I’ve
had quite a lot of time on my hands this summer so, as well as the frequent
trips to Scotland, I’ve also been tootling around the (reasonably) local area,
using my Over 60s Railcard, enjoying grounds I’d not had the pleasure of
visiting before. I like to have a full set of NEPL, Northern League and
Northern Alliance venues ticked off, though the Alliance is proving problematic
at the minute. This is on account of me being committed to still turning out
for Tynemouth 3s on a Saturday and watching Percy Main midweek. With 6 grounds
still to do (revisits to Hazlerigg, Gosforth Bohemians and Bedlington United,
all of whom have changed home locations and new places Wrekenton Blue Star,
Gateshead Borough and Lynemouth), this may be a difficult ask, especially as
midweek games end on Wednesday 27th August. Thankfully I’ve now
recompleted the NEPL and have made a good dent in the Northern League
new(ish)comers, leaving only Kendal Town to do. Again, that may be one I am
forced to leave on account of distance and timing. Anyway, here’s the story of what
I’ve done so far. Cricket first.
As the NEPL requires clubs to field a Sunday Academy team, this has made it possible to sort out the two remaining outliers on my list and have a couple of very agreeable Sunday sessions with pals at the same time. On Sunday 22nd June, I made the trip out to Hexham to meet up with Harry Pearson and take in Tynedale at home to Felling. A brisk walk up from the station amid some unpromising drizzle made the start seem destined for a delay. Thankfully not though, as the rain abated and Felling went into bat first. Tynedale’s ground is called Priors Flatt and is at the bottom of the hill Harry dragged me up to watch Hexham against Gosforth Bohemians at QEHS in December 2022. This was a much gentler stroll up a relatively tiny incline to a small but very well looked after ground, surrounded by houses on one side, the road on another, clubhouse on the third and a selection of tennis and padel courts on the other. Felling set about the home attack with gusto, posting 220 from their 35 overs. As if often the case in Harry’s company, conversation overtakes the sport we’re watching and so, with the tea interval being accompanied by further spots of rain, we look off in search of liquid refreshment. While the company was engaging as ever and the pubs welcoming (if excessively child friendly and overly tolerant of youthful exuberance), the beer in each was middling at best. However, it did its job, and I merrily took the train home, aware of the fact Felling had prevailed by 50 runs.
Harry, as you’ll be aware, is a true connoisseur of the most beautiful game, but the same cannot be said of Marc Beattie, a chap whose acquaintance I made through a shared appreciation of Industrial music and power electrics. Thus, meeting at Seaham Park CC for the home game with Willington seemed a strange choice, but geography and time made it the ideal location for several pints of Guinness on Sunday 27th July. I’d been to Seaham Harbour before, watching Tynemouth and to Seaham Red Star dozens of times, where once I saw Phil Mustard attempt to keep goal for the home side. Ashington won 6-0, showing how successful he was. Indeed, after letting the first one in through his legs, he turned to me as I was walking past behind the goal and laughingly said “mind, that was shit!” I couldn’t disagree and when I reminded him of it when he was at Tynemouth umpiring once, he bellowed raucously and retold the tale with embroidered vigour to the whole company. Nice bloke.
Anyway,
Seaham Park, which is also home to the rugby team, adjoins Red Star. Like so
many of these former pit villages, despite the supposed gentrification (craft
ales, barista coffee and gelateria) around the actual Seaham harbour area that
I’ve not seen for myself, the cricket club provides a social hub for the
community. After a solemn walk up deserted streets denuded of all businesses
bar Vape emporia and tanning studios, I found the club to be absolutely
heaving. It wasn’t just the Women’s European Championships final that brought
the crowds out early, this seemed to be regular Sunday leisure pursuit of
choice in those parts, but it was great to see so many bairns in Lionesses
shirts. I follow Ireland as my international team, as has been well documented,
but I do like what England’s Women represent. Tolerance. Inclusivity. An utter
lack of ego.
I watched top of the table Seaham begin the process of relentlessly crushing bottom placed Willington underfoot, when Mark called from the bar. We met, got more pints and sat outside, plagued by wasps all afternoon, steadily sinking the black stuff and seeing Seaham race to an 8-wicket win, or at least I did. Well-served, Marc’s wife came to collect him and dropped me off at the station for the 6.20 train. I waved them off, then found out it had been cancelled. Another Delay Repay claim and another Guinness in the nearby Island social club. I thought about staying to watch the end of the game, but by now I was falling asleep / off my chair, so kept myself informed on the train. The winning penalty went in as we were passing Gateshead Stadium. I cheered, caught the bus home and was asleep ten minutes later. Seaham seemed a nice ground and a great, welcoming club, but I had other things on my mind than cricket that afternoon. Experimental music and ultra-left-wing politics mainly. For a change. I look forward to meeting Marc again
And
now to football… After the compositions of the various leagues were confirmed
by the FA in June, I was appalled to discover I hadn’t been to 20% of Northern
League Division 2. This is partly down to the effects of compulsory promotion
that has seen a dozen clubs make the move upwards over the past few years
(including the returning North Shields and Shildon) and an influx of new teams
at the bottom level. What with the inclusion of the North Riding League as a
feeder, things could have been worse for my groundhopping duties if Yarm &
Eaglescliffe had their own ground. They don’t. They share Billingham Town’s
Beford Terrace and I’m in no hurry to go back there. Hence, I needed to visit:
Darlington Town, Durham United, FC Hartlepool and Grangetown Boys Club, which
I’m glad to say I now have.
