Hunslet v Featherstone
Nostell Miners Welfare v Handsworth Parramore
Wakefield v Widnes
Swinton v South Wales Scorpions
Usual move on the way up, Hull Trains to Donny for the stopping service to Leeds, which can be done on a couple of day rovers which saves about £80 for Mad Dai the other attendee.
We headed to Wakefield for pre-match drinks at the legendary Red Shed…
…..but forgoing the bargain local merchandise.
We headed on for a tour of Leeds. First stop off was the much heralded Friends of Ham, a Guide listed charcuterie bar, which had all the signs of a ‘Serrano and Butcombe’ experience.
However, it couldn’t have been more different. An absolutely belting beer list, both on tap and bottled. And then the food. A menu just of various meat and cheese platters. We went for the Bath Chap on Toast, Pata Negra terrain, and a cheese/meat platter of which I have lost the details, but it was more pata negra and farmhouse Hafad, washed down with a Rhubard Saison from Ilkley. Well recommended.
Next was the Frog and Newt brew pub on the outskirts of the centre, for the in-house Burley Street Brewhouse - Laguna Seca.
The speciality here were the safari burgers that were tempting, but we were still savouring the platter.
Next was a wander back into the centre with an attempt to find the Victoria Hotel, which was a Nicholsons offering. Now I truly hope someone in Leeds Camra is on the take and has had a huge bribe off Nicholsons. Because the alternative scenario is that a hundred or so people, have gone out and surveyed all the pubs in Leeds and decided that three of the best ten are Nicholsons. They reckon that Doombar with Nicholsons trademark piss and vinegar flavouring, is better than the likes of Leeds Brewery tap or Mr Foleys.
Anyway, after a good 30 seconds looking, we gave up trying to find it and instead headed to the Veritas bar for an Isle of Man Okel. Moving on, we passed the start of last years Tour de France stage.
Next stop was the less –tha-promising North Bar, but once again, looks were deceiving and another great beer list offered up a North - Prototype.
On to the Templar, which is much more of an older locals pub. Had about ten TVs, which gave the opportunity to broadcast ten different horse races. We watched the only non-nags screen, which was the cricket, until someone turned it over to Greyhound racing.
A very decent Bradfield – Farmers Blonde was had, and a woman came over and told us about her boxing career, to the backdrop of one of the more partisan scarves.
The bus stop outside was convenient for the bus to takes us to the evening’s entertainment.
Ground is a walk from the bus stop, and the area must be the most unlikely setting for an equestrian centre. I imagine it is drey horses and pit ponies jumping beer crates.
The floodlight appeared on the horizon, with an anonymous flowers-and-football-tops lamp post tribute in the foreground.
Ironically, the signage proclaiming the entrance to the Hawks, was home to roosting pigeons.
So they tried again.
Hunslet lost their ground in the early 70s when the directors sold it off to pay some minor debts, then, after a token search, decided they couldn’t find a suitable replacement, so wound the club up and the 300k remaining from the sale was distributed amongst the shareholders, ie the aforementioned directors. Trebles all round. After flirting with stints in Bramley, since the eraly 90s they have played at the South Leeds stadium, recently named the John Charles centre for sport. This is an athletics ground with one massive stand.
And a bar that didn’t seem to exist.
Hunslet 10 v Featherstone 18 – Rugby League Championship
Hunslet Hawks are a replacement for the original Hunslet side who were dissolved in extremely dodgy circumstances in 1973. Starting immediately as New Hunslet, they played at Leeds Greyhound Stadium. The summer era saw them become the Hawks. They have never seen the success of the original club, somewhat living in the shadow of Leeds Rhinos.
Featherstone Rovers are a famous name in rugby league. Formed in 1902 in the mining area of central Yorkshire. The club have won the Challenge Cup three times, in 1967, 1973 and 1983, and been League Champions once, in 1977. In the Super league era, they have somewhat struggled, the town only having a population of 16,000, and close competition from Wakefield and Castleford.
From the top tier, there were uninterrupted views of the Leeds city scape.
And the same later at night.
