✔824 Great Ayton Football & Cricket Club

Great Ayton United 1-1 New Marske

North Riding FL - Division 1 East

Saturday 23rd April 2022

 

Great Ayton is a village in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire at the foot of the Cleveland Hills beneath Easby Moor and the distinctively-shaped Roseberry Topping. The River Leven, a tributary of the River Tees, flows through the village and links its two centres - High Green and Low Green. The village lies seven miles south-east of Middlesbrough town centre and its name derives from Old English Ea-tun, meaning 'river farm'. The village is home to the Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum, where James Cook received his early education from 1736 to 1740 and there’s also a statue of a youthful Cook in High Green.  (population:about 4,600)

North Riding Division One side Great Ayton United are based at the Great Ayton Cricket & Football Club. Like several other clubs in this division, they played in the Eskdale & Cleveland League, before the merger with the Teesside League to form the NRFL in 2017.

Great Ayton Cricket & Football Club, Leven Park, Easby Lane, Great Ayton, North Yorkshire TS9 6JX

The main pitch runs parallel with the car park towards the cricket club at the far end. There is a dugout on each side with the club reception & changing rooms on the other side of the hedge, where there are several other football pitches. The ground has a small covered stand with a bench seat inside at the top corner.

#Heedhopper

47 mile drive door-to-door

Current North Riding FL grounds visited 22/28

Great Ayton United 1(Bangay 69')

New Marske 1(J.Elsdon 45")

Red card M.Elsdon 81'

North Riding Football League - Division 1 East matchday 24

6th v 7th

2pm ko 

Att.25hc

The two clubs shared the points in their final game of the season. 

New Marske went ahead just before the interval when Jack Elsdon got on the end of a right wing cross and had time to control the ball then fire home. 

The hosts equaliser came midway during the second half. A free kick on the edge of the box rebounded back into the path of Ryan Bangay, who made no mistake from close range.

The visitors were down to ten men in the closing stages after a daft handball by Michael Elsdon saw him receive a second yellow card, but they held on for the point.

✔823 Bishop Auckland College

Bishop Auckland XI 4-0 Wearmouth CW Reserves 

Saturday 16th April 2022

Wearside League - Subsidiary Cup - Group 1

Bishop Auckland’s reserve side joined the Wearside League Third Division earlier this season and are based at Bishop Auckland College. The college began life as a Technical Institute with classes being run in the Mechanics Institute on Victoria Avenue and at other town centre locations. In September 1950 the Technical Institute was opened in the old Railway Offices on Station Approach. Demand for engineering courses needed by local industry led to the first buildings on this site, which was formally opened by County Alderman F. Hunt JP in February 1958.

The ground is home to junior club Bishop Auckland St Mary's, where the clubhouse shows their large trophy haul. There are several pitches at the college with the Bishops team using the main pitch in front of the clubhouse. 

Bishop Auckland College

Woodhouse Lane

Bishop Auckland, 

Co Durham, DL14 6JZ

Current Wearside League grounds visited 33/37

#Heedhopper 

27 mile drive door-to-door 

Met up with Lee & Katie at the ground. 

Bishop Auckland XI 4(Watkinson 33 Mitchell 50,83 Spark 67)

Wearmouth CW Reserves 0

Subsidiary Cup Group 1 matchday 1

2pm ko

Att.23hc

Having already beaten today's opponents 15-0 in the league back in December, this encounter was much closer. 

The home team took the lead with some neat footwork and a curling effort from Callum Watkinson in the 33rd minute. In the second half two very well taking goals from Corbyn Mitchell and a strike from substitute Tom Spark, saw them record a comfortable 4-0 win. It was a tough afternoon for Wearmouth as they had no substitutions, but they kept plugging away until the end. 

✔822. Loftus Cricket & Athletic Club

Loftus Athletic 3-6 Boro Rangers Reserves

North Riding FL - Division 1 East

Wednesday 13th April 2022

Loftus is a town and civil parish north of the North York Moors in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland. The parish includes the villages of Easington, Carlin How, Skinningrove, Liverton and Liverton Mines. (population:nearly 8,000) The Loftus area has been inhabited since at least the 7th century and is recorded as "Lcotvsv" in the Domesday book, from Laghthus  - meaning low houses.

