday and Sunday.

The festival volunteers would like to say thank you to Marshall Amps, (who are located in Bletchley) for their continued support of local development and sports clubs. Thanks also to Steve Woods who is once again sponsoring this fantastic Marhsall show! If you like your traditional rock music, you don't want to miss this performance!

How to Find Party on the Pitch

noreply@blogger.com (PotP Update) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:28:00 +0000

Party on the Pitch is hosted at Manor Fields Sports Ground, which is the home to both the Irish Club and Bletchley Rugby Club. The entrance can be found on Watling Street, in Fenny Stratford adjacent Dobbies garden Centre.

View Larger Map
Manor Fields will become a licensed venue for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Party on the Pitch and all attendees are required to adhere to this license. See notices for details.

See Party on the Pitch 2007

noreply@blogger.com (PotP Update) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:08:00 +0000

PotP is Fully Supported by BFSTC

noreply@blogger.com (PotP Update) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:41:00 +0000

Your festival is fully supported and sponsored by Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Council.

Click on the link above for more Town and Local Council Information

Poo Power

noreply@blogger.com (PotP Update) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:33:00 +0000

Your human needs will be catered for this year by Site Plant Services. Keeping your comfort maintained all weekend.

See the contact above if you require reliable sanitary services at your function.

Horizon Competition

noreply@blogger.com (PotP Update) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:26:00 +0000

Keep a listen out on 103.3FM Horizon Radio for a chance to win free beer and food vouchers redeemable at this years Party on the Pitch.

Horizon will be holding a daily competition for listeners to win £25.00 of credit each day. Entering the simple radio competition could result in a day of free indulgence in the beer tent or the ability for you to treat the whole family to the fantastic food, beverages end entertainment to be found on the august bank holiday at Manor Fields.

Horizon Mega Slide Annonced!

noreply@blogger.com (PotP Update) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:10:00 +0000

The rumours are true!

We can confirm that Horizon radio 103.3FM will be at the Party on the Pitch with their Giant Inflatable Slide. You wont be able to get enough of this Bouncy bonanza!

The Slide will be at Manor Fields from Saturday Morning through to Sunday Evening.

Parents, your kids will love it!

Percussion sponsored by Mapex Drums

noreply@blogger.com (PotP Update) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:14:00 +0000

Milton Keynes Party on the Pitch 2008 will be rocking with the support of Mapex Drums, who will be kindly providing a Saturn Series kit for this weekends acts! Cheers guys!!

Mapex Drums – www.mapex.co.uk

Annual Memorial Game Announced

noreply@blogger.com (PotP Update) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:48:00 +0000

Each year Party on the Pitch hosts a veterans rugby match in memory of Bletchley RUFC member Justin Hales. Once again this will be held on Sunday 24th August amongst the weekends other events, with awards later that evening. The game promises to be a grand clash of retired local superstars as well a old that are still on top of their game. The rugby may be slower but I’m sure you will see some impressive skills that only get shown once a year.

Bletchley Vets V Milton Keynes Vets (Justin Hales Memorial) Time TBC

Milton Keyns took the plate last year and so Bletchley will be hungry for the rematch.

If you are a member of Bletchley RUFC, Milton Keynes RUFC or over thirty five and a friend of belated Justin Hales, and would like to join the squad then contact your respective club organiser Simon Morphy or Paul Darton.

Fatboy Sevens Rugby Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Silver) — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:22:00 +0000

Bletchley RUFC would like to invite entrants to their first seven-a-side rugby tournament aimed at the more round and aged player. (Old fat gits over thirty five years old and more than sixteen stone plus anyone else wanting to have fun)

The competition is open to players of all ages, weights, ability and fitness levels but it will be handicapped in favour of the older and heavier teams. Each team will consist of a maximum of 10 players.

