Sunday 22nd September 2024 ko 14:15

West Wales Premier League

GIANTS GRAVE 4 (Wayman 39 D Williams 75 Sofiu 78 Palla 81)

CWM WANDERERS 1 (Shaw 49)

Att 204

Entry & Programme £5

The final stop of this year’s West Wales Hop saw our first visit of the weekend to a former Neath League side. Giants Grave is in the environs of Briton Ferry and the unusual name is usually seen as referencing the TW Ward’s Shipbreaking Yard, but the inconvenient truth is the name pre-dates shipbreaking or even heavy industry. I suspect the derivation probably comes from folk tales with the exact stories lost in the mists of time, and perhaps the mystery adds to the legend?

I found myself comparing the other former shipbreaking club we’ve taken the hop to, Ballast Bank former home to Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts in the East of Scotland League. In both case each ground did come with some difficulties, the chief one in West Wales being that there was no way we were going to get the coach up the approach road. Tired legs made light of it, and were rewarded with some expertly produced catering from the club. It was, by any standards a well-hosted hop game and thanks to all at Giants Grave for giving us such a good finale to the event.

The rains returned, and I was fortunate that there was just enough life left in my broken brolly to get though the game. The hosts took time to find their rhythm but, in the end had too much for Cwm Wanderers, themselves superb hosts last year.

It was a hop that brought me no little satisfaction, and I don’t mean because it involved all new grounds for me, in marked contrast to everything else we’re doing this season. No, the satisfaction is offering a set of grassroots clubs a blueprint and an opportunity. On this hop we saw all the clubs grasp that opportunity with both hands albeit some with restrictions placed on them with their grounds.

But sometimes not having it easy makes for a more interesting event, who could forget Cilgerran Rovers for example? I for one love to strip away the fripperies and get my feet muddy, on this event literally! The great regret of this hop is that the league has just this one division so next season may well be the last we have with the West Wales Premier League.

There’s no way we’ll return to Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire turned us down and unfortunately only Crymych and Llechyrd have entered the Ceredigion League since our stint there. That could add up to a Sunday back there, but in the longer term we will need a new league to visit- any takers? If you’re involved in a league we haven’t visited, and are in authority we’d love to hear from you.