Aibu- ball in neighbour's garden

[Ameliel]

My two DS played football on the road outside our house today, and the ball accidentally went to a neighbour's garden. This was the 2nd time it happened, the first time my boys went to (politely) ask for the ball back and the lady in the house told them they should not knock on the door again. Instead, she would bring the ball back as and when she would find it.
This sounded a bit odd to me so when the ball went in today, I went with my son to ask for the ball back. Just as background info: we have lived here only just over a year and have not yet spoken to many people, including these neighbours who live three doors down. Its a leafy quiet suburb and the residents are mainly older people - not many families.
So I introduced myself and my son, and explained the ball had accidentally ended up in their garden again and apologised for the trouble. The lady was friendly to start with but firmly explained that "the rule" is that she does not want to be disturbed by kids knocking on her door, she is a keen gardener and so will eventually find the ball and return it at her convenience.
I pointed out that this could take days and the ball may not end up back to the right children (there are other kids too who play in the same location sometimes).
Anyway she was absolutely not budging and started telling me that I am disturbing her as she was about to serve dinner, and if I carry on we would not get the ball back at all.
I replied that I was a bit taken back by this attitude, it was not like the boys were kicking the ball in her garden by purpose, and it had only happened 2 times in total (including today).
She then slammed the door at my face!
AIBU or is she? I appreciate that it is annoying having to retrieve balls all the time, but surely its not such a big deal? She could have returned the ball twice over in the time it took to argue her case. I just really can't see why it is such a problem to go answer the door and give the ball back? Or am i missing some unwritten rule here (I'm not originally from UK, i've come across unwritten behavioural rules before, where I can't see anything wrong but my native husband thinks it is wrong) I don't want a neighbour war so please tell me, how would you handle this?
I feel quite annoyed atm by her attitude and so am inclined to buy lots more balls and to encourage the boys to do a lot of kick practice from now on...

I can understand her point of view tbh

I’m with her. How annoying to be chapped about balls in the garden, she has said she will return them when she finds them.

I would re-think your last sentence for neighbourly relations.

I'm with her I'm afraid. YABU.

I think you are being unreasonable, she has said she will return the ball to you. I can understand her or wanting to be disturbed especially when she is serving dinner. Buy your son a few cheap balls so he has others to play with, or find a new area for them to play in. It is better to have neighbours you get on with as whol knows when you will need a neighbourly favour.

It's annoying as he'll to keep being disturbed by kids kicking a ball into your garden, especially if you are a keen gardener. Her plants may be damaged.
Encourage your kids to play in your garden ie the park.

Send them to the park next time.playing football on the road is stupid

I think she sounds a bit unreasonable, but perhaps she has experience of this kind of thing happening a lot and she's tired of it. Is there anywhere your kids can play where the ball definitely won't end up in her garden?

Lesson here for the kids and being disruptive little buggers.

She is rude. I am guessing she has been annoyed by this in the past which is why she has a 'rule'. I don't know what you could do but I would also be tempted to get some cheap balls to annoy her with.

We have a grumpy neighbour down our road and the kids just know not to play near her house if they want to keep their ball.

Buy some cheap balls from the supermarket and just use those OP. This really isn’t worth agro with your neighbours over; try to keep the peace.

I think I'm with your neighbour here. I wouldn't really want people trekking through my house to fetch balls at any random moment, or to hunt round for them myself when I was in the middle of doing something else. I'd be inclined to wait until I was in the garden anyway and throw them back then. If I found loads of balls were being kicked in deliberately they'd be taken to the charity shop, not returned!

Can you put a net up to stop it happening? Problem solved.

Yabu

You are completely unreasonable.

I admire her gumption.

I could see someone doing this if it was a constant problem and the kids did nothing to attempt to stop balls going over. But not for a couple of times. It’s just an accident.

Going against the gain here I think she sounds like a bit of a nob, she could have fetched it for him and just asked him to play elsewhere if she is that bothered. Is literally a two minute job 🤷🏻‍♀️

You'll probably find whilst your boys have only kicked inballs twice there are other kids who may also have done it twice each.

I chuck back balls when I'm in the garden. We get 4/5 a day in summer. I have kids and it's still bloody annoying to have the doorbell go multiple times a day.

Oh and she doesn't need to 'argue her case', OP. It's her garden. If she doesn't want to return things your sons have kicked over before she has the natural opportunity to do so, that is her prerogative.

Well it’s annoying to keep getting balls from the garden. Mine is a bit swampy from all the rain.
Your last comment makes you sound like a dick wherever you’re from.
If she got it this time, it doesn’t sound like your children would stop. She gave them a warning the first time. Perhaps not particularly friendly but her choice.

It's annoying as he'll to keep being disturbed by kids kicking a ball into your garden
Really? Twice in a few days? Ok I can't believe the responses you are getting (when I started writing mine no-one has responded) people are clearly miserable neighbours I would happily get the ball for a local child. If they came at a time that was inconvenient I just wouldn't answer the door. No need to get arsey or make 'rules'

Completely agree with her. Why should she be up and down having to retrieve a ball.

Ok I totally get that its annoying if it happens all the time. But it has only ever happened twice when my kids have been playing - although the other kids do it too and that's probably why she was so annoyed.
But it used happen to us in our old house and I never felt it was a big deal.. that's what happens when kids play and it's nice that they play...
And I was joking about buying loads more balls!!
But she did slam the door hard at my face, I think that's rather rude...even if I did unknowingly ring the doorbell at dinnertime.

I'm kinda with her. But my response would have been "the kids can pop in and grab it themselves if they can see it and are very careful not to trample more flowers, but if they can't see it then pop a note in the letterbox and I will bring it round".

She has a right to not be disturbed. You don't have a right to demand she follows your schedule when it's your kids cashing the problem.

And I'm saying this as a person who, as a child, lived across from a woman who would run out and stab our balls with a knife if they went in her garden. We were terrified of her as kids! If the ball went in her garden, a whole group of (mostly boys) wouldn't want to run in and get it in case she caught us! So I completely know how it feels to be the child in the situation. But we were always careful and apologetic when retrieving a miss-kicked ball. She was cuckoo. Your neighbour should let the kids get it themselves as long as they are good about it.

But.. a stop chapping her door! You've been explicitly told not to so it would be kinds harassing like to keep doing it.