CRAIN HALF CENTURY CANNOT SAVE GRASSMOOR

GRASSMOOR WORKS CC 155 ALL OUT MANSFIELD CC 172 FOR 9

BASSETLAW AND DISTRICT LEAGUE 1 AT BARNES PARK

24 JUNE 2023 --- 1PM

BARNES PARK GRASSMOOR WORKS CC V MANSFIELD CC

Mansfield Cricket Club lifted themselves off the bottom of The Bassetlaw and District League One table with this 17 run victory over Grassmoor that earned them a second success of the 2023 season.  On a wicket that saw the ball not coming onto the bat it had been a struggle and how they were grateful for the match winning contribution of Jake Hyatt [49*] coming in at number 8 and somehow moving the score on with a speed his colleagues had struggled to achieve.  At the close he was just one short of a half century from 44 balls and including half a dozen 4's'

CRAIG DAWES PICTURE BEFORE IAN BRADLEY IN THIS BLOG

So for just the second match of the cricket season it was a welcome return to Grassmoor and armed with new camping chair an afternoon of frustration endured on a warm day the wicket proved difficult to score runs from with both sides struggling to get the ball of the square.  It must have been as annoying to the players and was especially true when you saw free flowing players struggling to time their shots with any confidence.  However at the end of the day this was to be ultimately a poor day for the home side as their Nottinghamshire visitors took full advantage to secure a hard won victory.

IAN BRADLEY IN FULL FLIGHT

As ever a warm welcome was offered during the afternoon from all at the club and it was good to be back watching some cricket on a sunny day.  The visitors would have arrived with hope of a second win but for Grassmoor who start their second season in league one there was a need to start to get some wins on board to move into a mid table position and this fixture would have been one of those targeted.

DAVID SPENDLOVE AND CARL BOWLING CATCH UP ON THE NEWS

Mansfield lost opener Raymel Adams [1] with the score on five and this brought the Jamie Spencer [42] to crease and a steadying took the score onto 61 before three quick wickets moved the game into the favour of Grassmoor.  The first was that of Spencer caught by Adam Bedford off Toby Burgess this was followed by a superb forward diving catch from Bruce Shiels to dismiss Yasser Shafi [1] off the bowling of David Spendlove and the third wicket in this spell was when Burgess bowled Ben Wright [12] the score had slumped to 63 for 4. 

DAVID SPENDLOVE GRASSMOOR WORKS

A steady fall of wickets saw captain Azeezuddin Shah [21] and Aaron Ferry [16], as aside to Hyatt being the only two other players in the second half of the visitors innings to reach double figures.  Twenty two runs were put on for the final wicket and the positive stroke play of Hyatt got Mansfield to a total that looked way off their attainment level earlier in the afternoon.  Grassmoor had appeared to let this one get away but you still hoped that the target of 173 was reachable.

TOBY BURGESS TAKES A BREATHER

Strangely then Burgess and Spendlove both went for five an over but had three wickets in the bag each, with Luke James showing two wickets in his eight over spell from the Birkin Lane end.  The other wicket was snapped up by Ian Bradley and Craig Dawes delivered half a dozen overs for a miserly nine runs.

TOBY BURGESS DELIVERS

The usual leg stretch out down to the country park still allowed for a comfortable pitching of 'the seat' before the Grassmoor openers took to the pitch to formulate their reply.

TOBY BURGESS GRASSMOOR WORKS

The reply started cautiously and shakily when Carl Bowling [2] was bowled by Spencer and it allowed Adam Bedford to join opener Mark Crain at the crease and anticipation was high for a speedy move of the scoreboard.  But both were struggling with the pitch and non more so when Bedford [11] was caught by Christo Cyriac off Shafi.  Luke James [2] was soon to follow him back to the pavilion but the arrival of David Spendlove [16] slowed the fall of wickets for a while, but when he went off the bowling of Mansfield top scorer Hyatt giving the second catch to Cyriac [C].  Ian Woolven [1] was bowled by Adams who was finding his danger spot on this wicket.

