Tuesday 15th July ko 19:15

James Chisnell Memorial Cup

EAST THURROCK COMMUNITY 0

GRAYS ATHLETIC 4 (Fitzer 22 Bantick 32 Lukaku 42p Shelvey 51)

Att 130 at Wyldecrest Sports Country Club, Corringham

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On the face of it East Thurrock United always were a little unusual. They never actually played in Thurrock, rather in Corringham around 6 miles east, with the name apparently being because the Corringham name had already been taken! I, like no end of groundhoppers saw them at their final ground, Rookery Hill, but they folded in 2023 with owner Alfie Best blaming the club’s demise on “Historic Debt”

Rookery Hill was and is owned by Alfie Best so it was a shame to see the site very much mothballed, and the phoenix club East Thurrock Community are playing at another Best-owned site, the Wyldecrest Sports Country Club. That lies around a mile from Rookery Hill, and while perfectly adequate for the Essex and Suffolk Border League it does seem strange using there, when there’s a better alternative close by. Incidentally former tenants at Rookery Hill, Romford FC are now groundsharing at Barking FC. Here’s what Rookery Hill looks like now.

But even the choice of league is a little odd. Given Corringham’s south of the county location I’d have expected East Thurrock to be in the Essex Olympian League. The reason is that they  joined the Essex and Suffolk Border League as they could be accepted straight into Step 7.

As a new club The Essex Olympian League wouldn’t offer them Step 7, my understanding is that they offered to place them obly in Division 2 (Step 9).

But who am I to judge either way? And and as I write this the club are top of the league so its all clearly working out of them. That said, if they were to win the league and gain promotion, they’d need a Step 6 complaint ground, and there’s one lying dormant less than a mile away….

But until promotion is gained the Wyldecrest is certainly an interesting place to watch a game, with the added bonus that you can get a full meal in the clubhouse too! What makes the place memorable is the raised area in front of the clubhouse, I could easily have watched the entire game from there.

The game was played for the James Chisnell Cup, named in memory of a Grays fan who died suddenly in April 2024. Perhaps it was fitting that the club he loved won the trophy in his name, but in any case both teams got a good pre-season workout.