DOWNLOAD THE TEAM REGISTRATION FORM HERE (Microsoft Word format, 30kb)

16 stones and 35 years old will be a zero handicap with players gaining points FOR if they are older or heavier but earning points AGAINST if they are younger or lighter. (A 25 stone young ‘un will still be in with a chance, as will a 60 year old light ‘un). Under age players will be required to wear fancy dress. Further penalties may be imposed to prevent outrageous miss-matches

In short: a team of seventy year oldies with "excess poundage" would only need to be able to stand on the pitch for fourteen minutes in total and have the co-ordination and strength to change ends within a minute of the half time whistle to BEAT a side of 19 year old athletes wearing drag.

Proof of age is not required but if challenged may prove useful as the judges decision will be final. Weigh in will be at 10am with games staring at 11am.

There will also be a “MVP“ award going to the player worth the most points by just stepping on the pitch - age and weight fully considered, but playing talent not necessary.

Normal seven-a-side rules will apply: 7 mins each way, convert your own tries. A 2minute sin bin will be used for time wasting.

The Fatboy Sevens will run as part of Party on the Pitch, an event running from 6pm on Friday 22nd August, until midnight on Sunday 24th August. Party on the pitch launched successfully as a Family event in 2007.

See pictures at: http://www.bletchleyrugby.com/party_on_the_pitch_2007.html

Party in the beer tent, with real ales, family activities and live music
Over night camping facilities will be available should you wish to bring a tent. This will need to be pre-registered and at a charge of £5 per tent (unlimited stay over the weekend).
Funds raised from entry fees, camping fees and any bribes will be donated equally between our nominated charity and Bletchley RUFC. Please complete the application form and return as soon as possible as numbers will be limited.

Contact: David Ferris 07841 495478 or ferrisdj@hotmail.co.uk

POTP '07 - Review, Day Three

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Silver) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 06:59:00 +0000

Sunday was the third and final day of Party on the Pitch 2007. The weather was a little cooler, but the entertainment on offer was as good as it had been on the two days before! Sunday was also the day for the Justin Hales Memorial match between Bletchley Vets and Milton Keynes Vets.

It was on this day that we very nearly ran out of beer... The first of the real ales had been exhausted the day before, and it wasn't possible to lay any more of this on (the process of settling the casks etc takes 4-5 days), so we had to beg and borrow beer from other sources. Our thanks go to dayla for opening up their depot on a Sunday morning just for us!

Joining the funfair on pitch 2 was the KorfBall demonstration provided by the Milton Keynes Bucks Korfball Club Korfball is a mixture of Handball, netball and Basketball, and was first played in Holland.

The live music kicked off on the 1st XV pitch with Linda Watkins & Godfrey providing some perfect tunes for a bank holiday Sunday afternoon.

The Midnights were the next band on stage. This was only their second public performance, but Bletchley's own 'Harvey Goldsmith', Pete Garrett, was confident that they'd put on a strong performance. He wasn't wrong. The Milton Keynes indie band are welcome back to Manor Fields anytime...

R.S.I. (Unplugged) had been forced to pull out, leaving a gap in the programme. Fortunately, one of the visitors to Manor Fields stepped forward and gave a great performance with guitar and voice. 'Raz' was part of a touring party of rugby players from Manchester Metropolitan University known as Crewe & Alsager Old Boys. they had hoped to play Rugby 7s, but instead they enjoyed the beer and the music...

Joe Garrett was next on stage. This was his second slot, having played with fellow ACM Guildford student Sarah McLellan 24 hours earlier. There were one or two more Bob Marley numbers, along with other songs entirely appropriate for a sunny afternoon.

While the music was playing, Bletchley Vets took to the field to play their counterparts from Milton Keynes. 'Vet' rugby is played between teams made up of players who are 35 and older, but many of the guys on the pitch are still regular players, some at 1st XV level. This match was of particular significance as it was the Justin Hales Memorial Game. Justin, who died after a sudden illness on 18 June, was a Bletchley player (ex-3rd XV Captain) but had represented Milton Keynes earlier in his rugby career.

