Having enjoyed my trip to Nelson, I decided for the last week of the North West Counties League season to head for the hills again. My choice was limited, as Nelson and Colne were away. Matt from the Lost Boyos was visiting Padiham, but I wanted to go somewhere I have not been, so I gave him a cheery wave on Twitter as I went through Burnley, and travelled on to Barnoldswick Town, who were entertaining Atherton Collieries.
I decided to walk part of the way from Colne, so I took a route above Foulridge Tunnel and down to the towpath of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. An information board told me the name of Foulridge comes from foals the Anglo Saxons used to graze in the area. Not that it lived up to that, with grazing mainly by sheep.
Barnoldswick is in West Craven, administratively in the Pendle District. These pages observe traditional sporting boundaries, so I was heading to Yorkshire, and carried a flat cap to comply with local sumptuary requirements. The County Brook forms the historic boundary, and we can just see it here between the trees. Broad Sunlit Uplands are on the right, although readers in Yorkshire may disagree.
Matt told me the town is known locally as Barlick. I am never sure what to make of information like this - have the locals half forgotten the real name, or do outsiders using the local name draw the incomprehension of a French waiter when you apply an incorrectly gendered ending? I took the bus for the last mile or so, and the driver of the rather plush Witch Way seemed happy to accept the formal name.
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| Mutton and Lamb |
After a quick look round, I headed to the ground. Manchester once had a Sanitary Street (now called Anita Street), as the Victorian builders were proud their houses were connected to the new sewers. The bygone civic and sporting fathers of Barnoldswick were presumably equally proud of their drainage arrangements. Fortunately, on this occasion we were upwind of the adjacent works.
I took up position on the stand side. I am a great believer in sponsorship: if it moves, stick an advert on it; if it does not, nail an advert to it. All the neat fence panels had been sponsored.
Regardless of the result, Atherton would finish third in the League. However, they still had the finals of the Bolton Hospital Cup and the MEN United Cup (League Cup) the following week. It was no surprise to see a few of those who played against West Didsbury and Chorlton a couple of weeks previously, when the League Championship was still a possibility, not present or on the bench.
We enjoyed a competitive game in midfield, but the hosts took full advantage of the situation, quickly establishing a lead.
This is a ground where you can quite easily watch football and cricket at the same time, but that would have meant looking in to the sun for the former, so I stayed put.
For the last few minutes of the second half, I moved to the town side of the dugouts, and wished I had done so before, as I had not noticed when I came in that the ground has a slight slope towards this end, with the advantages of the lower shooting position that this provides.
Barnoldswick eventually scored five, with the one consolation for the visitors, whose approach paid off with their subsequently winning both cups.
The hosts were keen to get ready for maintenance over the summer, with the players taking the goalposts down before they got changed - only pausing to ensure I was not brained with the crossbar as I passed them on the way out.
I then adjourned to the Barlick Tap (a use of the abbreviated name aimed at all), for a pint, electricity for my phone, and an unscheduled chat with a chap with a dog, who seemed very keen to sell the attractions of my getting a bigger rucksack to fit a tent, and camping in a random field in the area.
As for the title of this post - I raised an eyebrow when I found the dark bit at the top of the hill in the background really is called Roger Moor.
Final score: Barnoldswick Town 5 Atherton Collieries 1
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