Not a Vanarama National League North fixture from the eighties but a keenly fought league style fixture today. A pennine league has been set up to start next Spring and Rochdale is currently a collection of pubs and sports clubs who operate their own league but are branching out. They wanted to try our format as used in West Yorkshire League so this fixture was arranged. It was basically two league fixtures side by side. Both clubs supplied 2 teams of 6 and played 2 Triples followed by 3 doubles.
It had been wet for some time leading up to the fixture and team captains were in touch up to the last minute as to whether it would go ahead. Finally at 0830 this morning the email arrived from Huddersfield Captain. “They’re mad keen to play so we’re going ahead”
So we all turned up at the terrain this morning. It was wet but not Uber wet. Drizzle that turned into Mizzle but it didn’t stop the game going ahead. It dried up about lunchtime.
Although this was Rochdale Town’s first trip outside Lancashire they’re an impressive outfit. Some have played at Heckmondwike and Leeds and some of their squad are very young. As Brendan observed “The difference between the teams is about 35 years”.
But the old men (and old women) won the day. The A team fixture was 3-2 in games with dead level on points but the B team game was 5-0 and a larger points difference.
We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when.
Wasn’t Gracie Fields a Rochdale Lass?
Huddersfield Pétanque 