Steve B the Groundhopper

11a m 30 July 2023 Montagu Cup, Preliminary Round AFP Pewter Pot 1 Swinton Athletic 0 (att 30) AFP Pewter Pot play in the Rotherham Sunday League, which wouldn't normally be on my groundhopping radar were it not for the fact that this was a tie in the Montagu Cup, which is open to both Saturday and Sunday teams. It's apparently one of the oldest cup competitions still around, having first been held in 1897, and the final regularly attracts four figure crowds. This preliminary round fixture didn't pull in those numbers, but it was keenly contested. To me the result was an upset. I'd expected Swinton Athletic, playing on Saturdays in the top division of the Sheffield County Senior League, to be too strong for Sunday league opponents. But that probably reveals my lack of knowledge of Sunday football in South Yorkshire, as AFP Pewter Pot were the better side the deserved their win. The only goal was after 61 minutes, but AFP twice hit the crossbar and Swinton had the busier...

2p m 29 July 2023 Welsh Cup, 1st Qualifying Round Caer Clwyd 2 Rhos United 6 (att 36) Caer Clwyd's Facebook page promoted this Welsh Cup tie with a promise of goals. They weren't wrong, but I doubt they expected the visitors so score so many of them. The two sides are rivals in the division one of the North Wales Coast East League, the fifth level of Welsh football, and both finished last season in mid table. After a lively 90 minutes it was Rhos who progressed in the cup. An own goal gave them an early lead, and before long it was 2-0. In an open game more goals always looked likely, and we had couple more before half time. Caer Clwyd pulled one back, but trailed 3-1 at the break. The second half matched the first, with the visitors scoring twice, the home side again getting a goal back before conceding once more. Rhos United's sixth came with a little under 10 minutes left. Caer Clwyd are a relatively new team. They play in the grounds of Myddelton College, an independent...

6.30p m 26 July 2023 North East Wales League, Championship Division Aston Park Rangers 1 Rhydymwyn 2 (att 72) A regular challenge is working out which clubs may have moved grounds with little fanfare. I hadn't realised Aston Park Rangers had relocated until a fellow groundhopper alerted me. I thought the venue, at Ty Calon, a community centre in Queensferry, was brand new, but it seems they may also have played here last season. At least I was able to visit at the earliest opportunity in 2023/24, with the league's opening set of fixtures, unusually, being played midweek. The home side were on top in the first half, missing a hatful of chances which meant the game was goalless at the halfway point. After the break an Aston Park Rangers player finally found the net, unfortunately for him it was an own goal. Barely a minute later Rhydymwyn doubled their lead. The hosts finally found a goal towards the end, but it proved nothing more than a consolation. Aston Park Rangers' new ...

2.30p m 22 July 2023 SJFA East Region, Midlands League Lochee United 3 Dundee Violet 0 (att 250) There was a time when finding pre-season friendlies at this time in July was a challenge. These days some leagues are getting underway, in Scotland at least. I only had the one ground left to complete the 20-team Midlands League, so I got lucky that they had a home game on the opening day. It meant a 560 mile round trip to Dundee and back, but it was worth it for a properly competitive fixture. Lochee United finished fourth last season so will doubtless have an eye on the title this time, and with it potential promotion to the Highland League. They got off to a perfect start with three points. Despite being on top from kick off it took the home side until the final minute of the first half to go in front. Violet's keeper made some good saves to keep his team in the game. After the break two goals in five minutes, the second a penalty, put Lochee United out of reach. They might have scor...

2.30p m 15 July 2023 Pre-season friendly at Airbus UK Broughton Hawarden Rangers 3 Cammell Laird 1907 9 (att 35) I'm ambivalent when it comes to pre-season friendlies, but this fixture caught my attention for a couple of reasons. As a cross-border clash it featured teams unlikely to ever meet competitively, and the unusual venue. It was played on the grass pitch, effectively a training pitch, at Airbus UK's ground in Broughton. It's not far from the main stadium pitch, which has been developed beyond recognition since I visited in 1996. In fact, even the training pitch is a better venue than the main ground was back then. It's not railed or roped off, but it does feel enclosed and there are a pair of permanent dugouts, each adorned with the Airbus FC crest. Apart from one goalmouth, the playing surface looked excellent. Hawarden Rangers, whose own ground is out of action for pre-season, are in the third tier of domestic Welsh football. Cammell Laird, from England's ...

6.30p m 12 July 2023 Bradford Summer Cup, Group A at Clayton ARLFC, Bradford Bingley Town 2 Bull Royd 2 (att 24) The Bradford Summer Cup provides competitive pre-season football for a mix of Saturday and Sunday teams, who are split into two groups of seven. Venues are neutral, and for me the main attraction of this fixture was a ground that, as far as I'm aware, doesn't regularly host football. The home of Clayton Amateur Rugby League Club has an enclosed pitch that's railed off along both touchlines, with a clubhouse and changing rooms at one end. Both teams went into this game with four points from their opening three games, so both needed a win to keep alive realistic hopes of making the cup's knockout stages. Bingley looked likely to get all three points after precise finishing gave them a 2-0 advantage by half time. Bull Royd had a perfect start to the second period when they quickly pulled a goal back. The game got increasingly competitive, and feisty, as the seco...

2.30p m 9 July 2023 Mayo League, Tuohy Cup Final at Milebush Park, Castlebar Claremorris 3 Ballyhaunis Town 2 (att 250) Sunday was divisional cup finals day for the Mayo League, with the conclusion of the McDonnell Cup, for clubs in league two, and the Tuohy Cup, for sides in its second tier premier division. I arrived at the Mayo League's Milebush Park ground in time for the second match, which pitted promotion-chasing Claremorris against a Ballyhaunis side who could yet be relegated. A Claremorris win looked likely, and that's what happened. But they didn't have an easy afternoon, having to battle stubborn opponents and, in the first half, challenging weather. The game kick off with dark clouds threatening. Eventually the rain came, sending all but the most hardy spectators into the sizable seated stand. It was while heavy rain was falling that Claremorris opened the scoring, about 10 minutes before half time. Their lead was still 1-0 at the break, although they could hav...