The vocal home support were congregated right at the top of the stand, announcing their hated of Leeds Rhinos under the watchful eye of the thin blue line…
….with ultras style banners at the front. The Garden Gate is a guide pub in Hunslet, and an absolute belter, but was a bit off route for a visit today.
Hunslet are second from bottom of the Championship, but had won their last three games having only won twice all season before that. They needed to win today to stand a chance of staying up. IT was 0-0 for an age, before Featherstone scored a couple of late trys. Halftime consisted of cheerleaders dancing to a song that went ‘I just want to bounce’ played on loop for 15 minutes. It is still in my head.
Dai added number 18 to his list of Rugby League mascots he has had wedding photos with.
Just as the ‘bounce’ song finished, three kids turned up with a huge circular container, which oh joy, was a Featherstone branded drum. And drum they did. For the next 50 minutes. None stop.
The running track seperates the dug-outs from the pitch, Hawkshire left, Yorkshire right.
Featherstone were doing well in the league, until a few games before the split, when the coach was sacked and they lost the remaining games, meaning they were just pipped to last place by Sheffield. They were top of this league and were by far the better team scoring three with Hunslet getting a couple of scores to make it 10-18.
Bus back into town and a sweep of the south east part of the centre, the first being the Crowd of Favours….
….where a Leeds Pale was had and a quick couple of races of Ghost Valley 2 on original Mario Cart on the SNES.
This fine Palace, adjacent to the Minster, was soon exposed as yetanotherfuckingNicholsons and their most exotic pint, an Everards Tiger, was had.
Overnight it had pissed it down. And I know this because my hotel room was adjacent to a massive tin roof which made it sound like Basra. The offending roof and a vistra of Northern Bradford.
Plan for today was for Maltby v Frickley in the FA cup and to start ticking off some of these.
However, a tip off regarding there no longer being a GBG in Maltby, combined with it being a tight connection back to Wakey, meant instead we went for the back up plan of Armthorpe Welfare in the NCEL. Further changes were made, whilst having a shit, I was interrupted by my phone doing the annual update of the GBG App, which created a new tick in Leeds and a wjole load in Donny.
So off we headed to Exchange again. Grand Central have started running from here to London via Halifax and Wakefield. However, what started out as a plucky little open-access operator….
….has now been bought out by Arriva, who are owned by DB, the German state railway.
This is perhaps the dullest phot you will ever see. Interchange station is at the bottom of a very steep incline so has these very elaborate pneumatic buffers, with the air pipes seen heading off right to a compressor under the platform. God that is dull.
Into Leeds and ready to head to Kings Cross was a well known face.
Northern Rail have installed a load of old pianos at stations for customers to use. This is the first time I have seen anyone on it other than eight year olds playing chopsticks badly.
New tick was the untapped brew pub just across the road from the station.
With over 12 house brewed beers on tap, I stupidly left Dai to order for me and ended up with an Oakham Citra, which is fast becoming the Butcombe of the north.
We headed off to Donny on the all shacks so Dai could use his £7.90 bus and train day rover. Heading for the first GBG, we passed this, which disappointingly sold Oranjeboom super and Lebarra sim cards, not Piko or Fleischman.
Unknowingly, it was St Ledger day, so we headed out of town. First stop the Corner Pin for a Stancil,s – Stars and Bars APA.
Then the excellent Doncaster Brewery Tap….
….for a house Gold Cup and a SOFT BOILED garlic picked egg. Wrong.
Moving along, Biscuit Billys fun pub had gone for some opportune re-branding for one week only.
Next was the Market Square for the Market Place Alehouse where the best pint of the weekend was had, an Abbeydale – Moonshine.
We also had a Yorkshire grazing platter, which I forgot to take a picture of.
We were disappointed that we had missed the highlight of the St Ledgar week, the British Jet Ski Championships.
Next we headed to the market itself, first to the cheese stall (details later).
Then the Toffee Stall.
Then UK E-Liquid stall. I may have made that last one up. There was also a stall that just sold slippers.
And so to the dark recesses of Frenchgate bus staion for the 81 bus on the Armthorpe Circular.
