Wednesday, 16 September 2020

PLACENAMES AND THE CUP

On a day when England Cricket has just lost two wickets on the first two balls of their One Day innings v Australia, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, I am tempted to go "cricket", but the FA Cup brings the best and the worst out of anoraks like me, so here a lazy way to start the blog:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53983501 Stick with it, there are some nice stories.

I couldn't get to the Stocksbridge Park Steels (Jamie Vardy's old club) v Stalybridge Celtic tie; five miles down the road-COVID struck. I didn't even get the chance to watch it in TELLY-yes, it was broadcast and I was looking after some of our Hepworth United Juniors. 

I wonder if there hadn't been COVID, whether The Steelers would have got a decent crowd? Stalybridge won comfortably and play Bishop Auckland at home on September 22nd 7.45pm, one of 117 ties in the next Preliminary Round.

Two "t's" Consett played Ossett United in the Preliminary Round and drew 2-2 winning 5-4 on pens.

Tadley Calleva (TC) won away at Fawley 1-0 and find themsleves playing Truro City (TC) in the First Qualifying Round on September 22nd. The TCs tie. Tadley Calleva is a town sited on an ancient Iron Age Fort (settled by the Atrebates who invaded from the Belgium region) and then occupied as a Roman crossroads.

Tadley Atrebatum is a old Roman settlement near Silchester in Hampshire; the club founded in 1989 and plays in the Wessex League. Harking back to the series of lectures by Professor Harold Darby, the leading expert on "placenames"; Tadley means (Tad = toads/frogs) and (ley = clearing in a wood), we can work out why the locals developed their settlement name. Can anyone explain Penistone?  Upperthong? Wetwang? Prof Harold didn't mention these in his lectures.

Two Sussex clubs: Broadbridge Heath v Haywards Heath meet at the West Sussex home near Horsham. A few miles away, Horsham play Kingstonian, rivals in the Isthmian League. The Hornets, my first senior club!

Poole Town have to travel to Merthyr Town, a longish hop over the Severn Bridge.

Two teams "flying high", Larkhall Athletic v Bitton- is a meeting of two birdnames? whereas Cray Wanderers meet Fisher but at their home Hayes Lane, Bromley, nowhere near the sea. The Cray club claims to have been formed when St Mary Cray and St Paul's Cray, near Orpington, joined to make a team in 1860...making a claim for being one of the oldest clubs IN THE WORLD. To celebrate their 150th anniversary, they cleverly arranged a triangular tournament with Sheffield FC and Hallam FC, the other two "oldest" clubs.


Old friends Hashtag Utd play Soham Town Rangers ( a club some uni friends went to play for during the student years).

New Salami play Brentwood Town and Hayward Heath Town (who beat Broadbridge Heath Town in the battle of the Heaths) play Hanwell Town.

I wonder if Macclesfield Town (146 years old) will recover from its financial disaster to take part later in the draw.

This round winners get £2250 and losers £750, which won't help MTFC!


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