Ground #415 - Mount Wise Stadium

Date: 8th November 2025
Location: Newquay, Cornwall
Ground: Mount Wise Stadium

My eighth new ground of 2025 was on Saturday 8th November at Mount Wise Stadium in Newquay, Cornwall. The game was Newquay vs. Wellington in Western League Premier Division.

Mount Wise Stadium is located in a residential area not far from Newquay town centre. It is up the hill less than a mile north of the beach and aquarium and is half a mile west of Newquay railway station. It is bordered by allotments to the south and west, a park to the east and housing to the north. The venue has been home to the club since 1922.

The entrance to the ground is on the southern flank. To the right of this is a covered stand with bench seating (some of these are picnic benches while some are fixed). To the left is shallow grass banking with hard standing in front. There is also an announcer cabin built on the grass bank close to the turnstiles. The northern side of the ground hosts the covered main stand which consists of 5 levels of wooden benching with dugouts either side of the structure.

This grass bank with concrete standing in front extends round behind the western goal. The eastern end has the primary facilities at Mount Wise. There is a food outlet in the south-east corner and a clubhouse building directly behind the goal which includes a wooden balcony area to the right of the goal that spectators can view from. You can also see the pitch from inside the clubhouse which is a very nice modern design.

Newquay had experienced the better start to the season and were sitting in 8th going into the game against 16th place Wellington. Both side were coming off the back of comfortable 3-goal victories and the competitive nature of the game was demonstrated with the first goal after just ninety seconds. It was the visitors who opened the scoring - a sliced shot from Oscar Albano was nudged in by Douglas Camilo. The hosts didn't take long to turn things around, scoring from the spot in the 12th minute with Jack Bray-Evans striking low to the keeper's right after Jack Haggerty had tripped Rhys Simmonds on the right side of the area. And two minutes later it was 2-1 as Bray-Evans drew the keeper and passed for Simmonds to knock home unchallenged. It was an end-to-end game at Mount Wise - from the restart Wellington's James de Selincourt saw his dipping shot from just outside the area palmed away. After this Newquay got on top and had several chances to score. Al Ahmed nicked the ball off a defender and squared for Bray-Evans who looped the ball out of the ground from a few yards out when he scored have scored. The same man then spurned another opportunity when clean through forcing a save from Jack McAndrews this time. Even when Bray-Evans turned provider to lay off for Aaron Dilley to tuck underneath the keeper Newquay were still denied a third via the offside flag. 

They were left to rue this six minutes after the break when Oscar Albano tapped in Alfie Slough's cross to level the scores. A series of free-kicks dictated the following passage of play. Wellington almost got their noses in front in the 56th minute when Sam Towler's effort hit the post. The visitors had to thank McAndrews a few minutes later for acrobatically denying a header from a free-kick that was heading in. He could do nothing in the 66th minute though when Cam Turner's low bobbling free-kick found its way to the bottom corner of the net. The hosts looked more likely to score after this - in the 88th minute Bray-Evans missed another sitter, blazing over from close range from Rhys Simmonds' cross from the left. However, in the first minute of stoppage time Bray-Evans was able to grab his second of the afternoon, making no mistake by shooting across the keeper into the opposite corner after being teed up by Jacob Grange. This finished off the scoring with Newquay emerging 4-2 victors from a thoroughly entertaining match-up. 

Result: Newquay 4-2 Wellington

Division: Western League Premier Division

Attendance: 530

Ground #391 - Underlane

Date: 16th August 2023
Ground: Underlane
Location: Wendron, Cornwall

My sixteenth new ground of 2023 was on Wednesday 16th August at Underlane in Wendron, Cornwall The game was Wendron United vs. Penzance in South West Peninsula League Premier Division West.

Underlane is actually 4 miles north-east of the main settlement of Wendron and is closest to the settlement of Carnkie. It is mostly surrounded by fields with only the small village of Carnkie to the north. The ground is a few miles west of the outskirts of the Penryn & Falmouth urban area so is 4 miles from the nearest railway station at Penryn. Wendron Cricket Club have been based on the site since 1949 and the football club took up residence in 1986.

The northern flank has the sole stand at the ground. The whole side is perched atop a stone wall to give an unusual appearance. It is entirely covered with a standing section on two levels towards the east, then a seated area with 4 rows of benches and then back to the standing on two levels towards the west. There are a large number of supporting beams throughout to hold up the roof which is adorned with solar panels. It is an interesting set-up which sets it apart from other venues at this level in England. The opposite side is sparse in comparison with the two dugouts and a raised platform by the halfway line. There is a very thin walkway but this side is clearly not meant for spectators. Behind this side is the car park and the clubhouse which has a bar and small event space and is shared with the cricket club.

