Torfaen Tigers 58 v Bristol Sonics 12
Original plan was to head to Leamington Royals v Sherwood Wolf Pack in the Midland RL, but a late offer to spend the night on the Network Rail test train getting some yellow tractor action on the Thames Valley branches was too good to miss so instead a couple of hours kip was had before heading off to South Wales for this
Bristol Sonics had pulled out of Torfaen’s RL South league at the beginning of the season, dropping down to the West of England League. With both teams not having fixtures, this was a friendly but on the same date the fixture should have been played. First time the two sides had met since 1993.
Move was an HST to Newport. A desert for GBGs, only the Lamb obliging, but driven out by a bloke screaming along to ACDC at the bar. No time to head for Madame Fromage so instead Newport Market obliged with some cheap Colliers, a no name farmhouse cheddar and off cuts from the carvery. An ATW 175 ‘hippo’ up to Cwmbran, which still challenges for Britain’s most desolate station.
I’d been to Cwmbran once before on the Caerwent Cannonball Railtour in 1980, whereby my uncle thought an infant might be interested in a Railway Correspondance and Travel Society DMU tour to Blaenavon blast furnace High Level sidings. Although this did clear for me the now long closed ex-Monmouthshire Railway lines through Cwmbran.
A quick check-in at the adjacent Stagecoach bus depot, where the chargeman confirmed that they didn’t have any depot lends and the only mis-allocation was a Dennis Dart SLF vise an Optare on Route 1, so it was a walk to the game. Torfaen Tigers play at Cwmbran RFC’s Kings Head Ground.
As well as the usual team pictures, the clubhouse had a cracking display of club ties from all the teams it had played. Not seen this before.
As with most Welsh RFU clubhouses, there was a display of players from the club who had won international caps. Good to see Graham White adopting the pose of an 1890s Wanderers captain, against the pressure of a conventional pose from all the others.
Anyway, game started with Sonics having the advantage, and almost straight away scored very easily and converted.
Despite Cwmbran having previously had some RU success, ground is very basic. Behind the far try line is the embankment where the railway used to be.
View from said embankment. The cross bar really was that bent.
If you long for crumbling terraces, this is your ground.
Unexpectantly, Torfaen then scored 58 points, with Sonics getting another try right at the end.
A quick check of the GBG showed that their was a tick 15 minutes walk away. What I hadn’t check was the gradient charts, as the walk was pretty much vertical. However, on arrival at the pinned location, it was obvious the CAMRA app was amiss as instead of being greeted with this…..
….I was instead greeted with this.
A further check on the pubs own website gave clear instructions to ignore sat nav or on-line instructions, instead it was a further 30 minutes up the rain swept hillside.
When I finally arrived, the good news was that there was another GBG tick a few minutes walk away, promising ‘live guinea fowl swimming in the pubs own stream’…
….and the perhaps less obvious ‘stunning views over the Bristol Channel’
Stroll back down the hill, through the hell-hole that is Cwmbran Shopping Centre, and onto the 1713 Milford Haven into the 1739 London at Newport.
Medway Dragons v Eastern Rhinos
Yet another re-org of the South Premier means there is now only one opportunity to watch a game in the new London League, that doesn’t involve teams full of gob shite gap-year Kiwis and Aussies, and this weekend was it, so off to Chatham it was to see Medway Dragons host Colchester’s Eastern Rhinos.
Usual summer time train move of the 0609 PAD, to head round to Borough Market for the latest Harveys Ales at the Market Porter, amidst the varied clientel of wholesale fruiteers and clubbers on their way home. For once, the bar staff were keen to shut at 0900 but this was ok as I was heading to Kent via Essex.
A C2C class 357 took us on the short hop from Fenchurch Street down to Grays, where we had 20 minutes for the first GBG tick of the day to open, so followed signs for the previously unheard of ‘Grays Beach’. We were intercepted by a concerned local who gave us his tourist friendly review ‘more skag needles than there is fucking sand’ so we headed back to the slightly less threatening Grays Wharf for views across the mud to North Kent light industry.
With the 3 GBGs ticked, we headed along to Tilbury Town for the free bus to the former Tilbury Riverside station for the ferry over to Gravesend. This is still operated by the ex-Gosport Ferry Vesta, now called Duchess M.