WATCHING THE BALL

The dropping of Crain in the 23rd over to a skier gave hope that this could be the turning point if the opener could bat through like the previous week the home side could get home.  Sadly this wasn't to be the case when he tickled on down the leg side to the keeper Aaron Ferry from the bowling of Rajesh Patel.

THE EXPERIENCED EXECUTIVE ENCLOSURE

A difficult spell now for Grassmoor with the players still there to get over the line could they reach the 173?

DAVID SPENDLOVE HITS OUT

Grassmoor keeper Dale James [32] tried to do a Hyatt and hit out to try to get the home side to the target but Adams was having non off it dismissing Dawes and Bradley bowled for ducks in consecutive balls and a tentative play and miss from Burgess saw the ball drifting just past the off stump was enough to deny the spinner a hat trick.

GRASSMOOR TOP SCORER MARK CRAIN

With Burgess [1] dismissed shortly afterwards with Adams disturbing his stumps it was left to Shiels [8*] and Adams [D] who did their best with just over four an over required they got neared until going for a second run off the third ball of over 43 and the the latter was run out after a valiant effort to secure a much needed victory.

IAN WOOLVEN STUMPS DISTURBED

A strange game to watch free flowing it was not but a hard fought for and deserved victory for Mansfield as Grassmoor came up short even after the efforts of Crain and Adams [D] in their reply.  It will now be important for the Barnes Park side to start to pick up points to keep away from those bottom positions

RAYMEL ADAMS JUST MISSING OUT ON A HAT TRICK

PILSLEY LEAPFROG DUFFIELD TO GO SECOND

PILSLEY AND CLAY CROSS 169 FOR 6 DUFFIELD 3S 168 FOR 9

DERBYSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE 6 NORTH AT RUPERT ST

17 JUNE 2023 --- 1PM

JAMES ALDIS SOLID BASE FOR PILSLEY TO SECURE A WIN

Pilsley and Clay Cross needed determination and hard work to beat Duffield in a tight encounter that saw the home side put their recent week stumble behind them as they returned to winning ways and a top two spot that had welcomed them in the opening weeks on their return to this division.

THE SCENIC ONE WITH NORTH WINGFIELD CHURCH IN VIEW RUSSELL KING ON HIS WAY TO A TOP SCORE OF 71

Firstly it was great to return to some sport after an enforced break that had seen no sport never mind pics/blog.  Today would see a return to one of the 'locals' at Pilsley and along with Grassmoor, who I hope to get to when they are next at home all things being equal.  Arrival was a similar route but this time by taxi, put it on the expenses, and just a few overs into play with new seat pitched we were ready for some summer sport.

CAPTAIN BOWERS BOWLING WITH DUFFIELD TOP SCORER RUSSELL KING AT THE NON STRIKERS END

I say summer sport but from somewhere on a bright sunny day there was for two hours a constant amount of albeit wet stuff coming out of the sky, not enough to be noticeable to most on this warm afternoon but enough for constant camera lens cleaning.  So much so that in the end I zipped up the bag regularly to then just watch the game, thankfully by the second innings the sun had come out to play but so too had my hay fever.

CHARLIE JOHNSON FROM THE PARKHOUSE END

A steady score of 168 was posted by visitors Duffield that owed so much to number three Russell King [71] with support from Harry Fearnehough [16] and Ian Bowyer [20] the former skying a short ball from Charlie Johnson which the delivery raced through to claim with Bowyer bowled by Gareth Hatton with the last ball of the 27th.  Two other players made double figures Will Clare [10] who again skied one from Hatton and was snapped up by Andrew Parker and there was a defiant flurry from Max Patterson [21*] at the end.  

GARETH HATTON AND IAN WORTHY

From a Pilsley front this was an acceptable target after a strong performance from the bowlers attached to some sharp ground fielding including a couple of super cover field stops from Pete Lacey, on the downside proceedings may have been over earlier with a a few early dropped catches that would have been stunners had they stuck.  There was a wicket apiece for openers Tristan Bowers and James Aldis along with first changes Ian Worthy and Charlie Johnson.  Pick of the bunch though was the ever effervescent Gareth Hatton who bagged four from his ten overs.

