AFC Bournemouth - A New Beginning

I am not, repeat not, a football fan.

I live in Manchester; but I'm not Red or Blue.
Liverpool is at the end of the motorway, to the west.
Rochdale, Oldham, Bolton are all within striking distance.

I'm from Bournemouth.
Down there, on the sunny south-coast.
I love it there.
I've written about it before.

The sun, sand, sea, fresh air.
AFC Bournemouth..........

Er? Yes! AFC Bournemouth.  Known locally as "The Cherries", at the end of last season they won promotion to League Division 1.  Not top flight, but a long way from Division 3, and considering their financial difficulties, this is like Premier Division stuff.

So, I will be following The Cherries as they begin their campaign on 7th August (does the season start earlier each year?) away to Charlton.

The juicy game comes 3 days later, as they meet Southampton, for the first time since the late 80s, in the Carling Cup.

Football mad, I am not.

But, I have to admit I'll be following Bournemouth's progress over the coming months.
In future posts, I'll write more about the club, their history and who they are.

Finally - it's quiz time.
Why are AFC Bournemouth called The Cherries?

Answers on a postcard. Oh, alright then, in the comments below.