East Gwent League

Harry Fishwick Cup Final

Saturday 5th April 2025

Kick Off 17.00 Actual 16.56!

Tintern Abbey 0 Severn Tunnel Non Political Club 1, attendance 220

90’ 0-1

@ Sudbrook Cricket Club F.C.

Mill Lane

Caldicot

NP26 5DD

£3 Admission, including 4 page Programme (with wrong spelling on cover!)

The journey back east from Croesyceilliog to Caldicot took twenty seven minutes, arriving in plenty of time for kick off, despite the game starting four minutes earlier than scheduled. There’s plenty of parking and admission was taken at the entrance to the cricket ground, with the pitch away to the left, running widthways and railed on three and a bit sides, with the area overlapping the cricket outfield being roped, whilst there’s a pair of dugouts on the far side. The clubhouse was open and doing a good trade both before and during the game.

The Harry Fishwick Cup is played for by teams in Division 2 of the league, which is the lowest level. Tintern Abbey are fourth in the league table, whilst Severn Tunnel are top, thirteen points clear of second placed Rockfield Rovers, having only lost one league game so far, so came into this as favourites. It wasn’t a great game and produced very little in the way of goal scoring opportunities. Severn Tunnel did have an early goal disallowed for offside and had a second half effort hit the crossbar. They did look the more likely to grab a winner and it came in the final minute, breaking clear from the halfway line before finishing into the bottom corner.

At least the early finish for an evening kick off meant the journey home was completed before the inevitable road work closures kicked in.

Newport & District League

Premier Division X

Saturday 5th April 2025

Kick Off 14.30 Actual 14.31

Croesyceilliog Athletic 1 Risca Town 6, attendance 30

1’ 0-1

7’ 0-2

8’ 1-2

40’ 1-3

59’ 1-4

65’ 1-5

77’ 1-6

@ The Dyke

Raglan Court

off Cardigan Crescent

Croesyceilliog

NP44 2QR

No Admission or Programme.

With the intention to do a second game at 5 o’clock, this game fitted the bill perfectly. It looked to be a good game too, with second in the league table hosting third. They were both on 44 points coming into this, trailing league leaders Pill Reserves by two points. In fact, Croesyceilliog had been top themselves until losing 0-2 at home to Pill in their last home game.

I’d never done a game in this league before, so wasn’t sure what to expect in either standard of football, or ground, but was pleasantly surprised by how good both were. Google maps just showed an open pitch, but it is fully railed off and has a couple of dugouts too, which although have a roof, are still lacking in any back or sides to them. The only thing that may hinder them in progressing up the pyramid is how narrow the pitch is, being no more than 5 yards from the edge of the 18 yard box to the touchline.

Risca got off to a great start, scoring in the opening ten seconds, following it up with a second goal after seven minutes, heading in at the near post from a corner on the right. A minute later Croesyceilliog pulled it back to 1-2, heading in from a cross that the ‘keeper should really have got to first and they thought they’d levelled the scores five minutes later, but the goal was ruled out for offside. A corner, that was only half cleared, was volleyed into the top corner to see Risca restore their two goal lead five minutes before halftime and by the time they made it 1-4 just before the hour mark, the points were safe. The goal of the game, a curler into the far corner from the angle of the 18 yard box saw them make it 1-5 with twenty minutes left. Shortly afterwards, Croesyceilliog lost their ‘keeper to injury, being replaced by an outfield player and five minutes later he was beaten by a shot on the turn, following a knock down from a long throw in, to round off a resounding 1-6 win for Risca, who now move up to second in the table.

Neath & District League

Premier Division

Thursday 3rd April 2025

Kick Off 18.00 Actual 18.05

Resolven A.F.C. 2 Glynneath Town 4, attendance 120

43’ 0-1

45’ 0-2

45’ + 1, 1-2

55’ 1-3

71’ 2-3

84’ 2-4

@ Resolven Park

Vaughan Avenue

Resolven

SA11 4HW

No Admission or Programme.

With very slim pickings tonight, I opted for this game in the top division of the Neath & District League, between two teams separated by five miles along the A465. Resolven came into this bottom of the league table, having won just one of their seventeen games so far, but only trail next to bottom Cilfrew Rovers by a single point and third bottom Ynysmeudwy by another four, so still in with a chance of climbing a couple of places. Glynneath are third, which is the best they can really hope to finish, as they trail second placed Llandarcy by 13 points and leaders Brynoch by another two.

The match was far closer than I’d been expecting and on this showing, it is hard to believe that Resolven have only managed to win one game so far this season. It was a game that was in the balance throughout and an excellent advert for the league. There were few goal scoring opportunities until the dying minutes of the first half, when the game burst into life. Glynneath broke the deadlock a couple of minutes before the break, when a corner from the right was volleyed in at the near post. They doubled their lead two minutes later, when a long throw in was headed in at the far post, with Resolven hooking one in from close range, a minute into stoppage time, to pull it back to 1-2.