The match was played over four 15 minute quarters, and with both clubs having large squads (Bletchley 35+) there were mass team changes at each break. Bletchley took an early lead, clocking up two converted tries to nil, but they allowed MK back into the game. The home team were 14-21 down with minutes to go when Club Chairman Chris Goodman thought he was through. Despite a magnificent swallow drive near the posts, the referee failed to be impressed and awarded the visitors a scrum...

Bletchley came close to levelling the game, but the referee's whistle blew with Milton Keynes still 7 points ahead.

Arrangements had been made for an engraved plate and a glass decanter (kindly provided by The Last Drop Limited) to be awarded to the winners of this memorial match, which it is planned will be an annual fixture for Bletchley and Milton Keynes.

Simon Morphy presented the trophies to Milton Keynes on behalf of Justin's wife Emma and their children after the match.

Bletchley Vets have promised to win the plate and decanter back next year...

Stone Breaker hadn't been on the programme, but they deserved their place on stage... The four musicians came on late afternoon when the warm weather and the beer was enough to lull most people to sleep... However, Stone Breaker played and people heard 'em!

Anyone who visited Manor Fields over the three days couldn't have failed to have noticed the many volunteers in their navy and maroon 'Party on the Pitch' crew t-shirts. Whether it was assisting with car-parking, serving beer, manning stands, or looking after the sound gear, Bletchley RUFC people were there.

Two of the volunteers heavily involved with the weekend are pictured right - (Sorry Nikki and Debs, I couldn't resist the temptation to include this picture! - Mike)

The man who had coordinated the event was Pete Renson, AKA Bletchley's Director of Fundraising & Marketing and U-11 Assistant Coach. One of the stands that had been running throughout the weekend was the stocks (very popular in the hot weather), and Pete's fellow volunteers decided that as the event had been such a success he really should give them a go. There was no shortage of kids ready to help throwing the sponges, but it's probably the final dowsing with slops that will remain in the memory of those that were there...

Pilfa Confession Box followed Stone Breaker on stage. Tea time is probably not the most enviable slot around, but this band weren't deterred. They came on stage, played their music, and people listened!

Trash Monkey were on after Pilfa Confession Box. On their MySpace site they describe their music as punk/rock/alternative. It was all of that, and more...

It was getting dark when Dry Till Friday came on, and the temperature was definitely cooler. However, this MK-based rock/grunge band was never going to use that as an excuse to put on a quiet show. Dry Til Friday didn't disappoint - they made the most of their time on stage and the audience showed their appreciation...

One of the unexpected successes of Party on the Pitch was the camp in the corner next to the Ouzel. If the stuff going on on the 1st XV pitch was mainstream, then this was Bletchley's very own 'Fringe'. A little community had grown up over the weekend, tents popping up daily and even a horsebox (Derek prefers it to be called his 'Wanabago'). The organisers are already figuring that a larger piece of ground will be needed for 2008...

The penultimate band of the night, and of party on the Pitch 2007, was Hello Hallelujah. Hello Hallelujah is another MK-based band (who would have thought that there would be so much local talent?).

The last band of the show was Terrapin Trainstation. The previous two nights had all ended with great shows, and Sunday was no different. It had been a long day and it was definitely getting colder, but the music was great and people stayed to listen to this band to the end.

Most went home after the music finished, but others stayed to party further into the night. However long it went on for, it must have been good because there wasn't a pint of beer left for the Volunteers' party the next day!

POTP '07 - Review, Day Two

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Silver) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 06:59:00 +0000

Day 2 of Party on the Pitch started with breakfast for those who'd chosen to camp down at Manor Fields. Many of the people who had stayed overnight were volunteers from the club who were involved in the running of the show. they spent the morning organising the setting up of the kids' rides and general tidying up ready for the afternoon. Once everything was ready, some took the opportunity to relax with an early beer (even one or two of those due to play rugby an hour or two later!)

By midday everything was ready, and people were starting to arrive.

