Steve B the Groundhopper

11am 3 April  2026 St Piran League, Premier Division East St Mawgan 0 Kilkhampton 1 (att 40) As usual these days the Good Friday fixture list provided limited options for new grounds. I had just two possibles, both in the South West and both morning kick-offs. St Mawgan, close to Newquay, was the furthest of the pair, but news that the club has applied for promotion into step six football moved it up my groundhopping 'to do' list. This defeat was a blow to the club's promotion hopes, as they may need to finish above fellow applicants Torpoint Athletic reserves. It was a sluggish game in which neither side created many clear chances, perhaps not helped by both having also played league games on Wednesday evening. The best moment of quality, a free kick with 12 minutes left, produced the only goal. St Mawgan have been working hard to get their Trevarrian Park up to standard for possible promotion. It's fully enclosed, there's a seated stand, and hard standing extends ...

2.30pm 19 April  2025 St Piran League, Premier Division East Gunnislake 6 North Petherwin 2 (att 45) After being part of Truro City's capacity crowd against Torquay on Good Friday it was back to more familiar fare on Saturday. Having stayed overnight in Truro it was an easy journey to Gunnislake, which was my only unvisited venue staging a game in either of the regionalised premier divisions of Cornwall's St Piran League. Gunnislake don't play in the village itself but just outside nearby Albaston. It's a pleasant ground that's fairly typical for this level of football in the south-west, with an enclosed and sloping pitch, dugouts and advertising boards. The changing rooms are a short walk from the playing area, among buildings that include a snack bar serving hot food and drinks. The home side needed a win in a battle against possible relegation, and got it surprisingly comfortably against a North Petherwin team with little to play for. Two goals in the first few m...

2.30pm 9 March  2025 Launceston and District Cup, Quarter Final Pensilva 2 Holsworthy reserves 1 (att 84) The Launceston and District Cup is one of a diminishing number of local competitions for Saturday sides with fixtures played mostly on Sundays. From a groundhopping perspective they provide a good excuse for a weekend away. After staying overnight in Plymouth it was short journey to the village of Pensilva, near Liskeard, who play in division one east of the St Piran League.  Visitors Holsworthy reserves play in the top tier of the North Devon League, which is theoretically at the same level. On paper it looked likely to be a close game, and that's how it turned out. The decisive factor was a red card, early in the second half, for the away side. Before that Pensilva had scored the first half's only goal, coming not long after Holsworthy had what they thought was a goal belatedly ruled out for offside. The sending off was for bringing down a Pensilva player who was well-pl...

2.30pm 8 March  2025 St Piran League, Premier Division East St Dominick 2 Torpoint Athletic reserves 4 (att 34) After my morning game in Bristol I was relying on compliant traffic on the M5 and A38 to make it beyond Plymouth in time for my second match. I had back up options, but a trouble-free journey meant I reached Lovells Park in good time. St Dominick - or St Dominic, the k seems optional - is a small village not far from Saltash. The football ground is enclosed with a roped off pitch, a pair of dugouts, changing rooms, tea bar and a number of strategically-placed park benches. The pitch has a challenging slope and, being high up, the location is exposed. A strong wind didn't help what was often a scrappy game. The first half's one moment of quality put Torpoint ahead, but the home side deserved their equaliser just before half time. Moments later they hit the crossbar, but that was as close as they came to going in front. Torpoint regained the lead from a free kick, and a...

2pm 25 January 2025 St Piran League, Tracy Banfield Cup, 2nd Round Pendeen Rovers 1 Perranwell 4 (att 45) A weekend in the West Country was a chance to visit my final remaining ground in the top division of the western half of Cornwall's recently-expanded St Piran League. Pendeen is a village beyond Penzance and close to Land's End. I think only St Just have a ground that's further west on the English mainland. Pendeen Rovers' home, Borlase Park, is a decent venue that's worth a long journey. The sloping pitch is railed off and, on the far side in front of what looks like redundant former changing rooms, there's a small covered standing area flanked by dugouts. These days the players change in a more modern building, which also includes a bar, towards a corner of the pitch. The ground also provides plenty of pitchside car parking. The Tracy Banfield Cup is for teams in the St Piran League's parallel east and west top divisions. I expected a tight game betwee...

2.30pm 12 October 2024 St Piran League, Premier Division West Perranwell 1 St Just 0 (att 15) I last saw a Perranwell home game pre-blog in 2010, when they played in the village. Apparently the pitch there isn't deemed flat enough to stage top division St Piran League football, so their first team games at now in nearby Carnon Downs. It's a shame they've had to move, and it was noticeable how few people were watching this game compared to my last visit. It's a decent facility though, with a pitch that's railed off and equipped with dugouts and a small seated stand. The stand bears the name of Truro City, as their reserve side played here before the completion of their new stadium. Last season that was in the South West Peninsula League, making this surely the most basic 'step six' ground in the country, with no floodlights, limited hard standing and a trek from the changing rooms to the pitch. It's more the adequate for the St Piran League though, and Pe...