IAN WORTHY WALKS BACK TO HIS MARK

For a change the tea break was taken at the ground in the company of the now increasingly strong sun as we awaited the Pilsley reply.  Also of note this season is the live scoring of which thanks to Steven Horsley it makes the game much more interesting and adds an extra touch to the club.

GARETH HATTON OFFERS UP HIS THOUGHTS

Openers Pete Lacey and Ian Knowles came out to start the reply and the latter was in 'bazball' mode the current philosophy of the England side as they crashed 29 off the opening three overs.  Lacey [4] went with the score on 31 which brought Aldis [39] to the crease who again providied a solid base for this win but it was proving harder that may have been expected non more so with the threat of Niall Watson who was a threat through his ten overs.  Amazingly he somehow remained wicket less but conceded just 28 runs, alongside Patterson [1 for 39] they were a constant threat as they secured their line and length to add to their pace. when Aldis fell it was 110 for 3 off the last ball of the 23rd it did appear that Pilsley were on their was to the win.  But it remained a tight game scoring wise and with Parker [16] from 65 balls enforcing the argument, he had been joined by captain Bowers [30] who guided the home side nearer to the target. Parker fell with the score on 139 in over 33,.  His replacement Johnson [3] went back with 151 on the board and within four balls the captain fell to Adil Ahmed caught by Max Patterson.

Ian Worthy [4] and Shaun Fisher [12] saw it through with no more scares in over 39 to secure to 22 points.

GARETH HATTON ITS ALL ABOUT THE EXPRESSION

Nice to be back watching some of the 'beautiful game' and catch up with some of the players, hopefully summer as started roll on some dry weather.

PILSLEY OPENER IAN KNOWLES 

MARRIOTT WORLDIE AS PILSLEY STAY TOP

PILSLEY COMMUNITY 3 FURNESS VALE RES 0

HOPE VALLEY LEAGUE A DIVISION AT RUPERT ST

25 FEBRUARY 2023 --- 2PM

EDGE OF THE BOX PILSLEY CLEARANCE V FURNESS VALE

A wonderful strike just past the hour mark from Shane Marriott broke the deadlock in this tightest of games and it was only an injury time brace from Curtis Sharples that broke the determination of a Furness Vale side who were in this fixture right in the proceeding ninety minutes.

SOME EARLY MIDFIELD ACTION FEATURING RHYS WALLHEAD

The usual walk to the familiar 'ridge' would find an increasingly cold afternoon, why I should be surprised by this I know not after enough visits for football and cricket to know that it is very rarely warm up here.  Visitors Furness Vale would be a tough test after a large win the previous weekend against Hathersage and just one defeat so far this season they would be a stern challenge for the home sides title aspirations.

CAPTAIN WALLHEAD CLEARS

After a collection of weekends away from local sport it was good to be back and with a little time to pop this blog on I will keep the time weary report to a minimum from what was a wonderfully challenging encounter.

REFEREE WHITE ISSUES THE FIRST BOOKING OF THE DAY

The opening exchanges were all in the visitors favour that was until John Donaldson tried a thirty yard effort forcing the Vale keeper into an excellent save from the corner the same player got in a header that flew off target.  Furness Vale came straight back at it and Lewis Shuker fired over from a good position.  

The game was developing into a right ding dong of an affair as we went into the second half with Donaldson in the thick of it again forcing the visiting keeper into a save at the foot of his post,  Shuker was again the threat for Vale with an excellent save from the Pilsley keeper.  

WALLHEAD BRINGS THE BALL AWAY FOR PILSLEY

Home captain Rhys Wallhead forced the visiting keeper into an excellent save before it was the turn of his opposite number to deny the visitors and then on 65 minutes a moment to light up any game.

