‘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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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!
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The impressive old style floodlight pylons at The Waterworks Field
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Desborough Town Programme – priced at £1.00
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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!
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picture courtesy of the Arundel CC Twitter page
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picture courtesy of the Arundel CC Twitter page
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picture courtesy of the Arundel CC Twitter page
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The score box, where a lot of recording of the day’s events took place
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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
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.
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