We were held up awaiting the passage of the Arklow Venture (NLD, 2829gt/99) which was on its way to Purfleet with a load of sand from Belfast. I last saw the Venture in Wicklow in 2012 and it has been repainted from a crusty grey to green.
Reason for the detour via Essex was to get in the new landing pontoon at Gravesend, which has been built down river of the dock, affording unhindered viewing of Tilbury B Power Station.
Three GBGs ticked in Gravesend, before heading on to Gillingham on a South Eastern 465. Walk to the ground was through Gillingham market, which had a very well utilised air rifle and replica gun stall.
Medway Dragons 28 - Eastern Rhinos 30, London Mens Premier League
Medway Dragons were founded in 2007 originally as a youth team, and then a mens side in 2011, playing in the London and South Division of the Rugby League Conference. They have plans to eventually move up to the championship.
For a southern rugby league club, Eastern Rhinos are quite old, being formed in 1992, though they have gone through a number of guises. They were originally the Civil Service South East Team, based at Felixstowe. In 1995 they moved to Ipswich, first taking on the Rhinos name, playing in the London Amateur Rugby League. In 1997 it was on tot he new Southern Conference, which morphed into the Rugby League Conference and then the South Premier, whilst their reserves, Colchester Romans, played in the London League. The Romans split off to also join the conference, but the clubs merged agsin in 2010, based in Colchester and now called the Eastern Rhinos.
Medway Dragons usually play at the Garrisson Stadium in Gillingham, but were instead playing on the MOD park next door.
Game was excellent, mutch better than the crap I’d seen from South Wales Scorpions of late. Rhinos were the better team in the first half, dominated by a huge Stand-off who was running the game. Half time was 4-22 to Rhinos. Second half saw the Rhinos tire and Medway get right back into it, scoring five tries but only converting once. At one point it was 26-28 but a late penalty took it to 26-30 (I think). Excellent game though.
Then onto a bus to just outside Maidestone for the world Custard Pie Championship. However, as we arrived, the victorious Japanese team were just being presented with the trophy, so rather than any action, there were lots of people in provocative fancy dress, covered in shaving foam, looking like the worlds most traumatic Bukake aftermath.
Ambled back to Chatham to the hotel which was adjacent to the Royal Dockyard. Turned on the telly to find that BBC2 were showing Bargain Hunt from the Dockyard, so learned such gems as the rope-making building is the longest brick built structure in Europe. Photo from the hotel, would have been better if I had taken it when the steam train was running up and down.
Then did the 11 GBGs in Rochester/Chatham/Gillingham.
This morning headed down to Canterbury, which involved getting on the Margate train and changing at Faversham for a bus. Train was full of South London families heading to the seaside, drinking Fosters. Some of the great family conversations overheard were:-
- What’s in it for me to be pissing in a bucket, showering at the gym and living in a trailer.
- If she whines one more time, I’m gonna tell her to ask her real father.
- This posh fucker thinks he’s too good to drink warm lager.
First reason for heading to Canterbury was the Goods Shed next to the station.
This is a bit fancy foodie, but is home to Canterbury Cheese company and also the guide listed Bottle shop.
In the end got an off-cut shank of Bayonne ham, Canterbury Cobble, Bowyers Brie, Gould’s elderflower cheddar, Burwash Rose and Canterbury Cream. Beer was a mixture of Wiper & True, and Dugges Avenyn.
Then headed up to the cricket ground to meet my dad to watch the first day of Kent v Derbyshire. Not sure what has happened to county cricket, but ground was packed and we saw 17 wickets, both teams losing two wickets in each of their first overs. Kent batted first and were pretty average, apart from Sam Northeast who scored 85 of the 205 total. Footit and Palendino took all but one of the wickets for Derbys, and really gave the lower order a working over. However, Derbyshire then found themselves 0 for 3, then continued to lose wickets, being on 40 for 7, before ending on 67 for 7 with Matt Coles taking 5 for 20.
Finally, hotel is next to a model shop so got a pump cart for the layout at work, which in operation, looks like two blokes wanking
.