Used as a second half substitute the always influential Marriott tested his abilities after 64 minutes from forty yards out and as the ball sailed towards the visitors goal it was heading close towards the target with a little loss of altitude at the last minute it rippled into the top left hand corner of the net with unsurprisingly the Vale keeper rooted to the spot.  A goal typical of the Pilsley number fourteen but illuminating this tough game and providing the breakthrough that looked so hard to come by.

SHANE MARRIOTT GETS WIDE ACCLAIM FOR THAT GOAL

Vale redoubled their attacking efforts but Pilsley were the equal to it with a tremendous defensive display to deny the High Peak visitors.  Matt Parnham had the chance to wrap the game up but he unusually fired his point blank header over with ten minutes to go.

As the game entered injury time two late goals from fellow sub Sharples wrapped it up first Richard Marshall saw his back post header parried by the Vale keeper but he hooked the ball back towards goal from a horizontal position and Sharples fired the ball home from all of a yard out.  The pick of the two was from a superb Parnham cross field ball to Sharples who took the ball on into the visitors penalty box and he jinked past the defender to fire home to give Pilsley a comfortable goal advantage.

A comfortable score line but this was anything but and Vale would feel hard done by the final outcome in a game they gave so much to and one that definitely needed that 'worldie' to put Pilsley in the box seat.

A great advert for The Hope Valley League yet again. 

GAZ LEWIN AND REFEREE DARYLL WHITE DISCUSS A FOUL

TUPTON POWERING FORWARD

TUPTON RUFC 22 DRONFIELD 2'S 0

COUNTIES 3 MIDLANDS EAST [N] WEST AT NORTH SIDE

7 JANUARY 2023 --- 2.15PM

ITS MUDDY AND WET AS TUPTON WIN AGAIN

A resolute performance by Tupton against a determined visitors effort on a damp and muddy North Side pitch was a credit to the home side who continue their journey towards the top spots of the league table.  

PRE MATCH MINUTES SILENCE 

After some weeks of bad weather before this first sporting event of 2023 Rugby Union in the guise of Tupton would again be on the cards as the still wet pitches and bloggers timescale meant an all encouraging visit to the lads at 'The Rec'.  Apologies for the late appearance of this blog and since this blog there has been no other sport to report due to other commitments, hopefully back on the hopping again shortly.

JORDAN WHITES EARLY PENALTY GIVES TUPTON THE LEAD

Todays game saw both first and seconds along with their opponents observe a minutes silence in a typically respectful format for the sport of rugby union.  

Todays visitors Dronfield were at the wrong end of the table while Tupton were positioned in mid table with eyes on a rise up the positional ladder.  Indeed in the time since this game was seen and written up Tupton remained unbeaten over the following five games including an away win at local rivals Chesterfield Panthers, enough to take them into a very creditable second spot.

STORMING FORWARD

Tupton were ahead as early as the fourth minute when Jordan White converted a penalty awarded in front of the sticks.  The home side were 10-0 to the good by the interval following a flowing move that saw Jake Cooper go over and White convert to make the break a comfortable one.

TIME FOR A MINUTE

The second half was a war of attrition but the early action saw Tupton extend their lead when White broke through and touched down behind the posts to ease his conversion to make it 17-0 after 42 minutes.  There was in footballing terms some midfield stuff for most of the half as Dronfield battled on admirably until five minutes from the end when Cooper went over for his second try of the afternoon to give Tupton a 22-0 victory at the final whistle.

SOME CLOSE UP ACTION

As ever its not my comfort zone sport but always a pleasure to catch up with the club with thanks again to Bob Curry for his help with my 'is the fixture on' enquiries.

HANDS UP WITH WE ARE ALL TUPTON

With the light fading and a squelchy exit from pitch side it was good to start the walk back to base but also a nice afternoon out watching some sport something that had been missing for a month.

Hopefully sport continues shortly and it will also feature a bit of rugby too as well as football now the weather is improving.

READY TO OFFLOAD

With apologies for not being able to name most of the players I must up my knowledge of who is who in the side and squad at North Side.

