Little Switzerland

Church Stretton  7  Ludlow Town Juniors  1

Shropshire County Challenge Cup – First Round

I’ll be honest, I knew very little about the town of Church Stretton when I set off, but having returned from what I subsequently found out is an area of outstanding natural beauty, I’ll admit to being blown away.

Probably down to a bit of ignorance on my part, I’d not done any homework on the town located on the road from Shrewsbury to Hereford, so was completely unprepared for what I found when I got there.

Where Better To Watch Football?

Parking at the Russell's Meadow ground of the football club, I took a walk onto the busy Sandford Avenue and was really impressed by the shops and eateries, this was a proper old Victorian town centre, bustling with locals and tourists.

A pint followed in the Malt House, and then a further walk took me down Ludlow Road before I worked my way back to the football ground. My only regret was that I wish I’d arrived earlier and been able to spend more time exploring the town.

The New Facility

But it actually gets better, because when you walk into the football ground it becomes plain to see why the town was nicknamed ‘Little Switzerland’ in the late Victorian and Edwardian times, because of the surroundings and the way the houses are shaped into the hillsides.

The surroundings are in fact huge hills, of which Long Mynd and Caer Caradoc are just two of the more notable ones. But, you have to just stand and admire the stunning scenery, the hills seem to roll on all four sides of the ground. Church Stretton has around five thousand inhabitants, and they are clearly very lucky people to be living in this beautiful place.

Let’s not forget though that I did come to watch a football match!

Stunning

Church Stretton were promoted at the end of last season from the Mercian League into the West Midlands Regional League. They spent last season playing at nearby Hanwood while they were in the process of building a new facility at Russell's Meadow which is an impressive dressing room and hospitality complex. It looks very much like this building was the final piece of the jigsaw to allow them to be promoted.

Apart from the stunning scenery, Russells Meadow is a tidy ground. It’s fenced on three sides, the fourth is open due to being shared with cricket. Other than a couple of dugouts there is no other furniture to note. The pitch was in good shape, but had a slight slope from side to side.

The opponents were Ludlow Town Juniors, a young side competing in the Herefordshire League, and they surprised the more senior hosts by taking the lead. However, this simply spurred Church Stretton on and by half time they were leading 5-1 and completely out of sight. I felt confident in advising Mrs Hatt that there would be no extra-time and I would be home as planned!

Out Over The Cricket Square

Church Stretton did add two more in the second period but were also guilty of missing numerous excellent chances, on another day it could have been double figures. That would have been harsh on the plucky visitors though who despite the heavy beating, never gave up and continued to try to play football. They just came up against a stronger, more experienced side today who simply had far too much for them.

A decent crowd assembled to watch the game, as you often find in small towns where the ground is as close to the town centre as it is in Church Stretton. Clearly the move back to the town has been a positive one, the question I guess is how far can the club go? Further ground developments may well be an issue, I’m no expert in local matters but getting floodlights given their location may be something of a challenge.

But what a fantastic day out, made all the more enjoyable by the element of surprise. I would strongly recommend a visit, you won’t be disappointed. 

Outstanding Natural Beauty