November 2021

Referee:- Robert Massey-Ellis.                                                  Attendance:- 195

Admission:- OMGDS £7.00 (£10).                                         Programme:- on line

Coventry’s Butts Arena hosted this second tier women’s match, and the hosts, who had only one point from their opening seven fixtures, deservedly doubled that total and perhaps, might have held on for victory. They opened the scoring in the last minute of the opening period and held on until the 81st minute before the visitors struck the equaliser. A few days later I received a parking ticket fine for £100. There were no signs and no-one collecting money in the car park. Pay within 14 days and it was reduced to £60. Absolute rip-off!!!

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Almost six miles along the railway line from Gretton, across the Harringworth Viaduct, the rails go underground for a short while, and reappear between the villages of Glaston and Wing. The weather this morning, as we set out from Wing, was warm and sunny and, at last, the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” was in full swing. The path from Wing took us across the fields to the village of Pilton with its tiny church of St Nicholas. Crossing more fields, the village of North Luffenham to our left and the church of St John the Baptist. In South Luffenham, a fine house stands where once had been Luffenham Railway Station. Pressing on to Morcott, crossing a tributary of the River Chater and briefly glancing inside the church of St Mary the Virgin. The track then took us across more fields for a couple of miles to Glaston on the busy A47. Down Church Lane we crossed through the graveyard of St Andrew’s church where beams were being replaced in the roof, before taking the road past Glaston Carpet Superstore, down to Glaston Tunnel and back up to Wing Maze. With Alison Merricks, Maureen Owens and Norma Jarvis, nine stiles and 8.26 miles.

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Referee:- David Hinton.                                                             Attendance:- 99

Admission:- OMGDS £3.00 (£5).                                            Programme:- £1.00

On a dank Autumnal evening these two teams served up a pretty committed fare. Old Alleynians are playing, this season, at Kings Park, the former home of now defunct Meir KA. The ground is careworn, a couple of hundred seats behind one goal and limited cover down the near side. The hosts took the lead at the end of the first period, but a rejuvenated Romulus took a firm grip on the match in the second half and ran out worthy winners. A motley gathering of hoppers swelled the attendance!, John Main, Lee West, Martin Hayden, Lee Vaughan, Alan from Leicester, Mark Farnell and Lucy, amongst others.

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Referee:- Lee Hartley. Official Attendance:- 1,250

Admission:- OMGDS £3.00 (£5). Programme:- £1.00

On a cold November evening, Aylestone Park, in front of a record crowd for the ground, just lost out to their illustrious opponents. Wednesday took a two goal lead into the interval and it looked for much of the second half, that the hosts had accepted their fate. A William Warren feee kick brought them back into the match after 74 minutes but they were unable to snatch an equaliser despite seven minutes of added time at the end of the contest. With John Main.

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Referee:- Mahdi Elhalawany.                                                  Attendance:- 124

Admission:- OMGDS £3.00 (£5).                                       Programme:- £1.00

In the fifteen years since they took over from St John’s (Clacton) FC, Holland have travelled comparatively rapidly. The ground has a new club house and changing rooms and a seated stand for around ninety spectators and there is a substantial fence around the pitch. Other than that there is very little else of note at the ground. On the pitch, they are pretty mid-table this season whilst their opponents are riding high. There was no score at the end of a fairly tepid first period, but in the second half, the hosts were made to pay for some glaring misses when May & Baker took the lead twelve minutes after the break. Back came Holland, well led by skipper, Anthony Spyrou, who scored two goals, the first a penalty, to give them a deserved lead. However, with around ten minutes to go, the visitors equalised and looked the more likely right up to the final whistle!

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A dazzling sun burnt down from a cloudless aquamarine firmament on the way across the field and down the track to Corby Road, whilst golden leaves festooned the pathway and then, across the road and into the plantation, where the fierce orb still penetrated the naked trees. The landmark “pepperpot” which provides air to the railway tunnel far below, points the way to the escarpment, high above the Welland Valley and where, in the distance, the village of Caldecott is visible. The track emerges near the top of Rockingham hill and the route continues down past The Sondes Arms and across the fields behind it towards the outskirts of Great Easton where the spire of St Andrew’s Church is just discernible. At Caldecott the clouds were filling up the sky above the church of St John the Evangelist, with its beautifully crafted memorial plaque. Heading back across the fields to Gretton Weir and beyond to where the track climbs up and over the railway line until St James’ Church towers above Church Gap and onwards past the Baptist Church to complete the journey. Nine stiles and 10.74 miles.

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