TUPTON MAKE THE BREAK

Finally no chips from that excellent village chippy it was back to base for some oven ready ones and a relax down and I never once mentioned rugby union players favourite question 'is the bar open yet', oops.

SUN SETTING AS TUPTON GET IN A LATE LAST GASP TACKLE

CRESWELL COLLIERY FC AND ACCRINGTON STANLEY

CRESWELL COLLIERY FC GROUND AND VILLAGE

10 DECEMBER 2022 --- THE AFTERNOON OF

WELCOME TO CRESWELL HOME OF CRESWELL COLLIERY FC

On a cold day after a consistently frosty week with most non league games called off I finally roused myself to try to take in the romanticism of a former non league ground as a requirement for the football meal of a Saturday afternoon.  Although the trip to Creswell on the eastern edge of Derbyshire and a search for their former ground, The Huts, also spelt The Hutts, may not have the pull of Cathkin Park Glasgow, Partk Ave Bradford or even Peel Park Accrington [which features later] this one still adds intrigue to me.

The journey from base would start with a mile walk to pick up the 49 Hulleys service in North Wingfield on their Clay Cross to Clowne service with the intention to alight just short of the town centre for a walk to nearby Creswell around a couple of miles away.  Departing around 40 minutes later on the Ringer estate the greeting of sharp sleet was not what I wanted any way needless to say while walking the old freight route this did disappear and disastrously for my plans of returning in a couple of hours so did the footpath.  I could not find a route out and made the decision to retrace my steps and take up the Clowne Greenway the converted rail track bed for the former line between Clowne and our intended target.  By this stage I was on the phone looking at all options to get back in some sort of reasonable time and with that in hand I could got back onto focussing on the job in hand.

Arriving into Creswell the signage of the track way which now fell into a new build estate was very poor and I ended up trying to short cut a few cul de sacs and failing.  Finally finding my way out I made my way along Portland Avenue, a name that crops up all over the town as the pit investor and owner was the Duke Of Portland.

Coming out onto the villages main street Elmton Road you were greeted by the Black Diamond public house I guess a reference to the coal that made this village famous.  Indeed the village is under the control of Elmton and Creswell Parish Council and the former is just a small hamlet but in the pit development days Creswell did not exist and when deliveries arrived they were left at Creswell's Farm and the name stuck for what became a fast expanding settlement.

So having arrived at the west end of the village, the opposite end to its most famous attraction Creswell Crags, an immediate crossing over the road to run adjacent to The Model Village of which more later.  The footpath was pretty well marked out and took us past the newly developing housing estate which will gradually take up much of the former pit site, indeed with houses advancing this was my main concern about trying to capture anything of 'The Huts', so named apparently by the Nissen Huts that the teams changed in.

THE HUTS WITH FORMER PIT [NOW DEMOLISHED] TO THE LEFT

Walking the first section of the freight line I had to turn around on earlier within a few hundred yards the rise of the embankment gave a view of where the ground was.  The current satellite image shows a grassed and overgrown area with people having walked across it at varying angles and there is some suggestion of the stand having some visibility in its base.  There are very few pictures of the former ground on line, there are a few but they need well searching out and even less of any team pictures of the colliery fc side even though there are many of other sides including Creswell Wednesdays.

Moving along the full length of the pitch I returned to a footpath that would have run behind the village end goal, thankfully I had spotted a chap walking is dog and decided that would be worth the effort and it turned out that way with no fencing up and open spaces in hedges there was a chance to enter the hallowed turf, although there wasnt much of that left now.  Within a few months the whole site will probably be gone with an earth scraper already taking of the top layer to reveal a lower level of hard coal type topping out.

SLIGHT VIEWING OF STAND BASE THAT CONTINUES WITH TREES GOWING OUT OF IT NOW

The interest though was an area in front of the embankment that had a few minor saplings and grass that had not been touched.  Within this section was a brick base area throughout it and this was exposed at one end with a definite continuation right through upon investigation.  I believe this was the base of the stand although and or the furniture of the former Creswell Colliery Fc ground The Huts.

