In God's Country

Ryburn United  3  TVR United  0

West Riding County Amateur League – Premier Division

I do love a trip to West Yorkshire.

Over the years I’ve been to some stunningly picturesque venues while watching football, highlights include Oxenhope and the breathtaking views over the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, Salts and the evocative Saltaire Village, Esholt and Emmerdale Country, and of course the ghostly mills of Marsden.

And Why Not.....?

The West Riding County Amateur never failed to disappoint as year in, year out, new teams would appear and new venues would be visited. It was that league that then set me onto the West Yorkshire League for what were some equally fabulous trips to some wonderful places.

Things are changing though, in 2010-11 season the WRCAL had four division with a membership of 54 teams. At the start of this season it was down to one division with 15 teams, but since then Wakefield City, AFC Bingley and DRAM Community have all resigned, it’s down to 12 teams.

Many knowledgeable locals are suggesting this could the final season for the league, with the clubs either choosing to go into the West Yorkshire League or the West Yorkshire Amateur League. It certainly has the look of a league on its way out, especially after a proposed merger with the West Yorkshire League fell through in the Summer.

That said though, it has persevered with its recruitment and in the Summer new teams in the shape of AFC Bingley, Toller and Ryburn United joined the fold, but of course Bingley quickly disappeared again. Toller, for that matter, did disappear before the season started, but they suddenly re-appeared again, and so far all looks good.

Halifax Road Side

Ryburn United though, a side from the Halifax League who finished runners up to Shelf United last season, despite winning 16 of their 20 games, looked to be one of the more competitive recruits, and competing out of their own base at Ripponden Wood, it was on the radar for a visit.

It’s taken a bit of time though as for the first month or so they didn’t play at Ripponden Wood due to some work taking place on the ground, but having been in a dialogue with their Twitter Guy, I got the affirmative that the game against Bradford based TVR United would indeed be at ‘home’.

Getting to the village of Ripponden is pretty straight forward, and once off the M62 at Ainley Top, as you would expect, it’s a very picturesque run out of Elland, into Greetland and then down into the valley where it sits. Located only twelve miles from Rochdale, Ripponden is very much a Yorkshire village, but being so close to the Greater Manchester boundary it does have close links.

Aesthetic

The River Ryburn (hence the clubs name) runs through the village which has a population of around 8,000, while it was famous for being on the route for the Tour de France in 2014 when it passed through before climbing the 1.3 kilometre long Cote de Ripponden.  Other than that, it has pubs and the like, and like many of these Yorkshire villages and towns, it does make me wonder how they cope when the snow comes!

The ground is located to the North of the village, on the main Halifax Road, and once down the narrow driveway, a car park and dressing room building appears on the right. Adjacent to the building is a storage container that’s been converted into a handy tea bar selling pies and other such delicacies.

Two sides of the ground are overlooked by the stunning views of the woodland that slopes up the side of the valley, while on the main road side is a steep wall that runs close to the edge of the pitch, which in itself provided a great viewing location for some of the spectators.

Dressing Rooms

The pitch was in good nick and to comply with regulations a ‘Respect’ barrier was erected down one side. Overall, a lovely venue that the club have worked hard on to give some basic creature comforts for players and spectators alike.

The game was due to kick off at 2.30pm but TVR were in no rush so it was 2.45pm by the time it actually happened, and that laissez faire attitude transmitted onto the pitch where they were comfortably beaten by a well drilled and determined Ryburn outfit.

The final score was 3-0 and that was probably a fair reflection of the balance of play, which saw the hosts jump over the visitors in the league table into fifth position. Quality wise it was of a good standard, but it does beg the question as to where clubs like Ryburn United might sit as regards next season.

If the WRCAL is no longer viable, and the future may not be clear until very late in the day, then decisions will need to be made early by clubs who want to secure a league for 2019-20. It may be that process which ultimately is the death of the WRCAL, unless of course the FA Leagues people get involved, in which case the outcome is anyone’s guess.

For the time being though, give me God's Country any day of the week……

The Wall