The eastern end is similarly limited on the spectator front but backs onto a cage 3G mini pitch as well as a larger grass pitch. The western end is where the entrance can be found as well as a 2 storey club building which includes the dressing rooms. There is a thin standing area which stops halfway past the goal to account for the stone wall which works its way round all the way along northern side to the end The rest of the western side is elevated as the ground rises with the hills.

This was a game in the early stages of season. The previous season had seen Wendron narrowly missing out on promotion with a 2nd place finish while Penzance were down in13th. The visitors took an early lead in the 12th minute when a shot by Oscar Massey was spilled by keeper Ethan Fearn into the path of Rolandos Samnauskas who bundled the ball over the line. The lead was doubled in the 27th minute - a free-kick from the right looped over Fearn, hit the post, and then bounced back to Kam Collins who knocked in during a scramble. The key moment in the game came eight minutes later - a terrific 25-yard volley for Penzance went just wide and could have seen them 3-0 up. Instead Wendron went up the other end and scored in fortuitous circumstances. A ball from the right looked to be going out but it hit the post, went back into the six yard box where a Wendron attacker managed to hit the other post before the ball fell to Charlie Young who knocked home. The away side did have another chance to restore their goal goal advantage on the stroke of half-time but Oscar Massey blazed over when let in on goal by a defensive error. 

They were made to pay four minutes after the break as Wendron's Reece Carroll ran down the left and unleashed a shot which took a wicked deflection to loop up and crash back down into the corner of the net. This part of the game was end-to-end stuff, Oscar Massey had a point blank saved by Ethan Fearn and then a minute later at the other end Josh Wood's header was saved at point blank range by Mikey Flores. Wendron got their noses in front for the first time in the 61st minute - a ball from the right found Charlie Young who controlled it, spun and drilled a shot into the bottom corner. The balance changed at this point and the remaining half-hour was one-way traffic. Wendron grabbed their fourth in the 70th minute - with the ball bouncing around the box after Mikey Flores saved Ryan Reeve's shot, it was Joe Wood who reacted first to knock in. Flores denied a fifth a couple of minute later when he saved a 20-yard shot from Young. He couldn't stop Young from completing his hat-trick ten minutes from time though. As the two went for the ball Young managed to nip in front of the keeper and though there was still work to do as he collected the ball on the left side of the box he did well to curl into the far corner to put the game to bed. In the final minutes the hosts were still hungry for more with Ryan Reeve hitting the bar and Charlie Young hitting the post. A cracking game finished 5-2 with Wendron well and truly coming back from behind to dominate the second half.

Result: Wendron United 5-2 Penzance

Division: South West Peninsula League Premier Division West

Attendance: 90

Ground #291 - Bodieve Park

Date: 9th February 2019
Ground: Bodieve Park
Location: Wadebridge, Cornwall

My sixth new ground of 2019 was on Saturday 9th February at Bodieve Park in Wadebridge, Cornwall. The match was Wadebridge Town vs. Bude Town in South West Peninsula League Division One West.

Bodieve Park lies on the northern outskirts of Wadebridge with the site having fields followed by the A39 to the north. To the west is a secondary school and leisure centre with a hotel and industrial site to the east. The south is bordered by a road with an industrial estate beyond this. The town's railway station closed in the 1960s so the nearest one today is Bodmin Parkway some 11 miles south-east of Wadebridge. The venue has been home to the club since 1949.

Bodieve Park slopes markedly downhill from east to west. On the eastern side the grass bank is staggered into three sections. It is sufficiently steep that the top of the bank allows spectators to get a near-perfect view of the pitch from their cars. On my visit this is what a significant proportion of attendees were doing. Behind this is an additional grass area as large as the pitch itself which is used for training and warm-up sessions. The middle of the bank consists of an area of uncovered standing - this is mostly on grass though there is a section of hard standing towards the northern end. There are two dugouts built in this area as well. A staircase then leads down to the pitch at the bottom of the bank.