I had one last look before I made my way off the 'pitch' and reminisced of days gone by.

Like many pit villages the whole collection of sports clubs and local facilities sprung up around and because of the colliery and Creswell appeared no different with cricket another main feature.

The pit was first envisaged in 1894 and operated under private ownership until nationalisation in 1947 and for the 48/49 season the football club that bore its name entered The Chesterfield Senior League.  After the initial season they went on to have nearly twenty years in The Central Alliance, the club then made there way around a few other leagues before finding a footing in The Midland Counties League from 78/79 before its development into Northern Counties East League football in 1982/83.  Just one season was to be enjoyed before drifting away into The Mansfield District League and then their last season in 1985/86 The Sutton and Skegby League.  But its those early days that produced the clubs biggest game a first round F A Cup fixture.

TREES TO RIGHT FEATURING THE STAND BASE WITH PITCH STRAIGHT AHEAD

That date 20 November 1954 saw them make the trip to play Accrington Stanley, even though they had been drawn at home, at their former home the fascinating Peel Park, a ground which survives to this day as a recreational ground and park, obviously minus its stands that soon became derelict after Stanley dissolved.  Interestingly Peel Park saw its record attendance in the weekdays before the visit of Creswell, at local derby a friendly against Blackburn Rovers on 15 November attracted 17, 634 through the turnstiles.  Again some of the stats from the Colliery sides big day are not readily available we do know the the Creswell Colliery Brass Band made the trip up to Lancashire with the supporters but although the side scored a goal sadly Stanley scored seven and the their cup run was over against the division 3 north side.

The one thing that does seem to have been produced and I guess these will be a big rarity was a programme priced at three pence and produced by Shuttleworths of Accrington it was reminiscent of its time with front page adverts J and N Hopwood seller of fancy goods with the chance of joining their club and Melbo Bar offering snacks drinks [hot and cold] and a variety of sandwiches.  All this was 7 days a week until 10pm and on Melbourne Street opposite the Manchester bus stop.  I wonder how many still exist and if any are loft stored in Creswell.

A WINTERS DAY ON THE MODEL

Exiting around what was the former pit and its yard to basically find away back out onto Colliery Lane there was time to think of the former pit villages glorious pasts.  Looking at the finish of the football side that would have combined with the year long miners strike and whether that had any effect on the ending of the club you can only guess it would not of course help when the pit finally closed in 1991.  

The pit suffered one of the worst mining disasters in the country on 26 September 1950 when eighty men lost their lives when an fire at 3.45am on a conveyor belt trapped many men who died of carbon monoxide poisoning.  Fifty one miners did escape the disaster but it remained so dangerous that initially after 47 bodies recovered on the day of the accident it but it took until 27 March 1951 to recover 27 more with the final half a dozen not being returned to their loves ones until 11 August 1951 nearly a year later.  

Leaving via Colliery Lane the cricket ground is on the left but sadly no village side plays here now, it is used by Clowne Town CC as a 3rds and 4ths ground, there is also the development of a small leisure centre due to open in 2023 to replace the now One Stop shop which developed the old 'baths', on Duke Street.

The Model Village was set up for the miners and is a large doubled lined octagonal  formation best seen from above if you want to have a look, its recently received an investment to upgrade and offers fantastic green space within its inner area.  Of course it was adjacent to the pit with allotments offering some separation from the collieries boundary.  First construction appeared one year after the pit started up and is made up of 280 houses, there was a stylish village institute between the Model and the pit and apparently even had a tram line to take coal from the pit to the miner houses the line also doubled up by taking away the 'night soil' from the ashpit lavatories.  

CRESWELL EVENTS CENTRE

Hopefully you will stop with me for a little tour of the sights of this fascinating village and its buildings never mind its history.  Moving eastwards down Elmton Road the smart war memorial is very well kept.  On the left hand side is the bulk of shops from The Coop to the local chippy and a tremendous local project The Limestone offering much help and advice to the local community alongside its café.  Back to the opposite side of the road is The Creswell Events Centre, the former drill hall, with its wonderful clock tower, again gifted by the Duke of Portland and kept functioning by the miners levy.  Once this disappeared of course it was the Parish Council who had to step in and coordinate a major renovation.

