Paintwork

Trips to Hazlerigg Victory 6 Newcastle Independent 0 and Gosforth Bohemian Reserves 6 Ellington 1...

With Percy Main having all these spare Saturdays in April because of how the fixtures have fallen, I realised I needed to find something else to provide my Saturday entertainment. I had hoped it would be hiding at square leg for Tynemouth 3s in Division 6 South of the Northumberland and Tyneside Cricket League, but I made a huge error on Saturday 18^th April, making myself unavailable so I could enjoy a corporate freebie in The Magpie Suite at SJP for the Bournemouth game. We all know how that turned out, though I must say the smoked salmon was divine. Meanwhile, Tynemouth 3s battered Kirkley 2s by 9 wickets in my absence and so I realised there was little prospect of being needed for the visit of Benwell and Walbottle 2s on Saturday 25^th April. As TCC won by 120 runs, I’m away in Ireland for the May Day weekend (look out for next week’s blog about the Leeside Derby between Cork City and Cobh Ramblers, as well as a trip to Limerick for Treaty United versus Wexford Youths) and Tynemouth 3s are inactive on Saturday 9^th May, my cricket experiences may be limited to say the least this season, which I’m deeply sad about.

Therefore, my attention returned to the fond task of recompleting my Northern Alliance grounds set; an activity I’d long compared to painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Having recently visited Wrekenton Blue Star, I was left requiring only one new team, Gateshead Borough who play at King George’s Playing Fields by the Tyne Tunnel, which is of course in South Tyneside and not Gateshead. Unfortunately, they had run out of fixtures, so that was off the agenda. I did need to do some revisits; Bedlington United at Gallagher Park, Hazlerigg Victory at Hezzy Welfare and Gosforth Bohemian Reserves at Kenton School. I’d seen all 3 of these clubs before (Bohs at Benson Park and Bullocksteads 4G, Hezzy at Great Park and Dinnington Welfare and Bedlington at Blyth Academy), but time was running out to get them in before the end of the season and maintaining my Percy Main commitments.

Normally on a Monday night, I play 6-a-side up the West Road, having done so for over 20 years, but a window of opportunity presented itself when our game was called off on Monday 20^th April on account of a few drop outs. A quick scan of the Alliance fixture list showed me that Hezzy were at home to Newcastle Independent that evening with a 6.30 kick off. I didn’t need to think twice, and, on a sunny evening, I headed off on the bus to town, catching the 44 from Haymarket to Hazlerigg. Unfortunately, I was so engrossed reading the incredible Boyhood by David Keenan (review coming in my next cultural blog), that I missed my stop and had to walk back for about 10 minutes. As you know, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have a slight mishap with my travel itinerary when out exploring, but I found the ground with relative ease and even had time for a quick catch up with Hazlerigg paterfamilias Mark Bullock before kick-off.

Bully is one of the most committed and hardest working figures in the grassroots game in our area. He singlehandedly runs Hezzy’s Saturday and Sunday teams, as well as overseeing the development of the club to include an Over 35s team, which I believe he sometimes turn outs for, as well as an Over 50s Walking Football team that I almost ended up playing for, but that’s another story for another time. I’ve watched Hezzy develop twice from the bottom division of the Tyneside Amateur League when I was chair, to the top flight of the Alliance, where they are currently holding their own in mid table. After a seemingly endless set of problems regarding the improvements at their home, with a new set of changers courtesy of the developers who built the swanky new homes that fringe two sides of the pitch, which has also been re-laid with added drainage, Hezzy are finally back home.

Their opponents this evening were Newcastle Independent, who also began life in the Tyneside Amateur League and have progressed to the Alliance Premier. About a year ago, it seemed if they had grand plans. Having used the 4G at Coach Lane as their home base for several seasons, they came up with the idea of moving to Kingston Park to move up to the next level. That venue doesn’t have a great track record for football teams, witness the demise of the original Blue Star who went out of existence after moving there. Presumably, the new Red Bull ownership of Newcastle Falcons union and league teams put a block on this ambitious plan and for most of this season, Newcastle Independent seem to have been itinerant lodgers at a vast array of pitches. This seems to have clearly affected their fortunes on the pitch, as they were truly awful on this occasion, despite the repeated imprecations of their tetchy, voluble keeper, whose oath-edged invective towards his team mates had a visibly deleterious effect on their self confidence and esprit de corps. Perhaps he ought to have concentrated more on his own performance, as I made him responsible for at least a couple of the numerous goals he conceded.

Hazlerigg Victory 6 Newcastle Independent 0. Make no mistake, this was an absolute hammering and a joy to see, rewarding as it did all the hard work and thousands of hours of devoted service put in by Bully. Having been seduced by the sunny afternoon, I attended in shorts and started to feel decidedly cold in the second half when the sun slipped behind the far houses. Thus I was able to leave for the bus about 5 minutes early with a clear conscience, as I didn’t want another half hour of shivering on the street waiting for the next one. The 44 took me to Haymarket and another bus took me home, with a feeling of pleasure and contentment from an evening well spent.

I mentioned Walking Football just before and I’m delighted to say I’ve got myself a team (Lemington) to play for in the Newcastle United Foundation league at Blakelaw Sports Hub on a Thursday afternoon. I must say I’m enjoying it tremendously and will blog about it when the season ends in June. Getting there by public transport involves the infrequent and unreliable 6 or 7 from the Freeman Hospital, which heads towards the Metro Centre after doing a detailed loop of the north and west of Newcastle. On one of my trips, I noticed the bus passes Kenton School, where Gosforth Bohemian Reserves have decamped, to reduce the pressure on the Benson Park pitch that remains the preserve of their first team. They are another side who were in the Tyneside Amateur League and so when I saw they were at home to Ellington on Saturday 25^th April, that was my intended destination. Another warm day and another game attended in shorts, I got the bus after cycling up to the Freeman just after 1pm, arriving half an hour later. A brief walk along Kenton Road took me to the school entrance, but the pitch is actually outside the school grounds, accessed behind a row of houses.

Having recently seen Bohs on the receiving end of an 8-0 thumping at Wrekenton Blue Star, I wasn’t holding out much hope for the quality of this game, as Ellington were below them in the table (11 v 13), but I was to be pleasantly surprised by how well Bohs played. The facilities were nothing to write home about. No refreshments, no hard standing and no toilets for the approximate attendance of 25 or so, but what do you expect from a railed school pitch I suppose. At least there were a few goals to keep me entertained.

My friend Peter Holland, experienced keeper and tremendous company, was injured in this game last year. He ruptured his Achilles and has had to retire, though he did play one game last month to ensure he appeared in 24 consecutive Alliance seasons. Well done to him. I noticed that Bohs had several other grey bearded, experienced Irish players in their ranks. Lads who know how to play the game for certain and they were the difference in this one. After a fairly frenetic opening, the game settled down when Bohs opened up a rapid 3-0 lead. A couple of tap-ins sandwiched a lovely curling finish into the bottom corner.

Ellington were not happy at the break and tried to turn things around. Despite an improved second half, it ended up 6-1 to Bohs, with fourth goal the pick of the bunch; a sublime acrobatic volley that flashed into the top corner. A solid, emphatic win and another ground ticked off. Let’s see if I can get to Bedlington United, Gateshead Borough and any new sides coming into the Alliance next year.