Spuds

Elburton Villa  1  Bovey Tracey  2

South West Peninsula League – Premier East

Admission / Programme - £6 / £2

Back at the Holiday Inn, Steve and I enjoyed a couple of overpriced beverages on our return from Holsworthy, it had been a great day, and after the disappointment of Honiton, it was as much of a relief than anything that the day went to plan.

The Saturday involved a trip further West, I was hot footing it to St David’s again while Steve was travelling by car, for he had a somewhat off-piste adventure to contend with in the afternoon. It was a bright morning, and barring a weather related disaster, all was set fair for a good day, which was to start in Kernow, it was Passport’s at the ready!

Liskeard Athletic was the first port of call, the first game on their Lux Park pitch since December, it all went to plan even if we were hit with a rain / hail storm in the first half. Over 500 rocked up to see the local derby against Dobwalls, but the home side ran in 2-0 victors. I won’t blog it as I’ve done Liskeard before, but game two, that was a different matter….

Steve had been to Elburton Villa, so he was off to watch Callington Town Reserves on the plastic, but I boarded the fun bus and we made our merry way back across the Tamar Bridge and to the East of Plymouth. The traffic as we got into Plymouth was a little sticky, but before long we were climbing the hill and turning right into the car park at Villa, a ground that has been on a SWPL Groundhop before, but, when they played on the top pitch, as opposed to the bottom pitch which they play on now.

The sun was shining, and Elburton had got the beer flowing, so knowing that the afternoon game on the Saturday is usually the poorest attended on the Hop (due to alternative options), they clearly worked on the principle that selling beer and food was the best way to make the money!

The bar, at the top of the bank before you enter the ground, while tight space wise, was doing a roaring trade, and before we knew it, the players were about to head down the bank to get the game underway.

What’s the deal with Elburton Villa then?

The club came about in 1982 following on from former guise Elburton Red Triangle, starting out in the Plymouth & District League before becoming founder members of the Devon County League. 

When the Devon County League merged with the South Western League in 2007 they did of course become founder members of the South West Peninsula League, making their debut in the Premier Division.

By 2016 they had been relegated to Division One West, but by 2018 they found themselves back in the top flight again, eventually settling at Step 6 when restructuring saw the Premier Division split across an East and West Division, with the East being their home since then.

They’ve never played in the FA Cup, nor have they ever won the FA Vase, but they do keep trying!

The ground is part of a large expanse, with the car park just off the main road, and the old pitch directly in front. You walk to the right of the old pitch where the bar and the dressing rooms are located, then in front of you, set in something of a bowl is the new pitch. 

Steep grass banking adorns two sides, behind the top goal and down a large part of the South side of the ground. A small area of cover sits right at the top of the bank behind the goal, while at the bottom of the banking on the South side is a small Atcost style seated stand for around fifty spectators. You can stand behind the opposite goal, but the North side of the ground is out of bounds.

A good number of spectators chose to stand on the top of the grass banking, myself included, and it was from that vantage point on a lovely Spring day, that an entertaining spectacle broke out in front of the crowd of 311.

Visiting Bovey Tracey took the lead in the 12th minute through Josh Haynes who controlled and finished well, and then the same player made it 2-0 on the half hour mark. The game took an interesting turn ten minutes into the second period when Mitch Thomas slid across goal to block an Elburton shot, only to be sent off for handball. Turned out that Thomas did not use his hands to stop the ball, it hit him full in the spuds, which video evidence later confirmed, and pleasingly, the red card was overturned on appeal!

Elburton converted the penalty thanks to Bentley Alcantara, and from that point onwards the hosts took the game to the visitors, but it was to no avail, other than in injury time when an on field altercation saw both sides have a player sent off, namely the aforementioned Alcantara for Elburton, and Neil Last for Bovey Tracey. No hard feelings though, they shook hands, had a bit of banter and spent the last few moments watching the game together!

And that was Elburton, it was time for the last episode of Whacky Races to start as the bus and all of those in cars headed back out of Plymouth in an Easterly direction, albeit not far, Ivybridge which was a mere 7 miles away, the show was nearly over, but not quite…..