Warsop

CHURCH WARSOP SPORTS & SOCIAL 2-1 CALVERTON MINERS WELFARE

Saturday 30th April 2011

Central Midlands League Supreme Division

The Alley

The season is coming to a close for yours truly with after today only two or three games left. I had a short list of three, all of which were in the Central Midlands League (CML) with the others being Pinxton and Whatton United. My dad had agreed to come along today a few weeks ago, but events this week made me unsure as to whether he would be up for it as it were as my grandad died in his sleep on Tuesday morning after being ill for a long time. I was not going to mention the football but it was dad that asked if I was still going and we agreed that I would head over to his house around 12.45pm before setting off to north Nottinghamshire.

St. Peter and Paul Parish Church (source: Wikipedia)

Church Warsop is a small village in north Nottinghamshire and is located three miles west of Shirebrook and five and a half miles north of Mansfield. It was built in 1930 by the Staveley Coal and Iron Company to house workers (and their families) at the Warsop Main Colliery at nearby Warsop Vale.

There football club are surrounded by a number of other clubs that play at CML level and above, with these including Clipstone Welfare, Ollerton Town and Shirebrook Town. The club play at The Alley which is on Wood Lane in the village and like most clubs that play at CML level, they go onto my "to visit" list. The reason I chose them today was that I had heard a rumour that they are to fold in the summer and the ground is to be used by fellow CML side Nottingham United next season. Church Warsop were formed in the summer of 2008 as Church Warsop Miners Welfare and were elected into the premier division of the CML. An eight place finish in their debut season was followed by the division title last season and with it promotion to the Supreme Division. I believe the club offered their resignation in the close season after a dispute with the Miners Welfare who own the land, but after sorting out the issues they agreed to carry on and changed their name in the process to Church Warsop Sports & Social. This season they and their opponents Calverton Miners Welfare have struggled and both find themselves in the bottom four of the Supreme Division table. They have both recorded just five wins apiece and are separated by three points in the favour of Church Warsop.

I picked up my dad and we took around 1 hour 15 minutes to make the 49 mile journey. On arriving at the ground we parked in the small car park behind the Sports & Social Club and then made our way to the pitch. The ground is fully enclosed by a wall though no admission was charged or programme issued. Apparently they are a 1 man band and have not issued all season and the rumours are true - they are to fold at the end of the season. On the near side there is a small section of cover which would keep maybe ten people dry.

The game was played on a rock hard dusty pitch and wasn't the best I have seen this season. The first half was by some way the worst of the two periods of 45 minutes with very little being created. The second half was much better in terms of the quality of football and entertainment and we did not have to wait long for the opening goal. Just four minutes into the half and the home side took the lead when the ball was drilled past the Calverton keeper from 15 yards out. The lead lasted five minutes when Calverton were awarded a penalty. To be honest I have no idea what it was for as I was standing behind the other goal, but their number 9 stepped up and confidently sent the Church Warsop keeper the wrong way. On the hour mark and Church Warsop were back in front when their number 11 beautifully flicked the ball over the keeper with the outside of his boot. This proved to be the winner but both sides (especially Church Warsop) had chances to increase to number of goals and in the end the home side deservedly took all three points.

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: 21 (head count)

Match rating: 2 out of 5 (1 for the first half and 3 for the second)

There are now just two games left for Church Warsop, both of which are at home:

Monday 2nd May v Pinxton (1pm ko)

Saturday 7th May v Kirkby Town (3pm ko)

A slideshow of photos taken can be viewed below:

Louth Town

LOUTH TOWN 3-1 CALVERTON MINERS WELFARE

Saturday 26th September 2009

Central Midlands League Supreme Division

Park Avenue

Louth (population 14,200) is a market town situated on the River Ludd in the East Lindsey District and lies on the eastern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. The town centre is a maze of narrow streets which is of mainly Georgian and early Victorian architecture. The Church of St James’ (built 1515) dominates the surrounding landscape with its 295ft spire – the largest church spire in England. The town is also noted for the Greenwich Meridian crosses the town on Eastgate, near to the junction with Northgate.

Websites / sources:

http://www.louth.org/
www.louthuk.com

The town has two football clubs that have Louth in their name, one of which though plays is the nearby village of Saltfleetby. Louth Town currently use the Park Avenue ground on the eastern edge of the town which was home to Louth United for many years. Town were formed in the summer of 2007, and they secured a short term lease on the Park Avenue ground after United were served notice by the developer who owns the land to leave, and moved out to the afore mentioned village of Saltfleetby and as such left the Central Midlands League and re-joined the Lincolnshire League. ‘Town took United’s place in the Central Midlands League and finished a creditable 10th place in a twenty team Premier Division in their debut season. Last season Louth won the division winning twenty five of their twenty eight league games and with it secured promotion to the Supreme Division. This season they have continued where they have left off and at the start of play find themselves in second place behind Newark Town, unbeaten in seven games securing six wins. They are also through to the 1st Round of the FA Vase having seen off East Midlands Counties League side Blackwell Miners Welfare with an emphatic 6-2 away win. Their reward is a home tie to United Counties League side Sleaford Town. Opponents today are Nottinghamshire side Calverton Miners Welfare are in their fourth season in the league having previously been members of the Notts Alliance and Notts Senior League. They secured promotion to the Supreme Division in their second season when they finished runners-up behind winners Ollerton Town. Last season they finished in 3rd place in the Supreme Division but have found the going tough so far this season, currently lying in 14th place after nine matches played.