Following a merger of the Loftus clubs, Town became Athletic from the start of this season. The club is based at the Cricket & Athletic Club, which has the football pitch at the far end of the cricket field next to the Bowling Club. 

Loftus Cricket & Athletic Club

Whitby Road

Loftus

Saltburn-By-The-Sea, TS13 4LG

Current North Riding Football League grounds visited 21/28

Loftus Athletic 3(Jones-Jemson 62 Brundle 69 Stonehouse 80)

Boro Rangers Reserves 6(Dalton 12,39, 43pen,62 Thompson 31 Burns 79)

North Riding FL - East Division matchday 22/21

8th v 3rd

6pm ko

Att.36hc

A first half hat-trick by Lewis Dalton set Boro on their way to victory. He fired them into an early lead before Jake Thompson's side footed effort took a deflection to double the advantage after half an hour. Thompson then set up Dalton for the third and there was still time for him to fire in a penalty before the interval. 

The hosts played much better in the second half with a good goal from Kain Jones-Jemson reducing the arrears, but Dalton was again on hand to make it 1-5. Loftus scored a couple more through Callum Brundle and an unbelievable goal from Dan Stonehouse, shooting from just inside this own half straight after Owen Burns had made it six for Rangers Reserves. 

#Heedhopper

59 mile drive door-to-door via A19

Picked up Lee & Katie around 4pm.

I planned to call into the Station Hotel for a drink, but unfortunately it's closed on a Wednesday. Instead we wetted our whistles before the match at the canny little Mad Alice's micro bar. 

✔821. Wensleydale Park

Blyth Spartans U-19 1-0 Notts. County U-19

National League U-19 Alliance - North Division

Wednesday 6th April 2022

The Wensleydale Park complex was officially opened in November 2015 on the old Wensleydale Middle School grounds, and is home to Blyth Spartans Juniors. The pavilion and playing fields was financed through a supported grant from the Northumberland FA, the Premier League and the FA Facilities Fund. It came to a total of £538,535 with £440,561 coming from the County Council. The ground has a 4G cage, with spectator access down one side.

Wensleydale Park Playing Fields, 

Blyth 

NE24 3EZ

Blyth Spartans U-19 1(#11 50) tbc

Notts County U-19 0

National League U-19 Alliance - North Division matches 16/18

12th v 9th

2pm ko 

Att.15hc

A closely contested match was decided early in the second half, when #11 cut inside from the right and curled a delicious shot into the far corner. A cracking goal and a much needed win for Spartans at the foot of the table.

✔820 Bede Sports Centre

Wolviston 6-1 Washington United

Wearside League Division 1

Saturday 2nd April 2022

This was an unexpected bonus. Metcalfe Park is currently covered in water so with still plenty of home matches left to play this season, Wolviston made the sensible decision to book Bede Sports College to fulfil this fixture with Washington United.

The sports centre has a four court sports hall, grass football and rugby pitches and a FIFA 1 standard, FA registered, flood-lit Astro Pitch which was used for this afternoon’s Wearside League Division 1 game.

Bede Sports Centre

Marsh House Ave, 

Stockton-on-Tees, 

Billingham TS23 3HB

#Heedhopper

32 mile drive door-to-door

Wolviston 6(Pledger 21 Ryan 29,64,80 McGee 41,74)

Washington United 1(Pinder 32)

Wearside League Division 1 matchday 24/32

11th v 13th

1.45pm ko

Att.33hc

Admission £3

A strong first half performance from the hosts saw Elliott Pledger sweep in the opener in the 21st minute, before Scott Ryan fired in from the edge of the box minutes later. Washington quickly replied with a good finish by George Pinder, but a swift exchange of passing was finished off by Mike McGee to make it 3-1 just before the break.

Wolviston continued to boss the game, adding to their tally in the 64th minute when a shot from McGee was well saved, but Scott Ryan was on hand to grab his second.  Ten minutes later a free-kick from outside the box from Mike McGee took a huge deflection to make it five, and the match was wrapped up in the 80th minute, when Ryan completed his hat-trick to make it 6-1.