However, when we got there, the ground was locked. Checking, it seemed that Armthorpe were in the cup this week so were in fact away at AFC Liverpool on Sunday.
Dai had been drinking this filth all day….
….so was hammered by this time. We had a quick Dukeries – De Lovetot at the village GBG, and got back on the same bus we had just got off.
So back to Donny…
…..where a plan was hatched to once again jump on the Leeds stopping train……
….as far as Fitzwilliam, for a bus on to New Crofton, where Nostell Miners Welfare were playing.
However, we got held at South Elmsall, for a train off the Sheffield line, which meant we were five down, and missed the hourly bus service. This resulted in spending 15 minutes at a bus stop outside the worlds shittest betting shop.
A bus did come along, taking a different route to Wakefield. However, half way along, with Dai going into some detail about how he once had twisted testicles, I decided a yomp across the fields was a better option, so we jumped off the bus in the middle of nowhere.
Then headed through some woods.
Across the fields.
Through some undergrowth where we disturbed a teenager fingering his girlfriend, to a football pitch.
To the enchanted side gates of a non-league game.
Nostell Miners Welfare 1 v Handsworth Parramore 2 – Toolstation Northern Counties East League
Nostell was a pit across the way from Crofton, and have risen through the Wakefield leagues to where they are now.
Despite being newish looking, the ground is the traditional Miners social club.
Railed on three sides, it has an embankment on the fourth, with a sports centre and stand at the top.
The home goalkeeper, despite seemingly wearing every other colour, chose to have the same colour short as the rest of the team, which I thought was banned.
Stand is corrugated plastic over a row of seats, though everyone was stood up.
When we arrived, there were only ten minutes to go, with the home side losing 1-2. It stayed that way and as we left, the next fixture was already being advertised.
Inside the extensive social club, were some very interesting information boards about the local colliery, which I got to read as Dai went for a dump.
This was my normal photo stream but in reverse, so the entrance to the ground…
….the football club as an afterthough for the signage…
….and the entrance to the complex marking its past.
We headed for the adjacent bus stop, where we should have got off, and once again a bit of local history was present. We jumped on a bus to Sandall
The walk to the ground is very evocative, and takes you through a graveyard….
…the worlds shittest conservative club…
…cobbled streets and back alleys….
….to the wonder of Belle Vue.
The 1960s infrastructure had 2015 prices.
Wakefield 4 v Widnes 46 - Rugby League Qualifiers
The ground is like a homage to the pre-1995 Homes of Football gallery.
A pile of executive portacabins at one end.
The very low main stand down one side.
And the newly built end terrace cover which may still need a bit of finishing.
A collection of garden sheds sold beer, food and programmes…
…which contained the least enlightening player profile….
But a glorious selection of player sponsors. Who wouldn’t want to be associated with:-
- Church View Farm Eggs
- British Gas Young Drivers Accademy
- K9s Posh Paw Pet Care
- Sandall Post Office
- Derek McGuire Carpet Fitting
- Schools Advisory Service
Widnes are a decent team and should maybe have been in the top 8, and dominated the game. Wakefield have been shit all season, but better since the split but were awfull today losing 4-46. By the end, there were about 13 Wakefield supporters left. We headed for a curry in town, and then onto the recently spruced up Kirkgate station…..
…..for the Grand Central service direct to Bradford.
The next morning it was the 0840 service to Manchester Victoria, taking us passed the newly opened Todmorden curve, the only part of the UK passenger rail network I haven’t been over. I am in the process of buying a holiday home in Halifax so this will be an easy tick soon.
Destination was Bury on the Metrolink tram.
The tram gives great views ahead. I was latched onto by the worlds most boring man, who wanted to tell me everything about the Heaton Tramway, and then we got into an argument about whether the Oldham loop closed to heavy rail in 1999 or 2009. Fortunately, we have Dai for these occasions who will talk inane shit to anyone, and within seconds, had somehow steered the conversation to how he saw Cyndi Lauper at the Ebbw Vale Garden Festival.