The western side of the pitch has an all-seater stand by the halfway line. This stand has 109 seats across 3 rows and the seating area is elevated above the pitch with the dressing rooms contained in the interior underneath. The area running from this stand to the northern end of the field is uncovered hard standing while the area running from this stand to the southern end of the field us uncovered grass standing. The other stand at the complex is the Ron Williams Stand behind the northern goal. This covered stand has one row of seating for most of its length with a standing area in the eastern end of the stand. There were initially 48 seats in this stand but a handful of these have fallen by the wayside since they were installed with only the backrest still in place. There is a strip of hard standing all the way along this side with an area of grass and gravel in the north-east corner just beyond the stand. The north-west corner has a clubhouse with a smart bar area. With this sitting at the bottom of the gradient you cannot see any of the game from here but it provides a nice place to be during half-time. The southern end is a simple affair with uncovered grass standing only.

With the two sides at opposite ends of the table it was little surprise to see Wadebridge race into a commanding lead before the 20 minute mark had even been passed. Their first goal came in the 5th minute when Keiran Rowe drilled the ball low into the bottom corner from six yards. In the 13th minute the second goal arrived as the ball was sent through to Kyle Flew on the right side of the pitch and in on goal he smashed into the bottom corner from 15 yards. In the 20th minute the home side went 3-0 up when Kyle Flew picked up the ball and under no pressure played in Dan Jennings who smashed the ball into the roof of the net from the left side of goal. The Bude defence was all over the place and were very lucky not to concede a fourth in the 23rd minute when a Dan Carne effort was fumbled by the Bude keeper and Dan Jennings smashed the rebound over an open goal from six yards. Recognising a change had to be made Bude made a defensive substitution and this had the desired effect of stemming the tide. The visitors even managed forays into the opposition half to create a few half-chances as they rode out the rest of the half without conceding again. After the break Bude continued to improve and went close in the 55th minute as they hit the post from the edge of the area after lackadaisical defending from the home side. A couple of minutes later they did manage to net after a penalty was awarded for a trip in the box. Harry Hopcroft was on penalty duties and his excellent spot-kick into the corner of the net was well out of the reach of Wadebridge keeper Jim Vernon. The home keeper did prove his worth in the 61st minute though as he produced a great stretching save to stop a shot from the edge of the area finding the back of the net. This proved crucial as rather than seeing their lead cut to one Wadebridge ended up extending it to three just a minute later. A really nice sequence of pass and move football culminated in Sam Gerken poking a shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards. Bude were matching their opponents in attacking endeavour and almost had a second when a shot at the back post was saved by Jim Vernon at point blank range. However, the visitors were proving their own worst enemy defensively and straight after this an appalling back pass went straight to Dan Jennings who rounded the keeper only to roll the ball onto the outside of the post. The let-off was Bude was brief though as Wadebridge grabbed two more goals in the space of three minutes. First Sam Gerken grabbed a second in the 74th minute and then in the 76th minute Wadebridge overran the away area - Kyle Flew's effort was saved but Dan Jennings was there to smash in a rebound from a couple of yards out. Jennings then went close to notching up a hatrick in the 86th minute when he nipped in front of a defender at the near post to poke a cross just wide of the goal. There was time for one more goal and this came from the boot of Ben Joyce who curled a 25 yard free-kick towards the top corner with the away keeper only managing to palm the ball into the side of the net.

Result: Wadebridge Town 7-1 Bude Town
Division: South West Peninsula League Division One West
Attendance: 47

Ground #289 - Poltair Park

Date: 23rd January 2019
Ground: Poltair Park
Location: St Austell, Cornwall

My fourth new ground of 2019 was on Wednesday 23rd January at Poltair Park in St Austell, Cornwall. The match was St Austell vs. Falmouth Town in the South West Peninsula League Cup Quarter-Final.

Poltair Park is located in a largely residential area close to the town centre so has housing to the east, south and west of the ground. There is also a bowling club to the south with a secondary school to the north. A quarter of a mile north-west of the town's railway station, the venue has been home to the club since the early part of the 20th century after they departed their original home at Rocky Park.

The northern side of the ground has a large gap between the pitch and the spectator areas. The sole stand at the venue is an unusual concrete structure with an elevated seating area of 5 rows of concrete with wooden benching appended to it. The interior of the stand has the dressing rooms and the two dugouts and placed in front of this. Directly behind this stand is a neat little clubhouse and with a small decking area outside with a picnic bench on it. To the east of the stand is a narrow strip of hard standing which is limited in space due to a fence separating the field area from the car park behind. To the west of the stand the strip of hard standing resumed but with no car park there is space for a grass area behind this. Towards the western end there is a tea hut which includes a small covered standing area.

