Abou Ben Adhem
Abou Ben Athen (may his tribe increase)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:-
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said.
“What writest thou?” – The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, “The names of those who love the lord.”
“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,”
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still, and said, “I pray thee then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men.”
The angel wrote and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.
by Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
Monday 17th May 2021
Hope Valley League Premier Division
Youlgrave 1
Tom Bell 54,
Bamford 5
Elliot Maskrey 18, Chris Lawson 23, 25 Dom Mellor (og) 50, James Thompson 80,
Referee:- Josh Townsend. Attendance:- 46
Another visit to the rolling Peak District and the beautifully appointed home of Youlgrave FC at Youlgrave Lodge CC. Sadly, the hosts are struggling, some six points adrift at the foot of the table. The visitors took full advantage and rattled in three goals in the first half hour. Two more, second half goals and a consolation strike for the hosts settled the contest emphatically in favour of mid-table Bamford. With John Main and Graeme Holmes.
Tuesday 18th May 2021
Yorkshire Cup Group B
Golcar 2
Buddy Cox 42, Alex Hallam 44,
Liversedge 2
Alfie Raw 31, John Cyrus 33,
Admission:- OMGDS £3.00 (£6). Programme:- £2.00
Referee:- Stephen Rushworth. Attendance:- 575
In front of a large, partisan crowd on a bright but cool evening in West Yorkshire, the visitors looked to be well on top after taking a two goal lead around the half hour mark. However, two goals in two minutes just before half time from the hosts saw the sides level at the interval. The second half was something of an anti climax and the match petered out into a tame draw. With John Main and a large gathering of hoppers amongst the impressive attendance!
Wednesday 19th May 2021
Nene Sunday League Division 4
AFC Brampton 3
Matthew Roberts (og) 30, Dan Clark 46, David Hicks 53,
Ashby Athletic 2
Joshua MacAfee 15, Alexandru Barbulescu 21,
Referee:- Graham Pinney. Attendance:- 30
The Racecourse in Northampton is a huge public park where horse racing was held up until 1904. It also staged a round of Jeux Sans Frontiers and a hot air balloon festival as well as public executions, the last of which was in 1880 when two men were hanged for passing forged notes. It is said that the condemned were offered a free drink at the hostelry on the edge of the Racecourse before execution! This evening, dodging heavy showers, these two teams, second and third in their league served up a very competitive match in which the hosts grabbed the win, the points and top spot after initially going two goals behind!
Thursday 20th May 2021
Nene Sunday League Division 2
Wootton Fields Wanderers 2
Omar Gharami 24, 75 (pen),
North Star 4
Hilton Arthur 40, 71, DJ Hixon 45, 73,
Referee:- Simon Castleman. Attendance:- 26
Wootton, a small suburb to the south of Northampton, is where four members of The Ding family, mother, father and two daughters, were murdered in 2011. The community centre in the village is undergoing extensive redevelopment, but on a wet, wild and windy evening, the football team were soundly dismantled by their opponents from Ecton Brook, another village to the east of Northampton. The wind and rain played havoc with the playing conditions, but it was North Star – displaying the star on the front of their shirts – who deservedly triumphed. With John Main.
Monday 24th May 2021
Hope Valley League Premier Division
Fairfield 5
Cameron Holford 20, Billy Halsey 37, 49 (pen), 80, Tallis Stone 63,
Baslow 2
Lewis Talbot 12, Josh Sears 32,
Referee:- Stephen Price. Attendance:- 23
In the shadow of the vast Dowlow quarry and the former High Peak and Cromford railway line, this match was played at Buxton RUFC on a very soft pitch and an increasingly chilly evening. Both clubs occupy places very close to the bottom of the division, but it was the hosts who triumphed after a shaky start which included a bizarre gift of a goal to their opponents. A cacophony of hoppers in attendance swelled the meagre gathering!
