Keynsham Town v Portishead Town
Bristol Manor Farm v Cribbs
Longwell Green Sports v Melksham Town
Staying closer to home as back at work tomorrow, and also because the Western League was throwing up a number of staggered kick offs so could get three games in. Plan was for 11 - Keynsham, 13 - Odd Down, 15 - Larkhall.
However, storm overnight with plenty of flooding, meant Odd Down was off but Brislington was a 1300 and still on.
Move to Keynsham was train into Bath with its obsession for stone.
And the Castellated railway arches.
Average beer at horrendous prices, for people who wear polo shirts with the collar turned up.
The storm had put the railway south of Bath into a mess, so my connection to Keynsham wasn't running. Instead it was off to the bus station.
Even the bus station winos had more considered tastes. No White lightening round here.
I joined the throngs on the 38 bus to Bristol….
....over the swollen River Avon....
....into Keynsham....
...for this.
The car park was busy and contained two coaches, which could be considered overkill for the 12 mile trip from Portishead.
In through the ornate turnstiles.
Keynesham Town 4 v Portishead Town 0, Toolstation Western League, First Division.
Keynsham Town have been around for 120 years. They played in the Bristol and then Somerset leagues, before joining the Western in the 1970s. They have skipped between the premier and first ever since. I saw them in the first week of the season, away at Warminster.
Like the place itself, Portishead Town are named after the mid 1990s gloom-hop band. They were formed post WW2, and played in local leagues before joining the Somerset Senior in the 1970s. In 2004 they joined the Western league, initially doing quite well but unable to progress due to ground grading.
Crown Field was completely rebuilt a couple of seasons ago.
Most noticeably, it has a 3G pitch.
The stand was reclaim from these distinct colours...
....to this blanket of dullness.
It seems to be the weekend for the micro terrace, with Keynsham having added these two small enclosures.
The adjacent rugby pitches were flooded in parts.
At one end of the ground the main Bristol - London railway runs. The 0741 Penzance - Paddington HST passes. The rear power car is in a special livery to commemorate Harry Patch, who was the WW1 soldier who seemed to live forever.
Keynsham dominated the game and it was 3-0 by half time.
Checking Twitter, the game at Brislington was now off and the only other game on at 1300 was Manor Farm, on the other side of Bristol. So I headed off for the station.
The gap in the wall behind the opposite platform was the rail connection to the Fry's Somerdale factory, famous for it's chocolate cream bar. They merged with Cadburys and survived, making Double Decker, Dairy Milk, Chocolate Buttons, Cream Eggs and Mini Eggs, Cadbury's Fudge, Chomp and Crunchie. However, when it was taken over by Kraft in 2010, they immediately started asset stripping, and the factory shut down and the complex turned into housing. Fry club have always had a strong football team, and play in the Somerset County league.
Eventually a late running South West Trains unit turned up, one of three a day that run from Salisbury to Bristol.
Past the football club where they were still playing.
Into Bristol Temple Meads for a tight connection onto a Severn Beach branch service.
The line runs through the north Bristol suburbs to Clifton, then enters a long tunnel, before breaking out into the Avon Gorge.
My destination was Sea Mills station...
....which is a leap away from the football ground, which can be seen on the right.
Unfortunately the leap is across a muddy creek, which is the mouth of the river Trym. The stone remains are of a 17th century whaling dock. Yes, really.
So it is a narrow path across the top of a sluice gate....
....across the Portway....
....and we are there.
Bristol Manor Farm 3 v Cribbs 1, Toolstation Western League, Premier division.
Manor Farm were only formed in 1960, but were in the Western league by the mid seventies. Since then they have almost always been in the premier, having the best form for the last 10 years. They got through to the quarter finals of the Vase this year.
Cribbs are the football team of the Axa insurance sociable club. They started in the 1970s when the then Sun Alliance moved to Bristol. Much like the IBIS club at Reading, Bristol had a sports ground for the various insurance companies in the City, this being at Cribbs Causeway. They joined the Bristol Combination, moved up to the Gloucestershire County in 2000 under the guise of Axa, before joining the Western in 2012, by that time being backed by Friends Life. They were promoted last season to the premier, but do not have the backing of any of the companies, so are now just known as Cribbs.
The ground is tucked tight between the railway, the creek, and the dual carriage way. During spring tides, the far goal can flood, and this has happened during games.