I did all of these grounds alone and sober. In the first three instances, I took the train and walked a considerable distance to and from the station on each occasion, while the last one saw me take 6 different buses, arriving home just after midnight. Darlington Town are in their third season in the Northern League and kicked this campaign off on Friday 25th July by hosting Billingham Synthonia. Like anywhere new, it’s easy to find if you know where you’re going and I sort of did, but the fine detail of discovering how to get into the ground, tucked away among dozens of other sports pitches, was a hard nut to crack. However, I managed it and took my place in one of the two stands on either side of the 4G pitch. Synners were absolutely terrible. It doesn’t surprise me that they’re bottom of the table having lost all but one of their games so far, but Darlington Town were impressive. They passed and moved, kept it on the deck and enjoyed a stranglehold on the game all evening. How it was only 2-0 at full time I’ll never know. I made it back to the station quicker than I got there, fruitlessly as Delay Repay came back into the equation as Cross Country arsed things up again. I got home just before the witching hour on the last 38 to Four Lane Ends.
The first Saturday in August saw TCC 3s without a game and Percy Main away up to Rothbury. A mate’s band were supposed to be gigging in Stockton that night, but the event was pulled a couple of days before. I’d already decided on a trip to FC Hartlepool versus Esh Winning, having booked a cheap ticket, so I took the train and had a good wander up to the Grayfields Enclosure, which backs onto the playing fields where I had numerous games during my time with Over 40s. Promoted from the Wearside League at the same time as Darlington Town, FC Hartlepool is a proper club, with a proper ground and a proper grass pitch. Certainly my favourite of the 4 new ticks in NL D2. A decent crowd was about, despite Hartlepool United also being at home to South Shields in a friendly. There was some absolute appalling language all game from a couple of blokes near me, the kind who split up words to add an extra obscene syllable and FC Hartlepool absolute tore Esh Winning to shreds. It ended up 4-0, with a saved penalty and could have been double that on a lovely, sunny afternoon. Sonic Youth fans may be interested to know there is a Murray Street on the way from ground to station. I’m not sure if it named in Honour (see what I did there?) of former Pools manager Alan or is a nod to NYC’s greatest noise band. Kill Yr Monkeys, indeed.
The
following Thursday, I took a trip to Durham United, who play at the
University’s Maiden Castle sports facility. Durham is an interesting place.
It’s got almost everything: a Cathedral, a Castle, a University and maximum
security prison that holds some of the most heinous murderers this country has
ever produced. What it doesn’t have, following the Olivier Bernard-sponsored
debacle that was the demise of Durham City, is a decent football team. New
Ferens Park was a real state of the art facility when it opened, but it went to
rack and ruin, after wranglings with landlord Richard Ord and the Northern
Premier League. Groundshares with Consett and Willington were only a prelude to
oblivion. They may still be alive in the lower reaches of the Wearside, but any
return to a decent level looks way beyond them. This Durham club have the
University to thank for sponsorship, and it is an impressive facility. Where
else in the Northern League could you get a Caffe Nero oat latte?
That said, the seats were some of the most uncomfortable I’ve ever sat on. The front rows too high off the ground, leaving you feet dangling in mid-air, and the back ones too close together, so your knees dug into hard, unyielding plastic of the row in front. Despite winning the Wearside League at a canter last season, Durham looked ill-prepared for this level of football and Yarm & Eaglescliffe strolled to a 4-0 victory without breaking sweat, with a brace of braces around the 40th and 80th minutes. I wonder if this will be Durham’s only season at this level.
Last year should have been Grangetown Boys Club’s sole Northern League campaign, as they finished second bottom of D2. However, Bedlington Terriers (have you seen their record in the Alliance so far???) failed ground grading, as they’re now on a public park at Hirst Welfare in Ashington with Doctor Pit Welfare locked and barred to them, and went down instead. Consequently, I left home at half 3, got back just after midnight and took 6 different buses to visit the Boysie for their home game with Billingham Town. GBC is in a rough part of Middlesbrough. Mind, are there any other sorts? It makes Blyth look like Esher. I didn’t see Dormanstown but I did see North Ormsby, South Bank, Eston and Grangetown. Thankfully though the bus window on a miserable, wet and windy August evening that seemed like a rehearsal for autumn. That said, it’s a great, proud community club. The ground is homely and welcoming, The programme is a proper effort, and the chip butty was a reward for braving the elements. They drew 2-2 with Billingham Town but really should have lost. Both goals were gifts; a bad back pass and a soft penalty, bookending a pair by Billingham’s striker, the second a lovely header. I’m glad I went, mainly because of the sociological fun to be had on the 64B Middlesbrough to Grangetown circular.
So, let’s see what September has to offer, once the cricket finishes on September 13th.
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