Tuesday 25th May 2021
Central Midlands League Division 1 Central
Woodhouse Colts 4
Liam Theakstone 2, 4, Baillie Hajman 73, Jayden Bull 85
Kilburn 3
Jordan Mighty 30, 55, Jordan Patten 65
Referee:- Lee Clarke. Attendance:- 39
Admission:- £2.00. Programme:- NONE
Woodhouse Colts have a ground on the same site as AFC Mansfield, but it is discrete, although accessed via The Forest Town ground. Their charitable visitors this evening, gifted them two goals in the opening five minutes, spent the next hour retrieving the situation and even taking the lead, before succumbing to two late strikes which took the game away from them – a little unfairly, I thought! An intelligence of hoppers boosted the attendance!
Wednesday 26th May 2021
Nuneaton & District Sunday League Premier Division
Grendon 2
Louis Taylor 60, Dan Creaney 68,
Lamb & Flag 0
Referee:- Rob Cairns. Attendance:- 48
There was the rustic smell of freshly mown grass on a very pleasant, sunlit evening for this mid-table clash. Plenty of action, but it took over an hour for the first goal to arrive, mainly due to some errant finishing by the hosts. A second strike was followed by a penalty saved, but the hosts deserved their victory. The referee blew his whistle some seven minutes early at the end! With John Main and Lee West.
Thursday 27th May 2021
Nene Sunday League Division 4
Ashby Athletic 3
Tom Jullings 12, 22, Alex Quatrine 17,
Naseby FC 2
Ricky Barby 4, 24,
Referee:- Nick Wheeler. Attendance:- 38
The genteel village of Mears Ashby in the heart of Northamptonshire hosted this tense championship decider. Nothing but a win would secure the title for the hosts. They fell behind to a fourth minute strike, took the lead after seventeen minutes, extended it by the twenty second minute and were pegged back two minutes later. There the scoring ended, but not the excitement with both teams going full bloodedly for victory. Joyous celebrations at the end for the home side. With grandson, Freddie, John Main and Lee West. Freddie enjoyed a bowl of chips in The Griffin in the village prior to the match!
Friday 28th May 2021
Nene Sunday League Cup Semi-final
North Star 0
Standens Leap 2
Ross Watson 12, 84,
Referee:- Darrell Horner. Attendance:- 121
Admission:- £3.00. Programme:- NONE
Played on Moulton’s 4G pitch, the pace was fast, furious and often feisty. Standens Leap sit at the top of the Premier Division and unbeaten this season, three divisions lower, North Star are second in the table, but they gave a good account of themselves this evening in a very entertaining encounter.
Saturday 29th May 2021
Abacus Lighting Central Midlands League Division 1 Central
Bakewell Town 3
Freddie Hatcher 63, Joe Poste 75, Stuart Baker 89,
Kilburn 0
Referee:- Rob Neale. Attendance:- 119
On a fine afternoon, bank holidaymakers swelled the attendance as the hosts sought to achieve the win in their final match that might gain them promotion. They made hard work of it. They missed chances my grandson could have put away with his eyes closed. Eventually, after an hour, they opened the scoring and, in the end it was a comfortable win with two more goals in the last ten minutes. Now, however, they can only hope that Wirksworth Ivanhoe drop at least two points from their final two games! With Johnny Holland. (It didn’t happen!)
Monday 31st May 2021
Thames Valley Premier League Premier Division
Mortimer 1
Alex Miller 82,
Berks County 1
Charlie Craske 10,
Referee:- Jonathan Hales. Attendance:- 91
On a very warm evening, second in the table, Berks County came to the pleasantly appointed Alfred Palmer Memorial Playing Field to take on mid table Mortimer. They scored after ten minutes and dominated the rest of the half. The hosts came more into the contest after the interval, but the visitors should have been out of sight. They paid the penalty when an 82nd minute equaliser ended the game all square. A veritable coven of hoppers in attendance!
