Steve B the Groundhopper

11am 7 June  2026 Eccles Sunday League, Margaret Piggott Memorial Cup, Quarter-Final Egerton Arms 2 Ordsall 3 (att 22) The Eccles Sunday League gets onto my groundhopping 'to do' list by virtue of having a summer season.  Even so, this was pitch-hopping rather than groundhopping. There are several pitches at the Brookhouse Playing Fields in Eccles, with numbers seven and eight the pair currently used for Eccles Sunday League fixtures. Last summer I watched a game on 'pitch eight', and with both in use this morning I headed along to add 'pitch seven' to my list. For the record, I also saw a game on 'pitch five' back in 1997. With Egerton Arms struggling and Ordsall top of the 12-team league, I expected the visitors to progress to the cup semi-finals with ease. They did get through, but it was a close game. Early on Orsdall were the better side and were ahead after about 15 minutes. A few minutes before half time a goalkeeping error allowed them to double ...

2pm 6 June  2026 East Riding County League, Championship Division Langtoft 4 Seamer Sports 7 (att 59) It's not often I watch the same team two weeks running, but Seamer's defeat at Leven last weekend meant their final fixture, away to Langtoft, became the title decider. Had Seamer won last week then it's doubtful this game would have been played, but as it was they still needed three points to overtake leaders AFC North to win the East Riding County League's second tier. Early on it looked as if they'd suffer similar frustration. Langtoft started well and were in no mood to allow Seamer an easy afternoon. The home led twice during an even first half, with the visitors twice levelling. Their second equaliser was a penalty that looked soft to me, although before half time they were denied what looked a more obvious spot kick, and this time the tripped player was booked for an alleged dive. It took until the 66th minute before Seamer finally went in front. Their lead ...

2pm 30 May  2026 East Riding County League, Championship Division Leven Members Club 2 Seamer Sports 1 (att 33) The East Riding County League had a handful of fixtures scheduled for today, but as the weekend approached most were awarded as walkovers. As far as I'm aware, this was the only game that was actually played. It was a fixture with meaning though, as Seamer Sports needed three points to climb above league leaders AFC North and win the division. It looked as if they'd get them easily when they took the lead in the opening 20 seconds. They could, and probably should, have scored more in a dominant first few minutes. They did have one effort ruled out for offside. But Leven came into the game and, urged on by their vocal manager, were determined not to allow Seamer a stroll towards three points. They deservedly equalised just before half time. A sublime finish at the start of the second half put the home side in front. Seamer grew increasingly frustrated at their inabilit...

2pm 24 May  2026 Scottish Welfare FA, Donald McNair Cup, Second Round Mormond Thistle 2 RAF Lossiemouth 3 (att 29) at Kessock Park, Fraserburgh I made a late decision to head to the north east of Scotland for the weekend, prompted in part by the chance to see this game, which I'd assumed would be played at Mormond's regular home ground in the village of Strichen. But the pitch there was unavailable, and by the time I spotted that this cup tie had been moved to a caged 3G pitch in Fraserburgh I was already committed to the journey. It was no great hardship though, especially as Kessock Park is a ground that had eluded me previously despite being a regular back-up venue for various local clubs in need of a pitch. It's a typical 3G, although the one negative is that spectators have to watch from outside the high fence that encloses the playing area. The Donald McNair Cup is Scottish Welfare FA's national cup, with the early rounds regionalised into north and south sections...

2pm 23 May  2026 Aberdeenshire Amateur League, Premier Division Banchory Amateurs 3 Kincorth 1 (att 30) Once it gets beyond mid-May there is always a danger that teams will give their opponents a walkover rather than scrape together a team for a likely heavy defeat. It's a problem that seems to be worse the further south you go, so I headed north to Aberdeenshire. To be fair, amateur football across Scotland is more reliable than in England at this time of year. And credit to Kincorth, who travelled to Banchory with just 11 players. Their lack of substitutes proved costly when they lost a player to injury with about half-an-hour to play. That was just a couple of minutes after Banchory had scored their third goal, effectively killing off any hopes the visitors had of getting a result. Kincorth had conceded twice in the first half, the second goal direct from a corner just before the break. But they had then given themselves a chance by pulling a goal back. They went into this game ...

7pm 21 May  2026 Derbyshire Summer League Charlie Bassetts 14 Darley 0 (att 27) For the second Thursday running I ticked off a ground in the Derbyshire Summer League, and like last week it turned out to be a one-sided game. Charlie Bassetts played under the name Smithfield Uttoxeter last year . I assume the identity change is the result of having the backing of a different pub. They also have a new home venue. This year they're playing at Blythe Bridge High School on the edge of Stoke-on-Trent. I expected a basic pitch in a school playing field, but was surprised to find the playing area railed off on two sides, and a pair of dugouts. The home side had a comfortable evening, scoring seven times in each half. Darley's best spell was minutes 45 to 70 when, remarkably given the final score, they didn't concede a goal.

2.30pm 16 May  2026 Ceredigion League, Division One Crymych 2 Felinfach 2 (att 280) With the teams level on points at the top of table this game, the final fixture for both, was a winner-takes-all title decider. But a draw left both disappointed. Rivals Llechryd began the day a point behind the top two and, with no winner at Crymych, their 6-1 win at St Dogmaels was enough to leapfrog the top two and take the title. Unsurprisingly, a large crowd gathered at Crymych's pitch, in a rural location between the villages of Crymych and Tegryn. The hosts were well-organised, with a nearby field utilised for car parking, a PA system in use and canned drinks on sale. The home side knew that with an inferior goal difference to Felinfach they had to win. They got the got the game's opening goal, but there was little between the sides and Felinfach were level thanks to a penalty just before half time. By half time it was clear, thanks to live updates on the Cymru Football app, that Llechryd...