Sunday 30th August ko 17:00

West Lancashire League Division One

TURTON 0

CARNFORTH RANGERS 3 (Holmes 11 44 Johnson 44)

Att 314

Entry £5

Programme £2

In just about every groundhop that’s ever been organised there’s always one club that proves to be a problem. Normally it’s a failure to communicate so the ideas that make these events successful don’t take root, and so the club runs the risk of failing to make the best of their opportunity. There was little doubt that Turton FC’s staging was always going to create issues, but this is the story of they moved heaven and earth to make their part of the West Lancs Hop work.

You climb to get to the pretty village of Turton with itsneolithic stone circle, a Tudor manor house, a nineteenth century mill chimney, and a Second World War defensive pillbox all within one square mile. In footballing terms we were visiting a club with “Cradle of the game” status, dating from 1870, becoming the first association football team in Lancashire. The reason Lancashire clubs adopted the rules that we’d recognise as Association Rules, was because Turton refused to play any other way.

The issue was actually getting a crowd of 300 into the Thomason Fold. On one hand the place is accessed by a narrow footpath to the left of someone’s driveway, and the neighbours really don’t like supporters parking outside their houses, to the point that cars have had notices glued on to their windscreens. No one wants that, to the club organised parking in a field on the other side of the village. I was tired, walking to my 7th game of the weekend, but it was clever, forward thinking on the part of the club, it worked beautifully, and there was the added bonus of a cricket match to take in too. Plenty took advantage.

Once into Thomason Fold, you saw what a remarkable job the club did with a remarkably small footprint to work. People got fed, merchandise sold, and most of us quickly realised that the best vantage point wasn’t actually in the ground! Beyond the far side the grass bank gives a fine view of the game, but also of the hills and village behind. I took in the view, and quickly realised I wasn’t for moving.

There was an unintended consequence though. We knew there were storms in the area, I was fortunate to be stood next door to meteorologist Chris but he didn’t offer up much hope. It started well, “That storm you can see won’t head our way.” but then “There’s a massive storm over the top of Bolton, and that IS heading our way“

So with all due respect to Turton FC, we did watch the game with more than an eye on the weather, and I’m sure Carnforth Rangers were pleased to get the game won before the downpour. As for us that walk back to be a killer, as the storm hit us with a real vengeance and Robyn and I were soaked well before we got back to the car.

But let’s not forget what a wonderful tick this was. A ground that’s as tucked away as anyone could imagine and with all that history too. We may have been wet, but we were satisfied.