Blaise

St Blazey  1  St Dennis  1

South West Peninsula League – Division One West

Blimey Charlie, it was certainly getting warm as I jumped back in the car at Sticker and set about the short journey across via St Austell to St Blazey.

Cornwall was feeling the heat, it was what the tourist industry dreamt of, the roads were clogged, the car parks had queues all the way out of the entrances and they couldn’t ship enough ice cream in to meet the demand.

That said, the drive down to St Blazey was a fairly straightforward one, because by 1pm, most folk had either reached their destination for the day, or, they’d simply given up!

The second game of the day was one I was really looking forward to, St Blazey are a famous old name in Cornish non-league circles, and the ground, Blaise Park, is a reputed bobby dazzler. I would consider myself to have been quite excited by the prospect of seeing a game there.

St Blazey sits to the East of St Austell and effectively conjoins with Par, indeed Par Station is not too far from the ground. The visitors from nearby St Dennis are based betwixt St Austell and Indian Queens, which sits right on the main A30, the road that takes you home if you are from up North!

St Blazey Football Club have one hell of a history, put very bluntly!

They’ve won the South Western League 13 times, indeed in the Noughties, they won it six seasons out of seven before moving into the newly formed South West Peninsula League. This was a club that in South West circles, was a real powerhouse.

But, for some strange reason, that success didn’t continue into the Peninsula era, because in ten seasons they had a best finish of fourth, and in 2017 they suffered relegation to the Western Division where they remain.

They’ve also had a couple of decent runs in the FA Vase, losing to AFC Sudbury in the Fifth Round in 2003, and then Eastwood Town and Crook Town in the Fourth Round in subsequent seasons. Strangely enough, with Eastwood being one of my local clubs, it was nice to see one of their scarves on display in the trophy cabinet.

So, last season saw a seventh placed finish, and this time around they sit just below half way in the table. It does seem strange to see such a big name floundering, but I guess it goes in cycles, St Blazey are too big a club to stay down for a long time, they will, I’m sure, be back sooner rather than later.

Incidentally, St Dennis went into the game capable of a top four finish, this from a club who only joined the league in 2011, having previously been an East Cornwall League outfit.

The ground is a cracker, not picturesque in the sense of Sticker, but not without scenery at the same time to be fair. What it does have though is lots of character, and indeed history. As you pull into the car park you have two choices, you can either go straight into the clubhouse (have a guess what I did), or, you can head for the main iron gates which have the name ‘Blaise Park’ worked into them.

I did eventually make it to the main gates, where the turnstile sits adjacent, and once inside you’re stood right by the corner flag. An impressive tea bar selling possibly the finest Cornish Pasty I’ve ever tasted is close by, while once beyond the players entrance, which is behind the goal, is a small area of cover set away from the pitch at the back of a sloped grassy area. It looks like it’s been in place for many a year.

Moving around is a wonderful grass bank with a concrete walkway in front of it. Behind the grass bank, over the fence is the river, and indeed the railway line, where the passing trains get a great view of the action.

The end furthest from the turnstiles is just flat standing, while on the side opposite the grass bank is a neat seated stand, which on the day of the game, provided some respite from the searing heat of the sun.

As I said, an absolute belter of a ground, built up over the years, kept very neat and tidy, and not one hint of a prefabricated structure in place. And yes, from the top of the bank, the views were pretty good, not quite Sticker in a rural sense, but good all the same!

The game was a tight affair, and with that it was also one that kept spectators engaged.

Callum McGhee gave the hosts the lead in the fifteenth minute, and that was how it remained at half time. Both sides had chance to find the net in the second period but it was the well organised and determined visitors who eventually found the net with an equalising goal.

It was Michael Davies who found the onion bag from the penalty spot, awarded following a hasty challenge, and in fairness on the balance of play, a draw was probably the fair outcome.

So that was how it ended, a very good game at a cracking venue. I needed to find my way back to Falmouth and hope I was still in the good books, I had a feeling Friday night was going to cost me, I wasn’t wrong, but, it was worth it….

Besides, I’d got a plan in mind for the following day as well!