Mid Sussex League

Somerville Cup Quarter Final

Saturday 3rd February 2024

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.04

Ashurst Wood 0 Welcroft Park Rangers 3, attendance 18

21’ 0-1

58’ 0-2

89’ 0-3

@ Ashurst Wood Recreation Ground

Hammerwood Road

Ashurst Wood

RH19 3TG

No Admission or Programme.

When I saw Ashurst Wood play at home previously, back in 2011, they were using the 3G pitch at East Grinstead Sports Club in Saint Hill, but they are now playing back on the recreation ground in their own village. In front of the changing rooms there are a couple of kids pitches, with the main pitch beyond, running widthways and having a fair slope from right to left, as well as undulating in numerous directions. There are various entrances, via alleyways from the surrounding roads, with the changing room building on the side nearest to Hammerwood Road, which was where the majority of the players were parked, as there is no car park here.

The match was 8th in Division 2 North versus 2nd in Division 2 South. It was a decent contest from start to finish. Welcroft Park Rangers led 0-1 at halftime, having opened the scoring when a corner from the right was headed back across the six yard box and poked in from close range. Just before the hour mark Ashurst Wood almost levelled the scores, hitting the crossbar with a free kick from 25 yards, but within a minute it was 0-2, as Welcroft Park worked the ball across from the left and finished with a shot from the right smashed high into the net. Goal number three arrived a minute from the end, when a ball over the top saw the striker just beat the ‘keeper in a race to the ball, nicking it past him, before rolling it into an empty net.