Peterborough & District League

Premier Division

Saturday 28th March 2026

Kick Off 14.00 On Time!

Stamford Belvedere 3 Sawtry 4, attendance 13

8’ 1-0

36’ 2-0

47’ 2-1

49’ 2-2

66’ 3-2

67’ 3-3

77’ 3-4

@ Stamford Welland Academy

Green Lane

Stamford

PE9 1HE

No Admission or Programme.

The drive north to Lincolnshire took about an hour and forty minutes, arriving over half an hour before kick off. It was about twenty nine minutes earlier than needed, as it’s an awful venue and there can’t be too many Step 7 grounds worse than this and certainly not the best of grounds to complete the top division of this league at! It’s just a pitch in a school playing field, with a pair of wooden dugouts and roped along the side backing on to some netball courts. Thankfully, it was dry as it’s really exposed and despite being sunny, there was a really chilly wind blowing, which spoiled the game slightly, as both teams struggled to come to terms with it.

It was 14th (out of 15) versus 6th in the league table. Stamford Belvedere came into this only needing to win one of their remaining seven games to finish above second bottom Leverington Sports, who’ve already finished their fixtures, so are still in with a good chance of avoiding relegation.

Stamford had the wind at their backs first half and got off to a good start, breaking the deadlock after eight minutes, scoring with a goal on the break after defending a corner. Sawtry had the chance to level the scores ten minutes before halftime, but saw a penalty smack against the crossbar and a minute later it was 2-0, when Sawtry lost the ball trying to play out from the back and a striker nipped in between ‘keeper and defender to lob the ball in from just outside the 18 yard box.

Within four minutes of the restart, Sawtry had levelled the score at 2-2, both goals being long range wind assisted efforts and it looked like they’d go on to comfortably take the points as they were well on top. Midway through the half Stamford poked in from close range to regain the lead, but within a minute Sawtry were back on level terms, when another wind assisted shot, this time from a free kick, gave the ‘keeper no chance. The winning goal for the visitors came with thirteen minutes left, when another shot came back off the post, but was put in on the rebound. Despite having a man sin binned late on, they hung on to take all three points.

Arthurian League

Division 2

Saturday 28th March 2026

Kick Off 10.00 Actual 10.08

Old Albanians 2 Old Berkhamstedians 3, attendance 12

6’ 1-0

48’ 1-1

59’ 1-2

61’ 2-2

73’ 2-3

@ The Woollams Playing Fields (Old Albanians R.U.F.C.)

160 Harpenden Road

St. Albans

AL3 6BZ

No Admission or Programme.

When I came here for an Old Albanians game in October 2023, they used Pitch 1 on the St. Albans School section of the playing fields. Today’s game was played on a pitch which is part of the Old Albanians R.U.F.C. section of the complex, on the right hand side as you enter off Harpenden Road, the furthest of the three pitches that run parallel to each other, running lengthways away from the driveway.

The match was 7th versus 6th in the league table and was the final game of the season for Albanians. A win would guarantee them staying in this division next season, but any other result would leave them hoping Lancing Old Boys and Old Brentwoods II fail to pick up a win in their remaining games, which would see them leapfrog them and send them down with already doomed Old Cholmeleians II.

They got off to a great start, going ahead after just six minutes. They had another effort hit the crossbar and saw a shot from the edge of the box tipped around the post in the dying seconds of the half, but it remained 1-0 at the break. It only took Berkhamstedians three minutes of the second half to draw level, when a partially cleared corner was lobbed back over the ‘keeper into the far corner of the net. The visitors went ahead just before the hour mark, following in on an initial shot that came back off the crossbar, but within two minutes Albanians pulled it back to 2-2, finishing with a 20 yarder low into the bottom corner. An unmarked finish from the edge of the box, low into the far corner, saw Berkhamstedians regain the lead with seventeen minutes left and despite pushing hard for an equaliser, Albanians were unable to get back into it, with the nearest they came to drawing level being an in swinging corner that hit the crossbar.

Despite having kicked off eight minutes late, with everyone staying out on the pitch for a very short halftime interval, it was all over by 12.45, so plenty of time to head off for an afternoon match.