‘September’.
Lo! a ripe sheaf of many golden days
Gleaned by the year in autumn’s harvest ways,
With here and there, blood-tinted as an ember,
Some crimson poppy of a late delight
Atoning in its splendor for the flight
Of summer blooms and joys
This is September.
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) is best-known for her classic novel for children, Anne of Green Gables, set in Montgomery’s own country of Canada (on Prince Edward Island). But Montgomery was also a poet, and in this short poem about September (quoted above in its entirety) she pays tribute to the ‘late delight’ of the month.
.
Saturday 2nd September 2023
Emirates FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round
Eastbourne United 2
Callum Barlow 49, Hayden Beaconsfield 89,
Epsom & Ewell 1
Ashley Snadden 79,
Referee: Billy Woods. Attendance: 144
Admission: OMGDS £5.00 (£8). Programme: FREE
After a superb repast at Bistrot Pierre, in the centre of town and next to a Steampunk festival taking place on the front, we repaired to The Oval, on Channel View Road, a well looked after arena with two seated stands and a standing covered area (all of the Meccano variety, but very suitable nonetheless) on a sunny and warm afternoon. There was confusion over the team lists, which bore no resemblance to the team board written up before the game and no-one, initially, appeared to know who the officials were. However, the stage was set for an FA Cup tie that was ….. underwhelming for the first hour, but which then produced three goals and a victory for the hosts. With Phil Evans and Giles Ashman.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Tuesday 5th September 2023
Vanarama National League North
Tamworth 2
Dempsey Arnott-John 21, Kyle Finn 32,
Chorley 1
Jack Hazlehurst 90+2
Referee: Darren Rogers. Attendance: 921
Admission: OMGDS £14.00 (£18) Programme: £3.00
Eighteen years since my last visit and the obvious difference was the installation of a 3G pitch. Apart from that, it was the rip off prices that were charged! £14 for a concession to sit in the stand and that didn’t include £2.00 for the car park! Three pounds for the programme. A carton of curried chips was £4.50 and a cheeseburger was £6.00, not to mention the price of a pint of beer! The team sheets were free, however! As for the game, two early goals for the hosts rather settled the match but Chorley pulled one back in the 91st minute and were unlucky not to equalise a few minutes later.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Wednesday 6th September 2023
FA Women’s National League Division 1 Midlands
Loughborough Lightning Women 3
Jessica Collyer 17, Hannah Plumb 21, Lauren Purchase 58,
Notts County Women 0
Referee: Charlotte Spalding. Attendance: 126
Admission: OMGDS £2.00. (£5). Programme: on line
On a very warm and humid evening, a drinks break was taken in each half as relegated Lightning continued their fine start to the season with a convincing victory over Notts County Women, who have yet to record a victory. With John Main.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Saturday 9th September 2023
Toolstation Western League Premier Division
Nailsea & Tickenham 0
Manager dismissed 38 mins (foul & abusive language)
Barnstaple Town 2
Billy Tucker (c) 38, Harry Foster 45+6,
Referee: Rebecca Halford. Attendance: 118
Admission: OMGDS £5.00 (£7). Programme: On Line.
Just south of Bristol across the Avonmouth bridge and into the North Somerset villages of Tickenham (pop 900) and Nailsea (pop 15,500), although Tickenham has the more impressive parish church of SS Quiricus and Julietta and right on the edge of Nailsea is the football ground, formed as recently as 2015. Most of the facilities (changing rooms, bar, toilets, refreshment areas) are housed in portakabins and the only stand (and covered area) is a scaffolded structure with maybe fifty seats. The club has done well to reach these dizzy heights in just eight years, but they were undone today by a club who recently graced The Southern League. Two first half goals and the dismissal of the home manager for foul and abusive language was enough to clinch the victory for the visitors in desperately hot and humid conditions which necessitated two drinks stoppages in each half! With John Main.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Monday 11th September 2023
Pitching-in Southern League Premier Division Central
Hitchin Town 3
Stan Georgia 48, Finley Wilkinson 58 (pen), Daniel Idiakhoa 80,
Nuneaton Borough 0
Referee: S Kyle. Attendance: 435
Admission: OMGDS £9.00 (£13). Programme: £2.50
It’s Monday, so it must be Hitchin and around 35 other hoppers joined me for this step three clash at their iconic Top Field stadium. The first half was fairly evenly matched and Borough maybe even shaded it, but they ran out of steam after the break and conceded three times to a rampant Canaries.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Tuesday 12th September 2023
Servio Hampshire Senior Cup 2nd Round
Alton 3
Nasim Regragui 10, Luke Perkins 19, 33,
Aldershot Town 2
H. McKenna 58, Tommy Willard 61,
Referee: Ant Cross. Attendance: 562
Admission: OMGDS £4.00 (£7). Programme: £2.00
15.08 train from Corby to St Pancras (16.22)and then Waterloo (17.25) to Alton terminus at (18.31). The ground is a short (ten minute) walk from the station.