The journey up to Louth took around two hours going via Newark and Lincoln and I managed to park in the town centre, conveniently right outside a chip shop – exactly what I was looking for. After a brief pit stop I arrived at the ground with around 40 minutes to kick-off. I was charged £3 for the admission, £1 for a programme and a further £3 for pin badge. The club could not have been more welcoming and hospitable having found that I had travelled from Leicester and I was even offered a tour behind the scenes and given a copy of the team line-ups. The clubhouse is above the stand, from which allows unrestricted access to the playing area, ideal if the weather is of an inclement nature, but on a day like today being outside is the only option. Credit must also be given to the groundsman for the excellent playing surface.

Louth started the game without six first team regulars and at times during the first half it showed, the first twenty minutes being a scrappy affair with neither side being able to take control of the game. It was not until around the 25th minute that the home side started to get their passing game together and created a couple of good chances. They deservedly took the lead on 35 minutes when right-back Jason Callaby put in an excellent cross, which was headed back across the goal for Jamie Rowbotham to tap the ball home from a couple of yards out. The half ended with no further scoring. Calverton shocked the home side with the best goal of the game when on 51 minutes Callum Kitchen volleyed home spectacularly from the edge of the area after the Louth defence could not clear the ball. It took just two minutes for Louth to restore their lead when Mark Wood crossed the ball for Danny Kilmore to score with a powerful header. A further three minutes passed and it was 3-1 when substitute Callum Hyland’s shot from the edge of the area crept over the line by a yard or so after Michael Randell could not gather it cleanly. That was the last of the scoring but home sub Mark Fairburn had two chances towards the end to put the icing on the cake, only for the first to be well saved by Randell and the second was put wide with only Randell to beat.

Overall a comfortable win for the home side despite the afore mentioned absence of the six players. It does make you wonder what the scoreline might have been if Louth had a full squad to choose from. Having seen Sleaford themselves play as well this season the Vase tie should be a cracker and I would not be surprised if Louth took something from the game.

http://www.louthtown.co.uk/

Easter Monday Part 2 (Game 533)

Kiveton Park 2-1 Calverton Miners Welfare

Monday 24th March 2008

Central Midlands League Premier Division

Hard Lane

The second part of a Central Midlands League double bill saw me head south towards home and stop off at Kiveton Park for a 3pm kick-off. Due to having time to kill I stopped off at Woodhall services on the M1 and then made the further 15 minute journey to Kiveton Park. The football ground on Hard Lane is on the edge of the village and has off road parking for a handful of cars. Admission was £2 with a further £1 for a programme and this was payable in the catering hut.

There are three pitches on the Hard Lane complex with the main one with stand being the middle of the three. It does, unfortunately have an air of despair around the place through the efforts of the local chavs. In the programme the club stated that they would like to enclose the ground properly to keep out the afore mentioned locals, then build new dressing rooms and install floodlights. The club also do not have a clubhouse on site so no alcohol is available.



Going into the game saw Kiveton occupy 4th place and Calverton heading the division with Ollerton and Kinsley sitting between them. I did not have to wait long for the opening goal with Rob Jones with the home side the lead after 6 minutes from an overhead kick following a corner. Both sides tried to play football and keep the ball down on an excellent pitch. The game started off in bright sunshine but after 10 minutes or so we were joined by the snow which laster for he remainder of the half. Calverton nearly equalised on 20 minutes when their no. 10 saw his shot roll past the wrong side of the post. The visitors did though equalise on 28 minutes when Craig Boulton scored with a header following a cross from the right hand side. This was just two minutes after they should have been awarded a penatly - why they weren't was a mystery to all in the ground and even the home keeper who had commited the offence! Further chances occured for both teams but the half ended 1-1.



The second half carried on as the first ended with both teams not wanting to settle for a point and went for the win. Chances were created by both teams and it was looking likely that a draw would be the end result. Alas this theory proved to be incorrect as the home snatched the winner five minutes from time through Chris Nelson, who scrambled the ball home following a goalmouth scramble.


Final score: 2-1 (attendance: 45 - head count)


Seventy Five minutes after the final whistle I was back home in Leicester after the drive down the M1 to Leicester. I was thinking of watching Loughborough University in an evening kick-off but would have had too much time to kill, anyway they can wait till the end of this season or next season. I like to do a few local clubs each season so holding them back as it were will not nessesarily be a bad thing.