The rest of the ground was previously very basic with a wooden barrier separating grass areas from the pitch. Over the years since the turn of the century the venue has been upgraded on the remaining three sides as well the installation of floodlights which were turned on in 2012. The southern side has a strip of hard standing for its length with a large grass area behind this. The eastern and western ends are similar with both having hard standing for their length and grass banks behind these. There is then netting at the top of this in light of Poltair Road at the eastern end and housing at the western end. Despite the upgrades the club were denied promotion to the Western League in 2015 after they failed ground grading requirements.

This South West Peninsula League Cup Quarter-Final tie was between the two previous winners of the competition. Both sides were also riding high in the Premier Division this season so it was no surprise that the game was a close contest throughout. After a quarter of an hour the away side had the ball in the back of the net but saw the effort chalked off for an offside. In the 31st minute St Austell had their best chance of the half as Jack Calver raced down the left, drilled an effort towards goal and saw his shot deflect off a defender and go just over the bar. The competitive first half gave way to a messy first period of the second half as both sides showed little quality with frequent turnovers in possession. Out of nowhere the only goal of the game arrived in the 69th minute. A nice lofted ball from the middle of the field headed towards the St Austell goal. Falmouth's Tim Nixon got to the ball just ahead of home keeper Jason Chapman and knocked the ball up into the air. It landed at the feet of Jordan Annear who stroked the ball into the empty net from the edge of the area. With a quarter of an hour to go Falmouth had a good chance to scored again after a bad error in the middle of the pitch allowed Annear to be played in on goal. Once again Chapman came out to meet the attack but this time he narrowed the angles sufficiently so that Annear's 20 yard curled effort went just wide. St Austell tried to get back on level terms in the final minutes but let themselves down with some really sloppy passing allowing Falmouth to run down the clock with counter-attacks. The closest the home side came was Martin Watts' header which was saved on the line with six minutes left to go. Falmouth rode out the rest of the game taking a big step towards retaining their League Cup crown.

Result: St Austell 0-1 Falmouth Town
Competition: South West Peninsula League Cup
Attendance: 246

Ground #274 - Bickland Park

Date: 19th September 2018
Ground: Bickland Park
Location: Falmouth, Cornwall

My twenty-second new ground of 2018 was on Wednesday 19th September at Bickland Park in Falmouth, Cornwall. The match was Falmouth Town vs. St Austell in the South West Peninsula League Premier Division.

Bickland Park is on the western edge of Falmouth a couple of miles from the town centre. The ground is currently bordered by housing to the north and east but there is a new estate currently being constructed to the west as well. The nearest railway station is Penmere which is a mile south-east of Bickland Park. The venue has been home to the club since 1957 though they are looking to move to a new location in the near future.

The ground is a classic non-league venue with a dramatic slope from north to south. The northern side of the ground is dominated by the main stand halfway along the pitch length. This structure consists of seven rows of concrete with wooden benching atop each level and can hold around 350 spectators. The stand is an old one and several supporting beams hold up the corrugated iron roof which does result in restricted views in sections of the stand. However the natural slope, and the fact the stand is raised above ground level to allow space for dugouts underneath, does mean the views are good on the whole. Unusually there is a staircase in the middle of the stand leading from the dressing rooms to the pitch resulting in the players having to go through the spectator area to the field of play. The back of the stand runs to the top of the steep grass bank so there are further uncovered viewing areas either side of the top of the stand.

The southern side of the ground has a small covered stand by the halfway line but is otherwise uncovered. The whole side is made up of three levels of shallow concrete terracing but due to the overgrown nature of this side it is barely visible under the grass. The eastern end of the ground is a similar story with a small covered stand in the middle of this side directly behind the goal. With the stand barely taller than the goal itself netting has been placed it to keep shots over the bar within the confines of the arena. The western end of Bickland Park has a steep concrete slope down the hill with grass sections at the northern and southern edges. The concrete part of the standing areas is rather higgledy-piggledy as it varies between large stepped sections, small stepped sections and flatter sections. It is mostly uncovered but there is one covered segment behind the goal. The entrance to the arena is on this side of the ground and the north-west corner has a somewhat dated looking but spacious social club which is a good size for functions. This building is outside the confines of the ground save for a food outlet facing towards the pitch by the entrance.

