Perry Street & District League
Bill Bailey Cup Final
Friday 18th April 2025
Kick Off 11.00 Actual 10.56!
Merriott Moretti 3 Charmouth United 2, attendance 135
5’ 1-0
9’ 1-1
12’ 1-2
21’ 2-2
52’ 3-2
@ Beaminster Memorial Playing Field
Hogshill Street
Beaminster
DT8 3AA
£2 Admission
No Programme.
After an overnight stop in Weymouth, it was an easy 40 minute drive north west to Beaminster, for today’s Perry Street & District League Bill Bailey Cup Final, which is for teams in Division 2 of the league, between champions Merriott Moretti and fifth in the table Charmouth United and played at the ground of Dorset League club Beaminster. It’s a ground shared with cricket and has a covered area on the front of the clubhouse/changing room building. The pitch, which was in excellent condition, was roped along the clubhouse side of the pitch and round as far as the goal at the entrance end, with car parking around the edge of the cricket pitch and hot food and drinks available throughout the game.
Merriott had won the two league meetings between them by 5-0 at home and 7-1 away, so came into this as firm favourites. It all looked to be going to form when they went in front after just five minutes, cutting in from the right, before finishing left footed low into the near corner. Four minutes later Charmouth were level, touching in a corner from the right at the near post and three minutes later they went ahead, powering in a header, from another corner on the right. We’d only had twenty one minutes when Merriott made it 2-2, when a corner eluded the ‘keeper’s attempt to punch clear and was headed in at the far post.
A minute into the second half Charmouth hit the crossbar, but that was the last time they looked like adding to the two goals they’d scored already and Merriott soon went 3-2 in front, when a cross from the right was met with a header that the ‘keeper saved, but was followed in from close range. They also hit the post late on, but that was it as far as the scoring went. It was an excellent game, played in horrible weather, with rain that started early in the game and gradually got worse. No problems with the pitch though, as it was in superb condition.
I had planned to do a second game today and was heading for an afternoon cup match at Uplowman United in the Devon & Exeter League, but it was postponed whilst en route.
