
Harwich and Parkeston will begin their Essex Senior League season on the Gwinnell and Sons Royal Oak after all.
The Shrimpers had originally been due to open their 2026/27 competitive campaign away to Hutton.
But with the newly-promoted club groundsharing at Billericay Town, the match was not able to take place on Saturday August 1, as scheduled.
A move to the Friday night looked necessary but with neither side wanting to play that evening, both clubs and the league have agreed that the fixture can be reversed, meaning Hutton will travel to Harwich on August 1 for a 3pm kick-off.
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The full Essex Senor League fixture list for the 26/27 season is expected to be published in the coming days.
With the Isthmian League fixtures announced earlier this week, league officials can now sit down to complete the schedule, knowing when groundsharing clubs are able to host matches.
As well as Hutton, West Essex and Hackney Wick both share with clubs from higher up the pyramid (Walthamstow and Witham, respectively).
HPFC’s competitive fixtures known so far:
Sat Aug 1 – Hutton (h), ESL
Sat Aug 8 – Mildenhall (h), FA Cup
Tue Aug 11 – Hullbridge (h), ESL
Sat Aug 15 – Harlow (a), FA Vase