At this time of year it is common for clubs to play pre-season friendlies which are effectively trials games. The players get the opportunity to play in a meaningful game (a relief after weeks of summer fitness and skills training), and the coaches and captains get the opportunity to try out different combinations of players. For the Bletchley 1st and 2nd XVs, what had been organised was two matches against Olney, each game consisting of three 20 minute sessions. With more people down at the club than would be usual for this time of the year, there was even a decent crowd!

Bletchley won both games... The Firsts beat the Olney 1st XV 17-5 and the Seconds won 24-5 against their Olney equivalent. Match reports and more photographs can be found here: 1st XV / 2nd XV.

Ten solo acts and bands had been scheduled to play on the Saturday, kicking off with local act Kieran Durcan. With the rugby going on and the attraction of the CAMRA beer tent pretty strong, Keiran had plenty of competition, but he had a respectable crowd who appreciated his singing and guitar work.

Next up were two students from the Guildford Academy of Contemporary Music (Europe's leading school for rock and pop musicians), Bletchley's own Joe Garrett (former Junior player and son of ex-captain and club coach, Pete) and Sarah McLellan.

Another ex-Bletchley player, Todd Staniford was the next act on stage. Todd's show was reminiscent of that of Matt Stevens (England prop-forward) almost all-conquering performamnces on X-Factor: Battle of the Stars. A strong voice, belting out a handful of popular covers, could be heard two pitches away (only minor assistance from Marshall Amplification required!)

Another solo act followed Todd onto the stage. Watford based singer/songwriter Tom Craven. By this time the 1st XV match was over and the crowd around the stage was starting to build up. People were continuing to arrive all afternoon, the attraction of an afternoon's good entertainment, food and drink in the sun obviously being stronger than time in the shoppoing centre or doing bank holiday DIY! Like the other performers that performed at manor Fields that day, Tom didn't disappoint...

The only problem on the day was the running out of the first of the CAMRA real ales, Hopback's Summer Lightening... (For those reading this on the Sunday who are wondering whether to come down, don't worry, there are plenty of other real ales to choose from!)

The beer tent was acting as a bit of a magnet for people, and the club was pleased to welcome back a large number of ex-players who called by to say hello and sink a pint or two! Many had brought their children, grandchildren and friends down with them. The club is hoping that they, along with other people who came down to Manor Fields for the first time will return...

Chasing Black Aces had the tea-time slot (sorry, no photographs), and with the rugby now over the music fans and families were starting to congregate on the 1st XV pitch with a grandstage view of the stage and in good range to hear the music. 'CSB' were closely followed by Cutout Blonde, another local band. One of the aims for Party on the Pitch was to provide good quality of music from up and coming local artists - different styles and something for everybody. Who needs to go to the Reading Festival when Manor Fields is just down the road?!!

The weather had been great all day, but the drop in temperature as the evening fell was probably welcomed by the bands, the volunteers, and the people who had come to be entertained.

Symbo were the next band on. Like a number of the other bands that we've seen over this weekend, they came with their own troop of fans. One of the great things to see was that after their favourites had finished, they didn't leave - they stayed to party and enjoy the music that followed!

The tempo was building up as it got darker. More people were starting to arrive (handy hint for anyone planning to come Sunday night - stiletoe shoes are probably great for CMK venues, but they are apparently not very good on grass!) Wooden Casino followed Symbo onto the stage, and they gave a very strong performance that went well over their alloted 45mins (but there were NO complaints!)

The penultimate band for the evening was Stonebroke. This four-piece is another Milton Keynes outfit who provided ample evidence that it's not only multi-million pound acts and TV show winners who can produce good music.

The final show of the night came from the three girls and two guys who make up the rock band Sirenide.

Given the quality of the acts that had come before, Sirenide would have to be good to live up to the promise for the last show of the night. They didn't disappoint!

POTP '07 - Review, Day One

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Silver) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 06:59:00 +0000

The first day of Party on the Pitch can only be described as a success. The beer tent was open, the tents were pitched (even those being used by the people camping overnight), food was being served, and the first live music just about kicked off on time! Four great bands had been lined up, and they lived up to their billing...