The spectator provision is mostly down one side, in the form of three low stands, with an additional bus shelter thrown in for good measure.
One of the stands contains some very eclectic loose seating. Who wouldn't want to watch the game on a velour bar stool.
The far touch line also has a cover, separating the dug outs.
If I’d have known about this, I’d have asked for comps.
If you are one of the lucky 14 followers, you will already know it was a double win for towels.
The lucky spectators getting to watch the game and clear 150106 for sight
The pitch has a massive slope.
This equated the teams out in the first half, with it ending 1-1
The area was traditionally home to the dock workers overspill, so is at the earthier end of the hugely diverse society that is Bristol. The clubhouse has always been a very vibrant one.
Even more so when it has the local rocket fuel cider on.
However, Manor Farm, shooting uphill, had the better second half, scoring twice to win 3-1.
I headed back to the station, where an old man was being completed on his vibrant trainers by a young girl, for the sole GWR branded sprinter unit.
This took me to the St Pauls located station of Lawrence Hill....
....where I made a -3 connection onto a 45 bus, though this kid had selfishly bagged the front seat.
After enduring a drawn out discussion between a teenager with an Afro, and an elderly Irish gentleman, about the economics of Lidl having their own farms to keep prices low whilst maintains quality, we arrived in Longwell Green. By this time the latter was telling the bus how he only ever bets on horses which are eight or nine to one. His exception being he has a 200 - 1 bet on Donald Trump to be assassinated before the presidential elections. He had been on the Natch way before I had.
Across from the stop, the floodlights could be seen, next to a very complicated punning hairdressers.
Shortly, the ground was found...
...which confirmed this....
....but the pitch still took some finding, somewhere between Mustard Tree Community Church and 46th Bristol Scout Troop.
Eventually it was located, amongst some Bristol City ticketing, including a previously unknown City-Tilburg alliance.
The gate seemed to have some sort of welcoming committee on it.
Longwell Green Sports 0 v Melksham Town 3, Toolstation Western League, Premier division.
Longwell Green Sports were formed in 1966 by the local bus building company. They played in the Bristol and District League, before moving on to the combination. They moved into the Gloucestershire County league in 2004, but were promoted at the first attempt into the Western.
Melksham have been around since as long ago as 1875. They played in the Wiltshire league for 100 years until joining the Western. They have mostly been in the Premier since. They won the league last year, but did not go up as they are waiting for their new ground, which is currently being built. Their current ground, the Conigre is a bit of a classic, though less so since it lost its woodern main stand. However, still a must re-visit before they move on.
The clubs recent elevation to non-league is reflected in the rather Spartan facilities.
A seating stand and terrace exist on the clubhouse side. Inevitably an Arena UK pre fab.
With the dugouts on the far touch line.
There seems to be some sort of building work going on.
At closer inspection, it appears to be an attempt to upgrade these rather homespun dugouts.
A feature of the Somerset leagues is the dugouts doubling as equipment stores, so having lockable covers. These still bore those.
However, I've never seen the stands have these before?
The lack of any covering on the fence meant there were some who were saving themselves the £4 entrance fee.
Even if the pitch wasn't, the car park was showing signs of the previous night’s rain.
The first half was all Longwell Green…
….but Melksham had a breakaway late in the half, from which they got a soft penalty, which was taken even more softly.
Half time, and into the club house, which served Toby bitter, whilst on the wall was a homage to agricultural hero Charlie Dimmock.
This has to be the worst paint job, of anything, anywhere, ever.
Straight after half time, Melksham scored...
...then scored a penalty....
....before finally adding a well taken third.
I headed back to the bus stop, because despite there being three buses an hour back to Bristol, these went at 46, 46 and 52 minutes past the hour.
My chariot was a Volvo B7TL chassis, Wright Eclipse Gemini H45/29F body, which has just been reliveried in the Bristol 2015 European Green Capital garb
The walk to Temple Meads takes you in the side entrance, which would be a magnificent sight, if it weren’t for the 1960s signal box plonked alongside. Fortunately, this is soon to be swept away as the area is being re-signalled, with control moving to the uber signalling centre in Didcot.
The previously seen Harry Patch HST was my ride home, in the magnificent train shed of the Bristol and Exeter railway company heritage.
All day I’d been carrying around four bottles of Thornbridge offerings, which strangely, the newsagents in Keynsham was selling. Now was the time to enjoy them.