Not a fan of plastic surfaces and this one looked a tad worn. It played well, however, and a large crowd were treated to a well fought local derby in which the underdogs ran their visitors ragged in the first period and took a three goal advantage into the interval. After what must have been a tough half-time altercation, a far more determined Aldershot side came out for the second half, laid siege to the hosts goal, pulled two goals back, but, in the end, couldn’t manage to draw level. Excellent game, big crowd!
The reverse journey was a tad more complicated. 21.44 from Alton to Woking (22.21) and was there, supposed to transfer to a non-stop faster train to Waterloo. When I got to the platform, I found that it was eight minutes late! Hence I got into Waterloo five minutes later than if I had stayed on the original train! A fifteen minute wait on the platform at 23.15 for a Piccadilly line tube to St Pancras, but I got there in time for the 23.54 to Corby from which only two passengers alighted (including myself) when it arrived at 01.40.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Wednesday 13th September 2023
Nottinghamshire Senior League Division 1
FCV Grace Dieu 2
Emiriu Hafeez 19, Danield Brooks 45,
Hucknall Town Reserves 2
Bradley Evans, 28, Kieran Orange 43
Referee: Dave Southern. Attendance: 59
Admission: F.O.C. Programme: NONE
Named after a local 12th century Augustinian monastery close by (but sadly, now, no more than a ruin), this was the host’s first league match at their new home, in their first season in The NSL. By the end of a feisty opening session, all the goals had been scored and the second half was a bit of a let down. There was a goodly smattering of hoppers in attendance, John Main, Martin Hayden, Peter Abbott, Greg, the pencil man, and Kizz Everard! Quite why FCV chose to play in the NSL when they are a Leicestershire side, isn’t known, except that they may have been offered a higher status in The NSL than they might have achieved in The Leicestershire Senior League. The ground is very basic. Two good sized “dug-outs” on the far side and a metal barrier with mesh surrounding the pitch, with viewing down (mainly) one side, but plenty of scope for development for someone with deep pockets.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Friday 15th September 2023
Premier League 2 League Cup Group G
Leicester City U21 3
Wanya Marcal 31, Amani Richards 56, Silko Thomas 90+4
BurnleyU 21 4
Joe Wesley 45, 80, Basilio Sokoliche 61, Lewis Richardson 64
Referee: Dale Baines. Attendance: 253
Admission: OMGDS £3.00 (£5). Free team sheet
.
Saturday 16th September 2023
Velocity Wessex League Premier Division
Bournemouth FC 5
Joe Freak 12, 30,James Stocker 22, Cam McMonagle 85, Jayden Medcraff 88,
Lymington Town 1
Mati Grybowski 90
Referee: Catalin Tanage. Attendance: 104 (official attendance – 83)
Admission: OMGDS £4.00 (£7). Programme: £1.50
Victoria Park, the quaint home of The Poppies, Bournemouth’s “other” team, is situated in a quiet residential area and is relatively open on three sides, with the fourth side housing a stand to seat around 200 souls, a bar and clubhouse with minimal food options and changing rooms. Today, they were playing bottom of the table Lymington Town, recently of the Southern League. 3-0 at half-time and 5-0 until the ninetieth minute when, belatedly, the visitors pulled one goal back. With John Main.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Tuesday 19th September 2023
Northants Senior (Hillier) Cup 1st Round
Desborough Town 2
Archie Elmore 74, Rico Duggan 81,
Bugbrooke St Michael’s 2
Johnny Carey 13, Eddie Panter 49,
Desborough Town won 5-3 on penalties.
Referee: Ben Bright. Attendance : 76
Admission: OMGDS £4.00 (£7). Programme: £1.00
Lovely evening with a cooling breeze at The Waterworks Field as Desborough Town who had taken the visitors apart on their own ground by 5-1, just three weeks ago, found themselves 0-2 down with but half an hour left! They clawed their way back into the match scoring two late goals and then despatched all five of their penalties, whilst the visitors missed their fourth! Good to see Stuart Long at the game. Won a box of chocolates in the raffle, but came out to a flat tyre on my car and had to summon the assistance of the RAC. Didn’t get home until 12.30am!
.
.
The impressive old style floodlight pylons at The Waterworks Field
.
.
Desborough Town Programme – priced at £1.00
.
