QUENIBOROUGH 5-0 THURNBY UNITED
Saturday 26th February 2011
Leicester & District League Division 1
Rearsby Road
With heading off to Germany next Saturday with Gary I wanted to have a cheap day today, and cheap for me nowdays means attending a game in which a) there would be no admission charge and b) it would not cost me much in terms of fuel to get to and from the game. Queni' was suggested (along with several others) by another friend of mine Kevin Zupp, who could not attend Lutterworth Athletic's game in the Leicestershire Senior League @ Stapenhill and thus we agreed to meet up. This would be the first time since May 1st when we attended the encounter between Ringstead Rangers and Welford Victoria.
Queniborough is a village located between Leicester and Melton Mowbray, just to the north of Syston and has a population of around 2,000 inhabitants. Leicester is 7 miles to the south west with Melton around 10 miles to the north east. The oldest part of the village on Main Street dates back around 500 years, with the majority of properties built between the 16th and 19th centuries. The village is home to two pubs (The Horse & Groom and Britannia Inn), a branch of the Royal British Legion, primary school and St. Mary's Parish Church.
To get to Queni' from my home in the Braunstone area of Leicester is straight forward due to the A46 Western Bypass, as this road covers about 75% of my route. The 12 1/2 mile journey takes around 20 minutes.
Their ground is located on the northern edge of the village and is (like you would expect) a basic affair, but it is more than enough for their needs. The pitch is railed off along the two touchlines and partially behind each goal.
Queni' were formed in 1921 and are one of the longest established amateur clubs in the midlands. They currently play in the Leicester & District League (LDL) but have previously been members of the Leicester Mutual League and North Leicestershire League. They have won a number of honours over the years at in both league and county cup competitions, some of which is listed below: (most recent first)
1996/97 Leicester & District League Division 2 winners
1978/79 Twinning Cup winners
1977/78 Twinning Cup winners
1975/76 Leicestershire County FA Medals 'B' competition winners
Mutual League Division 2 winners
1973/74 Leicestershire County FA Medals 'A' competition winners
1972/73 Mutual League Division 4 winners
1959/60 Mutual League Division 6 winners
This season Queni' find themselves in mid-table in the thirteen team division with nineteen points from their fourteen league games, recording five wins in the process. Last time out they lost 2-1 @ Birstall Social a week ago. Opponents Thurnby United come from the Thurnby Lodge area of Leicester, and whose ground is on Thurncourt Road just round the corner from East Midlands Counties League side Thurnby Nirvana. They are currently top of the division with an unbeaten record from thirteen league games and sit eleven points clear of second place Glen Villa. Their last match was two weeks ago and they recorded a 3-0 home win against Burbage Old Boys.
The pitch seemed in good condition on arrival with the only centre spot showing visable sign of water. By kick off the rain had passed away eastwards and the game was played mainly in bright and breezy conditions. I was told that they very rarely have games called off here. The outcome of the game was one that on the basis of league positions you would not have predicted. Thurnby lost their unbeaten record in emphatic style as Queni' deserved their victory and probably should have won by a greater margin. The opening exchanges of the half were fairly even though neither team troubled the opposing keeper. The opening goal came around the 20 minute mark through Michael Lock, who hit a first time shot from the edge of the penalty area. From this point onwards Queniborough were always in control and added a second goal on 34 minutes. A diagonal pass into the penalty area found Warren Smith who drilled the ball home from close range. The early part of the second half saw Thurnby put a bit of pressure on the home side, but two goals in the space of two minutes midway through the half saw the game end as a contest. Firstly Lock got his second of the game with another long range effort, and secondly a cross from the right was flicked on and this allowed Ash Hastings to score with a first time shot from twelve yards out. It did appear during the final quarter of the game that Thurnby were playing with a 2-4-4 formation and their defending at times was what can only be described as "schoolboy". How Queni only added one further goal is another matter, but the one they did score came from Chris Shaw five minutes from time.
Admission / programme: none
Attendance: around 20 (head count)
Match rating: 2 1/2 out of 5
A slideshow of all the better photos can be viewed below:
The pitch seemed in good condition on arrival with the only centre spot showing visable sign of water. By kick off the rain had passed away eastwards and the game was played mainly in bright and breezy conditions. I was told that they very rarely have games called off here. The outcome of the game was one that on the basis of league positions you would not have predicted. Thurnby lost their unbeaten record in emphatic style as Queni' deserved their victory and probably should have won by a greater margin. The opening exchanges of the half were fairly even though neither team troubled the opposing keeper. The opening goal came around the 20 minute mark through Michael Lock, who hit a first time shot from the edge of the penalty area. From this point onwards Queniborough were always in control and added a second goal on 34 minutes. A diagonal pass into the penalty area found Warren Smith who drilled the ball home from close range. The early part of the second half saw Thurnby put a bit of pressure on the home side, but two goals in the space of two minutes midway through the half saw the game end as a contest. Firstly Lock got his second of the game with another long range effort, and secondly a cross from the right was flicked on and this allowed Ash Hastings to score with a first time shot from twelve yards out. It did appear during the final quarter of the game that Thurnby were playing with a 2-4-4 formation and their defending at times was what can only be described as "schoolboy". How Queni only added one further goal is another matter, but the one they did score came from Chris Shaw five minutes from time.
Admission / programme: none
Attendance: around 20 (head count)
Match rating: 2 1/2 out of 5
A slideshow of all the better photos can be viewed below:
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