Ten minutes into the second half Glynneath restored their two goal lead, when what looked more like an attempted cross, rather than shot, beat the ‘keeper at his near post. Resolven hit back again, with another close range finish to make it 2-3, but the visitors made the game safe when they added a fourth goal with six minutes left, dispossessing the ‘keeper in the six yard box before forcing the ball in from a tight angle.

Resolven Park is very basic. It’s just an open pitch, with the changing rooms hidden out of site at the back of the bowls club. Good to see a three figure crowd here, despite light rain falling for the majority of the match and even better to have had a trouble free journey each way, apart from a closure of the M4 at J11 on the return.

Southampton League

Junior Division 3

Wednesday 2nd April 2025

Kick Off 18.00 Actual 18.02

CDC 4 Shield 1, attendance 26

27’ 0-1

31’ 1-1

38’ 2-1

50’ 3-1

83’ 4-1

@ Hunts Farm Sports Ground, Pitch 1

Stockbridge Road (A3057)

Timsbury

SO51 0ND

No Admission or Programme.

It was very slim pickings tonight, so I did only my second ever game in the Southampton League, for a match in Junior Division 3, the lowest of the four divisions that make up the league. It was played at Hunts Farm Sports Ground in Timsbury, which as the name suggests, is set up on former farm land. There’s a very smart changing room building and plenty of parking. It’s a huge field with six football pitches, four which were full sized and also hosts cricket. At least this was played on Pitch 1 (not that there’s anything to distinguish it from the others), in the near right hand corner from the car park, the pitch running lengthways away from here, to the right of the first cricket square.

The match was 5th versus 7th (out of 11), with CDC still having a chance of grabbing the second promotion place behind the unbeaten leaders Sarisbury Sparks, who are two points clear at the top and second placed Clarendon, who are two points adrift, but have played three games more. CDC trailed Sarisbury by eight points coming into this, with this being the first of their five games in hand, so they’re very much in with a chance of going up.

Shield started the better of the two, hitting the crossbar with a header early on, before taking the lead after twenty seven minutes with a 30 yard free kick that was spilled by the ‘keeper and bounced across the line. CDC levelled with a free kick of their own just four minutes later, when a 25 yarder found the bottom corner. They went in front seven minutes before halftime, when a corner from the right went straight in at the near post, with Shield having an effort hit the post just before the break. Five minutes into the second half CDC went 3-1 up, when a shot from the edge of the box went in off the post and they rounded off the scoring with seven minutes left, when a long ball over the top saw the ball taken round the ‘keeper and put in from a tight angle.

It was a glorious sunny evening, but did go rather cool as the sun dropped. We’d got underway just a couple of minutes late and with halftime taken out on the pitch, were finished for 19.46, so no problems with the light.

Perry Street & District League

Division 1

Tuesday 1st April 2025

Kick Off 18.15 Actual 18.17

Crewkerne Rangers 0 West & Middle Chinnock 2, attendance 38

52’ 0-1

54’ 0-2

@ Henhayes Recreation Ground

Bryants Row/Henhayes Lane

Crewkerne

TA18 8ER

No Admission or Programme.

Tonight was the start of ‘silly season’, where clubs without floodlights are able to play midweek matches in order to catch up on their fixtures backlogs. There were a number of reasons behind this match being my choice. Firstly, it was the nearest ground I hadn’t yet visited,who were hosting a game on grass tonight. Secondly, it was a venue that has staged Somerset Senior/Somerset County League matches in the past (1999-2007), in the days before ground grading was far more relaxed and thirdly, it looked like it would be a decent game, as 4th were hosting 1st in the league table. Even better, a win for the visitors would see them clinch the title, with four games to spare.

It was very even early on, but W&MC gradually got on top. They did everything bar score in the first half, hitting the crossbar three times in a seven minute spell midway through the half. Firstly, with a miss hit cross, then with a header and finally a cracking 25 yarder. It only took them seven minutes of the second half to finally make the breakthrough, when a long ball was flicked on and finished with a first time shot that went in off the post. Two minutes later they doubled their lead, when a free kick from inside their own half was met with a glancing header from 10 yards that found the bottom corner of the net. They had another goal ruled out for offside and hit the post late on as well, comfortably picking up the three points they needed to finish top of the table and maintained their unbeaten record too, having now won 16 and drawn 2 of their eighteen played.

The ground is shared with rugby and cricket. It’s just a pitch, with quite a side to side slope, but has an enclosed feel, bar the side that runs alongside the cricket square. It was nice and sunny at the start of the game, but did drop a fair few degrees as the sun went down behind the buildings behind the goal. Although we kicked off a couple of minutes late, a short halftime, where both teams stayed out on the pitch, meant we were done and dusted by 19.52 and no problem whatsoever as far as the light went. Trouble free journey in both directions too!