Friday 22nd September 2023
Cymru South
Ammanford 0
Goytre United 1
Ben Cripps 39,
Referee: Alex McInch. Attendance: 208
Admission: OMGDS £4.00 (£5). Programme: NONE
It is the rugby club that dominates in Ammanford, but the football club has the handsome stand with seating for around 300. There were a couple of hundred spectators there, this evening, with but a single portakabin toilet to service them all! There was no programme, this evening, but they do provide programmes more often than not. The hosts sit fourth in the table, but this evening, they were easily contained by visitors from the other end of the table, who snatched the victory and the points with a solitary 37th minute strike.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Saturday 23rd September 2023 (11.00am)
Macron West Wales Premier League
Pontaddulais Town 1
Ash Johns (og) 36,
Rockspur Fords 6
Kian Griffiths (og) 2, Harry Price 19, Daniel Williams 24, Sam Keefe 45+3, 65 (pen), Colin Harris 54, Ryan Morgan s/o 70,
Referee: Gareth Williams. Attendance: 260
Admission: £5.00. Programme: included
The entrance to Coedbach Park from the small but bustling town of Pontaddulais has the atmosphere of Hansel and Gretel wandering into the woods. The ground, at the other end is very basic. A railed pitch and some changing rooms. The match was very one-sided. The visitors led 4-1 at the interval and should have added more than their two second half strikes. There was a red card for the visitors after 71 minutes and, unusually, a sin-binning for the home goalkeeper!
.
.
.
.
.
Saturday 23rd September 2023 (2.00pm)
Macron West Wales Premier League
CK Swiss Valley 1
Thomas Lewis (og) 65,
Garden Village 6
Calem Rees 2, 5, Nathan Logan 38, 54, Tobias Jones 39 (pen), Jack James 56,
Referee: Pascal Neale. Attendance: 169
Admission: £5.00. Programme: included
A field with a rail around it, not much more to add to that, except to say that the quality of the refreshments was less than expected from previous ‘hops’ when clubs made a real effort to put on a ‘spread’. The hosts were never in this match. They conceded two goals in the first five minutes and two more before half-time. Even the lone score for them was a gift from the opposition!
.
.
.
.
.
Saturday 23rd September 2023 (4.45pm)
Macron West Wales Premier League
Dafen Welfare 0
Joshua Morgan s/o 29,
Ynystawe 8
Casey Coughlin 5, 54, Can Owens 14, Ben James 25, 33, Michael Morgan 45+1, Ryan Gibbons 69, James Towell 90+1,
Referee: Paul Jones. Attendance: 252
Admission: £3.00. Programme: £2.00
Another field for this third match of the day and another game where a bottom half of the table team were thrashed by a top half side. The hosts had a player dismissed on the half hour mark which made an uphill task even more difficult, but, by then, they were already three goals adrift, with two more to come before half-time. The second half was an anti-climax with a mere three further strikes as the visitors eased their foot off the accelerator!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sunday 24th September 2023 (11.00am)
Macron West Wales Premier League
Bryn Rovers 3
Adam Campbell 45+2, 53, 62, missed penalty 69,
West End 1
Dale Griffiths 29,
Referee: Robert Fulford. Attendance: 153
Admission: £5.00. Programme: included
High up in the valleys of South Wales, Bryn Rover’s small ground has no cover and a portakabin changing rooms and toilets. Heavy, unremitting, wind driven precipitation accompanied this contest on a mudbath of a pitch, and at times it was all spectators could do to gain some respite from the rain. For all that, it was a good match. The hosts took the lead in the first half, but were pegged back by the interval and Adam Campbell, the scorer went on to claim his hat trick in the second half, but also smote the bar with a penalty.
.
Heavy, unremitting precipitation!
.
.
Adam Campbell’s 69th minute penalty hits the crossbar!
.
.
Changing rooms and toilets, the only furniture at the ground!
.
.
Sunday 24th September 2023
Macron West Wales Premier League
Cwm Wanderers 1
Harvey Ranford 63,
Clydach 4
Ryan Thomas 28,72, Cam Jones 63, Zahid Islam 90+1
Referee: Ryan Kenny. Attendance: 280
Admission: £5.00. Programme: included
Park Afon Twrch is considerably superior to several other grounds in this league. There is a stand with seating for around 200 souls and an extensive clubhouse with bar and a wide range of food and drink available including helpings of the local Welsh broth. It was a good match, too, but the hosts were, eventually, well beaten. However, the score line, maybe, flattered the visitors.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Monday 25th September 2023
Premier League 2
Leicester City U21 1
Amani Richards 87,
Miiddelsbrough U21 3
Calum Kavanagh 19, Nathan Simpson 54, Max Howells 77,
Referee: Aji Ajibola. Attendance: 216
Admission: OMGDS £3.00 (£5). Free team sheet
.
