6.30pm 30 March 2022
Wigan and District Amateur League, Division Two
Leigh Town 3 Abram Athletic 0 (att 35) abandoned at half time
The weeks once the clocks have gone forward and there are early evening midweek matches are known by some groundhoppers as the 'silly season'. This game showed why.
Abram kicked off with just nine players, and injury soon reduced them to eight. A late arrival got them back to nine before another injury meant they were depleted once again.
Leigh Town, top the Wigan League's third tier, barely broke sweat, and with little or no defending to worry about they scored three first half goals. With sharper finishing and greater urgency they'd have netted more.
A late start and a gloomy evening meant the first half lasted just 40 minutes. During half time it became clear that Abram felt they didn't have enough fit players to continue, so the referee had little option but to abandon the match.
Whether there are any repercussions remains to be seen. As I type this the league website declares 3-0 as the final score, which seems more sensible than ordering it to be replayed.
Whether or not to 'count' visits to grounds for abandoned games is a topic that groundhoppers can bore each other about for hours. My rule is that I'll count an abandoned match if it's reached half time, and this one did.
In a league where council pitches are the norm, Leigh Town's Queensway Park ground is better than average. The main pitch is fenced off, and pitchside portable buildings provide changing rooms and a snack bar.
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