THE STATION HOTEL WITH THE STATION BEHIND IT

The railway line that served neighbouring villages and the larger towns of Worksop and Mansfield alongside the city of Nottingham was re opened in stages between 1993 and 1998 after closing to passenger traffic in the 1964, finally arriving in Creswell in 98.  Passing through the underpass type cutting under the rail line which above carries trains southwards from The Robin Hood Line station we approach Duke Street and a quick walk along the road sees the former leisure centre and bath now re developed as a retail outlet, but a nice touch in leaving the display stones a top the much reduced former building.

ROBIN HOOD LINE GOES OVER ELMTON ROAD WITH CRESWELL STATION TO THE RIGHT

Down now to the Sheffield Road a main carriageway that delivers and takes away a lot of the village traffic and just before arrive at the junction the Portland Buildings, that name again, offer more retail outlets and the former post Office adjacent to these still offers up its name in stone.  With the parish church also in this area we finally arrive at the road junction and the pretty former school is now restored into appartments.

FORMER LESUIRE CENTRE AND BATHS

Before taking a look at the station there is a chance to take the large former cinema and now bingo hall this art deco style building is one of the 'stars' of the village and was built by the 'Roger's' family hence its name then and still now 'Regor', the reverse of the family name.

The station has two sepearate platforms and today we took in the major one which contains a fair approach road and small car park with services leaving here to Nottingham bound trains.

PORTLAND BUILDINGS

Making the way back through the eastern part of the main street and taking in the sites once more there was time to admire the large Railway Hotel no bigger sign of the importance in its day of the construction of the lines and its relationship with the village and its pit.  It would appear today to be converted into flats.

FORMER REGORS CINEMA NOW REGORS BINGO HALL

Before rejoining the Clowne Greenway to walk the route back for the return journey of this trip I wanted to make one special visit which would take me along Skinner Street to the cemetery to pay my respects and take a look at the memorial to those 80 miners who lost their life just going to work in 1950 on that night shift that would see so many families lose their husbands, brothers and uncles.  There are many harrowing stories including of a wife having breakfast ready for husband having not heard of the disaster to a wife who had lost her previous husband in a previous accident at the pit to a family losing three members.

FORMER VILLAGE SCHOOL

The memorial is very well appointed with a plaque explaining its dedications with on two sides the names and ages of those that perished.  There is a new plaque at its base which explains its recent re siting and just a few footsteps away is a wonderful board telling of the accident plus pictures and mini biographies of the men lost.

A fine touch and a sad reminder of the past of this wonderful village but one that it was a privilege to spend a few minutes remembering these men.

ELMTON AND CRESWELL SIGNAL BOX NORTH OF THE STATION, WORKSOP TO THE RIGHT AND THE FORMER CLOWNE LINE JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE BOX

Time with 3pm and loss of light fast arriving to make the trip back to Clowne and the 4.15pm Stagecoach 53 Sheffield to Mansfield service was taken for the ten minute journey to Bolsover.  After fifty minute wander around the town on a bitterly cold night that was now added to by fulsome snow showers the final 49 back towards Clay Cross was climbed aboard.  With a departure again just short of its final destination the pavements were offering up free slides as the ice became more challenging on the return mile or so back to base from what had been a superb visit to Creswell a village and community that has fought and battled through so much adversity recently to come out stronger.  It is though such a shame that so little seems to have been recorded certainly in photographic terms of Creswell Colliery Fc but I guess that was a sign of the times when nobody was snapping away taking photographs unlike our current era.