Tuesday 26th September 2023
Combined Counties League
Premier Challenge Cup 1st Round
Yateley United 2
Tom Rudall 75, Fin Scott 90+8
Camberley Town 4
Mason Taylor 37, 45+2, 47 (pen), Stan Jones 78,
Referee: Matthew Childs. Official Attendance: 427 (ground record)
Admission: OMGDS £3.00 (£5). Programme: £2.00
Very friendly welcome at this relative newcomer to Step 6, Sean Devereux Park was heaving for this first match under floodlights. They have yet to install seats, but the club house is substantial and with hard standing on two sides of the pitch and a small corrugated covered terrace behind one goal, the club is moving in the right direction, one suspects there is a sugar daddy in the background! Tonight, they were taking on a side from Step 5, same league, but a division higher. The visitors achieved a comfortable victory, but the hosts put up strong resistance and were not disgraced. Several hoppers in attendance.
.
.
.
.
.
The teams were displayed on a screen adjacent to the entrance to the club house – an excellent innovation that I’ve not seen elsewhere!
.
.
.
.
.
Wednesday 27th September 2023
United Counties League Premier Division South
Rugby Borough 1
Sam Lockley 90+3
Cogenhoe United 0
Referee: Daniel Haywood. Official Attendance: 106
Admission: OMGDS £3.00 (£5). Programme: £2.00
A bit of wind and a bit of rain, but these two teams provided an entertaining encounter that could have gone either way with both sides unleashing regular shots on goal, but with time running out a nil-nil draw seemed inevitable. It took a ninety-fourth minute strike to settle the contest! With John Main.
.
.
.
Saturday 30th September 2023
EFL Championship
Watford 2
Vakoun Bayo 19, Wesley Hoedt 52,
Middlesbrough 3
Riley McGree 5, 12, Josh Coburn 64,
Referee: Oliver Langford. Attendance: 18,446
Admission: hospitality. Programme: incl. (£3.50)
Youngest grandson’s ninth birthday present and both he, his brother and dad were cheering a Middlesbrough victory after the hospitality failed to live up to their expectations! The visitors were clearly the better side, but two goals in the opening 12 minutes had been cancelled out by the hosts barely five minutes into the second half! There was still gas in the tank for a winning strike with twenty-five minutes to go, to earn a deserved victory.
.
.
.
.
From left:- Kingsley, Ed, Sonny and Jim
.
.
CRICKET:-
Sunday 3rd September 2023
ESCA (English Schools Cricket Association)
U-15 Schools T20 Finals Day at Arundel Castle
1st Semi-final:
Sedburgh School 115 for 8 (20 overs)
lost to
Trent College 116 for 0 (13.1 overs) by 10 wkts.
2nd Semi-final:
Whitgift School 164 for 4 (20 overs)
lost to
Kings College Taunton 168 for 2 (18 overs) by 8 wkts
FINAL:
Kings College Taunton 178 for 4 (20 overs)
defeated
Trent College 142 for 8 (20 overs) by 36 runs
An excellent day’s cricket at an iconic venue!
.
picture courtesy of the Arundel CC Twitter page
.
picture courtesy of the Arundel CC Twitter page
.
picture courtesy of the Arundel CC Twitter page
.
.
The score box, where a lot of recording of the day’s events took place
.
.
Sunday 10th September 2023
East Midlands Women’s Cricket League
Division 2 South (at Nassington CC)
Nassington Women (won toss) 184 for 8 (35 overs)
lost to
Market Overton Women 185 for 3 (24.0 overs)
by 7 wickets
Umpire: Eddie McGeown
In a match affected by heavy rain, and thunder and lightning, at Nassington’s tight little ground on the banks of The River Nene and not too far from Peterborough, the visitors eventually cruised to victory against the plucky hosts, for whom Sophie Lawrence posted a not out score of 112 off 96 balls which included 16 fours.
.
.
.
.
.
Sunday 17th September 2023
East Midlands Women’s Cricket League
Division 2 South (at Nassington)
Nassington Women 262 for 4 (35 overs)
defeated
Shepshed Women (won toss) 80 all out in 12.2 overs
Umpires: Alan Pearce & Eddie McGeown
Last game of the season at Nassington and last week’s hero, Sophie Lawrence smote another ton, this time scoring 117 off 73 balls with 19 fours and one mighty six! Her opening partner and team captain, Holly Hammond-Lewis, scored an unbeaten half century off 99 balls with 4 fours as she watchfully carried her bat throughout the innings after the opening stand, between the two, of 188. The visitors subsided dramatically, to 80 all out. Last match of the season!
.
.
.
.
.
Holly Hammond-Lewis and Sophie Lawrence beneath their respective individual scores!
.