We had an hour and a half in Bury before our train, so first the Whetherspoon was had, named after local Robert Peel, who founded the police. A Naylors – Ecky Thump was had.
We then headed to the other Bury station, home to the East Lancs Steam railway.
The station refreshment rooms are Guide listed and a couple of Ultra Pale Ales were had, before the trains arrived.
A West Country Class was on driver training.
With the southern theme extended with a Heymek on diesel duties.
And finally, something local, an LMS ‘crab’ on the steam train.
In the car park was a show of vintage cars. Yes these are vintage…..
….but these? Speaking to an owner, it appears the station is used a lot for filming duites, including a lot set in the 1980s so the railway has a network of contacts of cars for that era. So these are the real stars of Green Street Elite.
Dai got in on the act with a publicity shot for an as yet to be written 1970s football hooligan drama about a bloke who destroyed his victims through the medium of chatting them to submission.
Our destination was the picturesque town of Ramsbottom.
Though a week too early for this. Are Idlewild still a headline act? Even in Rural Lancashire?
This was the reason for the visit. Entrants throw Bury black puddings, trying to knock down the stacks of Yorkshire puddings which are on shelves on the right of the tower.
We were there for the womans/kids/seniors competition.
The local football club, Ramsbottom United, were in attendance. They are currently rock bottom of the Evostick Premier.
There are three guide pubs in Rammy. The forst one, the tap for Ramsbottom Brewery, was shut. The second, the Manor Hotel, was a walf out of town and Dai was on a go slow. When this happens tectonic plates overtake him so there was no chance of reaching it, so we ended up at the very acceptable at the Irwell Tap in the centre of town.
It brews on site and has a selection of railway memorabilia.
We headed back to the station where the dull cunt from the tram came over for round two, but took one look at Dai, and beat a hasty retreat. Our bird to freedom soon arrived, over the only wheel worked level crossing gates in preservation.
Back to Bury, we headed for the taxi rank, only for the taxi driver to collapse. We left him on the ground with a group of his colleagues, before we took the second cab in the rank to Sedgeley Park Rugby Club…
…the current home of Swinton Rugby League
Swinton 94 v South Wales Scorpions 6 – Rugby League Championship 1
Swinton are another famous rugby league club who have hit hard times. Founded in 1866, the club won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. However, by the eighties they were in a chronic financial state, which resulted in them selling their Station Road ground, and they have been pretty aimless since, playing at most grounds in north Manchester.
South Wales Scorpions were formed in 2009 when the Bridgend based super league team Celtic Crusaders moved to Wrexham. Initially, they were competitive, but the loss of their main backer has seen players drift back to union or to the Gloucester All Golds, and South Wales are now the whipping boys of British professional rugby league.
The ground has a medium sized main stand, and a huge club house behind the goal.
This was the last game of the season and Swinton are in the play-offs, but South Wales are bottom of the league and shit, and only had 15 players. This was the busiest team in the ground, though the fat lass was mostly busy tucking into a pie and gravy, and then a huge bag of fruit pastilles.
However, Scorpions did at least get a try.
At half time we found we were locked into a side terrace, so headed across the pitch with the plyers to get to the bar.
Dai had been attempted by the girls four course meal, and got one himself, for a bargain £2.60.
With 5 minutes to go, we made a move as we had trains to catch. It finished 94-6.
The exit gave a good view of the ivy clad main stand
The walk to the tram stop was down a wide cosmopolitan street…
….down a cobbled path…
..and a pleasant stroll adjacent to the hard shoulder of the M60.
The sign for tram station looked like it had some letters missing, but apparently this is a proper name in Manc.
On the journey home, I ensured a double seat to myself by opening up the cheese brought the day before in Donny. These were; Swaledale, Shepherds Purse - Yorkshire Blue and Harrogate Blue, Ribblesdale – goat blue, Cote Hill - Blue,
Also in evidence, were three Bury Black Puddings from the bloke of Rick Steins Food Heroes.
Had the 1707 Cross Country voyager down from Manchester. This train then got hit by a wave at Dawlish and got stranded for 10 hours. Fortunately I'd got off at Bristol Parkway for an HST to Swindon.
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