CRESWELL COLLIERY 1950 MEMORIAL

LIGGINS SENDS GLAPPY INTO THE SEMIS

GLAPWELL 1 BAKEWELL TOWN 0

DCFA DIVISIONAL CUP NORTH QUARTER FINAL AT HALL CORNER

3 DECEMBER 2022 --- 1.30PM

JOY ALL ROUND AS LOGAN LIGGINS RECEIVES A HUG FOR HIS WINNNG GOAL

A Logan Liggins back post strike seventeen minutes from time proved enough to send Glapwell into the DCFA Divisional Cup semi final after a tightly contested encounter that had seen both keepers perform well to deny earlier goals.

The first visit of the season to Hall Corner for this early start of a cup game and upon arrival 90 minutes before the the option to walk around the adjacent estate and it brought forward a lovely bright day if somewhat cold to the fingers, always a pain for the camera men.  Arrival had been after the 'walk and a match' theme had taken in a mile and a half to the neighbouring village to pick up the 49 service to The Young Vanish.

Entry into the ground found almost immediately the weather change dark grey skies with the first signs of rain, something that would not leave us for the duration of the afternoons game.  The grass was looking very long in places but on the walk round there were some really boggy places on the pitch and clearly grass cutting was not an option.  Sadly Hall Corner has seen better days with much of the ground looking unloved now but thankfully it still pushes on for Glapwell in The CMFL.  With Bakewell also in The CMFL North it looked a very close game in prospect for what turned out to be a small gathering.

BETTER DAYS

Bakewell came into the game after a 3-3 draw last weekend at home to Dinnington and Glapwell would be hoping for the game not to go to penalties after they were on the wrong end of a spot kick loss at Clipstone last week.

With the BBC weather forecast woefully wrong again and having looked forward to some pictures in nice bright weather I headed for the stand and again the light affects what can be produced. 

AARON MAUND THREATENS THE GLAPWELL DEFENCE

In the opening exchanges Alex Moth was looking the dangerman for the visitors while Perry Richards was looking lively for the lads from Hall Corner.  With both keepers having to be alert it was Tom Crapper who pulled off a sharp stop from a Richards effort to Glapwell.  

Liam Wajs wasn't to be left put when on his debut he pulled off a lovely save from Bakewell substitute Feddie Hatcher who fashioned a smart header from an Aaron Maund cross.

With eight minutes to go to the break Bakewell were having a purple patch but Wajs was on hand again to deny Moth and keep Glapwell on level terms.  On the stroke of half time Liggins got in a back post shot after a superb cross feild pass but a Bakewell defender cleared the ball off the line.

RYAN BOOKER IN EXPERIENCED PLAYER MODE 

So we had gone into the break goal less and it this been featured on those 30 second half time radio reports it would have gone something like this.  Good game with both keepers on top on a pitch with some long grass and boggy in places.  The lights poor, its cold, its raining and the Bakewell keepers wearing a woolly hat and at half time its goal less.

BAKEWELL THOUGHT THEY HAD SCORED BUT A QUICK VAR CHECK SAID OTHERWISE

Crapper was proving his worth again with an excellent save from a Thomas McTighe 25 yard free kick to deny Glapwell the lead.

But as both sides battled through this game with gusto it was the home side who would take the lead after 73 minutes.  A patient build up on the right found the final cross nodded on by Grant Mitchell, Logan Liggins was on hand at the back post his first effort hit the side of a defender just off the goal line but his second bite at the cherry made no mistake with the ball nestling in the back of the net and you could say the Glapwell player was somewhat delighted with his goal.

A tough game in difficult conditions with some end to end action that remained a credit to both sides efforts to seal a semi final place but despite a late free kick that saw Crapper leave his goal to join the attack Bakewell could not force the game to penalties and Glapwell had booked their place in the semi fianls, shortly afterwards when referee Richard Thompson blew the final whistle.

BAKEWELL KEEPER CRAPPER SUMS UP THE WEATHER

Thankfully ten minutes from the returning 49 service allowed a sharp move to the bus stop before finishing off on the reverse mile and a half walk back to base with most of it conducted in a downpour.  In the words of the public information advert from the 70's, 'wished I'd brought my brolly'.

LOGAN LIGGINS TURNS TO CELEBRATE HIS WINNER