Rising Ballers Kensington vs Clapton Community FC is on Tueday, October 7 2025 at 7.45pm at Northwood Park Stadium, Chestnut Avenue, Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 1HR
There’s one final cup competition for the CCFC Men’s First Team as we bid for more silverware after lifting the league cup last season.
We visit Rising Ballers Kensington in the first round of the London Senior Trophy, a competition for clubs in the capital at our own Step 6 level. We already play in the Essex Cup each season but we can play in this as well as we are affiliated with the London FA too.
The trip will bring back some nostalgia for long-standing fans, as we visit one of our old stamping grounds from our time in the Middlesex County Football League. We played at the Northwood Park Stadium in a 3-1 victory against London Samurai in November 2019. Some of the Rising Ballers Kensington players may be familiar from those MCFL days too.
The winners of our tie will host Sporting Hackney or Charlton Athletic U18s in the second round.
About the competition
First round
1 Sporting Hackney v Charlton Athletic U18
2 Rising Ballers Kensington v Clapton Community
3 AFC Greenwich Borough v AS London
4 FC Baresi v Sporting Club Thamesmead
5 Cockfosters Reserves v Jolof Sports
6 OIR v Indian Gymkhana
7 AFC Cubo v Camden & Islington United
8 Croydon v SE Dons
Second round
9 Bridon Ropes v Cockfosters Reserves or Jolof Sports
10 Croydon or SE Dons v FC Baresi or Sporting Club Thamesmead
11 Rising Ballers Kensington or Clapton Community v Sporting Hackney or Charlton Athletic U18
12 Wood Lane v Barking U23
13 Lewisham Borough v FC Elmstead
14 OIR or Indian Gymkhana v Tooting Bec
15 AFC Greenwich Borough or AS London v AFC Cubo or Camden & Islington United
16 Wimbledon Casuals v NW London
Third round
17 OIR or Indian Gymkhana or Tooting Bec v Rising Ballers Kensington or Clapton Community or Sporting Hackney or Charlton Athletic U18
18 Lewisham Borough or FC Elmstead v Wimbledon Casuals or NW London
19 AFC Greenwich Borough or AS London or AFC Cubo or Camden & Islington United v Wood Lane or Barking U23
20 Croydon or SE Dons or FC Baresi or Sporting Club Thamesmead v Bridon Ropes or Cockfosters Reserves or Jolof Sports
Semi finals
21 Lewisham Borough or FC Elmstead or Wimbledon Casuals or NW London v Croydon or SE Dons or FC Baresi or Sporting Club Thamesmead or Bridon Ropes or Cockfosters Reserves or Jolof Sports
22 AFC Greenwich Borough or AS London or AFC Cubo or Camden & Islington United or Wood Lane or Barking U23 v OIR or Indian Gymkhana or Tooting Bec or Rising Ballers Kensington or Clapton Community or Sporting Hackney or Charlton Athletic U18
Final
23 Winner of match 21 v Winner of match 22
About the opposition
The story begins in 2012 with the formation of AFC Hillgate, playing in the MCFL, before moving to the Combined Counties League. In 2016 they renamed as Kensington Borough then in 2018 as Kensington & Ealing Borough, after merging with Ealing Town. In 2022, they changed to Rising Ballers Kensington after being taken over by Rising Ballers, the football media company which highlights young talent and ran a successful second chance youth squad.
It’s understood the club was taken over in the summer by Shepherd’s Bush, a former MCFCL rival of ours, although their application to change their name came too late for this season.
Form guide
RB Kensington are currently 19th in the Combined Counties League Division One, although they have up to six games in hand on other teams. Last week they lost 2-1 to NW London, of our own Eastern Counties League, in the Middlesex Cup.
Previous meetings
We’ve not played Rising Ballers Kensington, but we did play Ealing Town, one of the teams that merged into this club. We played our first ever league game against them in September 2018, coming from behind to win 2-1 through goals by Liam Smyth and Paul Oshin. The home game in December 2018 was a controversial affair played out in torrential conditions. Ealing turned up without a kit and when they finally sourced one it was too late to play before darkness would set in. We agreed to play a 60 minute game, however, rather than claim a default win… only to then be hammered 4-1.
Player/s to watch
Former Shepherd’s Bush captain Kenrick Harriott has 3 goals this season – one of many players who has joined RB Kensington from Shepherd’s Bush this season. Ex-Pitshanger Dynamo player Sergio Carro is joint top scorer with 3. Both played against us in our promotion winning 2022/23 season.
Admission
£7, with concessions £5, under 16s £2 and under 7s free.
Directions
The ground is a 20 minute walk from Northwood Hills station, which is a 36 minute journey from Kings Cross St Pancras on the Metropolitan Line.