First on was Ed Freitas, otherwise known as the Cyba Drummer. His abilities with the high-tec kit certainly impressed, and the music made a great start to the evening's entertainment.

The second act was Cloudy, a Northampton band who had stepped in to replace Love Muscle who had had to pull out at the last minute.

The third band of the night was The Modus Vivendi from Milton Keynes. Andi, Paul, Beanie & Sam's energetic act helped up the pace, ready for the evening's finale...

Chris George and the Marshall Band (sponsored by Marshall Amplifiers) needed no introduction at Bletchley. They last performed at Manor Fields 18 months ago, and they didn't disappoint. The highlight for the kids was probably French drummer Farid Medjane's solo which involved using baseball cap peaks, empty beer hotels and a host of other surfaces in place of the drums. Guest singer Phil Brown joined Chris, Farid and guitarist Rob Butterfield on stage. A great way to wind up a great night (though rumour has it that the beer tent stayed up a little longer, and there may have been some karaoke too...)

POTP '07

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Silver) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 19:15:00 +0000

Friday 24 - Saturday 25 - Sunday 26 August 2007

This was Bletchley Rugby Club's first event of it's 60th Anniversary season. If success were to be measured in statistics then we are talking 1,584 pints of real ale, 2,204 pints of lager, 300 bottles of wine, 175 pints of cider and 600+ burgers consumed.

Over the three days, Party on the Pitch was open for 36 hours and (although we weren't officially counting) we must have seen 1,000+ people at Manor Fields. Many of these were current members, some were ex-players from the past, but many were people who wouldn't normally go anywhere near a rugby club! We saw people wandering over the canal bridge to see what was going on, and there were others who came to Manor Fields as an alternative to a night-out in Central Milton Keynes. We hope to see many of them back soon...

Although the queues of children were never long, the children's entertainment was a great success. So too was the real ale bar (our sincere thanks go to CAMRA for their help with this, and to Dayla who opened up their depot on Sunday morning when we realised we were about to run out of beer!)

The bands that played over the three days ranged from the well established (Chris George and the Marshall band who headlined on Friday) through to the brand new (The Midnights on Sunday). Every one of them was excellent value, and they were undoubtedly the main attraction for a lot of the people down to Manor Fields for the first time.

The event was put on by a rugby club, so the sport had to appear somewhere... On Saturday afternoon two pre-season friendly/trial matches were played against Olney, and on Sunday Bletchley Vets played their counterparts from Milton Keynes in the Justin Hales Memorial game. We also took the opportunity to have a GoPlay! stand, this RFU initiative that's running in the World Cup year being designed to attract new players into the game.

There were two key groups that made the event possible - the sponsors and the volunteers. The former helped the rugby club ensured that the costs of running the event were covered, and the latter made certain that those costs were kept to the bare minimum. Wherever you looked, there was someone wearing a navy or maroon 'Party on the Pitch crew' t-shirt helping with carparking, cooking or serving behind the bar. There are far too many people to name here, but all parts of the club were involved and well represented.

Party on the Pitch 2007 has been a great success, and Bletchley Rugby Club has every intention of having a repeat event in 2008 (if not before!)

Friday 24 August: The event opens... Live music: Cyba Drummer, Cloudy, Modus Vivendi and Chris George & The Marshall Band

Saturday 25 August: Day 2... Funfair, camping, Bletchley v Olney, live music: Keiran Durcan, Joe Garrett, Sarah McLellan, Todd Staniford, Tom Craven, Chasing Black Aces, Cutout Blonde, Symbo, Wooden Casino, Stonebroke, and Sirenide

Sunday 26 August: Day 3... Funfair, stocks, Korfball, Bletchley v Milton Keynes, live music: Linda Watkins & Godfrey, The Midnights, Raz, Joe Garrett, Stonebreaker, Pilfa Confession Box, Trash Monkey, Dry Til Friday, Hello Hallelujah, and Terrapin Trainstation

View all articles about Milton Keynes Party on the Pitch 2007