Falmouth raced out of the blocks and were 2-0 up within just six minutes. Martyn Duff grabbed the first goal before a ball was clipped into the box from the right for Tim Nixon to shot low into the far corner and put Falmouth into a two-goal lead. St Austell knew it was a long way back from here but came into the contest mid-way through the half. They went close in the 22nd minute when a ball was fizzed across the box from the right with an attacker just arriving too late to nod home. Only three minutes after the visitors did have the ball in the back of the net after Mark Goldsworthy prodded the ball over the line during a penalty area scramble. Falmouth should have restored their two-goal cushion in the 41st minute when a ball over the top saw an attacker beat the visiting keeper to the ball but he was off balance and his weak shot towards the empty net was intercepted by a defender. The second half was an end-to-end contest with lots of half chances. Neither side managed to carve out a really good opportunity save an occasion in the 68th minute when a well-time ball put Falmouth's Jordan Annear clean through with him being denied by the St Austell goalie. The last ten minutes saw a frenetic end to the contest. In the 82nd minute a cross from the right wing into the Falmouth box found an unmarked Liam Eddy who headed home from six yards to restore parity. St Austell were level for barely a minute though as a lofted Falmouth ball over to the right edge of the penalty area found Jordan Annear who unleashed a great half-volley across goal into the far corner of the net. A couple of minutes later and the hosts scored again to make it 4-2. This time it was a ball into the area from the left that was met by a header towards goal. The keeper saved well and then produced an outstanding save from the subsequent rebound but this second save only pushed the ball as far as Jack Bowyer was slammed the ball into the back of the net from close range to round off what had been a thoroughly enjoyable game for the neutral.

Result: Falmouth Town 4-2 St Austell
Division: South West Peninsula League Premier Division
Attendance: 185

Ground #273 - Lux Park

Date: 4th September 2018
Ground: Lux Park
Location: Liskeard, Cornwall

My twenty-first new ground of 2018 was on Tuesday 4th September at Lux Park in Liskeard, Cornwall. The match was Liskeard Athletic vs. St Dennis in the South West Peninsula League Division One West.

Lux Park sits on the northern tip of the town as part of a sports complex. Liskeard Leisure Centre borders the western end of the ground with a cricket pitch to the north and Liskeard School & Community College's playing fields to the south. The eastern end then backs onto a road with houses beyond this. The venue is 1 mile north of the town's railway station and has been home to the club since they formed in 1946.

There is one seating area at Lux Park located just past the half-way line on the southern side of the venue. This stand consists of 3 rows of concrete with wooden benching appended to it and is capable of housing a few dozen spectators. This stand doesn't take up too much of this side of the ground with the majority taken up by uncovered concrete. It is a similar story on the northern side of the ground with uncovered concrete except for a covered wooden section either side of the half-way line. The two dugouts are located directly in front of this area with the only other structure on this side being a small clubhouse building in the north-west corner.

The west end is where the entrance to the ground can be found and this leads into an area of uncovered concrete. There is a decent amount of space at this end and though a chunk of it is taken up by parking spaces there is still ample room for spectators. This is not the case on the eastern end of the ground due to the adjacent road with just a slim strip of concrete on offer for anyone who wishes to watch from this section.

St Dennis almost took the lead in the 8th minute when Tyler Trudgeon saw his curling effort from the edge of the box come back off the post. It was a case of fine margins proving a big difference as barely a minute later the visitors found themselves a goal behind - Tom Cleveland took up a similar position at the opposite end of the pitch his his shot was dispatched into the roof of the net giving St Dennis keeper Ryan Holland little chance. Shortly after this Jack Podmore had a header cleared off the line as Liskeard tried to extend their lead. For the remainder of the half it was St Dennis though who were the better side. Just before the half-hour mark a mix-up in the home defence saw keeper and defender collide with the ball finding its way to Carl Rickard who smashed a shot back off the crossbar. The visitors continued applying pressure and spent lots of time in the Liskeard area - they went close again in the 41st minute when an attacker was sent clean through only to see his shot saved by the keeper. Having hit the woodwork twice St Dennis could consider themselves unfortunate to be behind at the interval but any hopes of getting back into the game were undone by a bad start to the 2nd half. Liskeard should have gone 2-0 up within a minute of the restart after some nice play saw the ball crossed into the area and laid off for Tom Cleveland who drew a save from Holland with his close range shot. In the 49th minute a home corner found striker Ben Waters two yards from goal but he contrived to somehow head over the bar. St Dennis were failing to heed their warnings and just 45 seconds after this miss they did concede a second. The ball was clipped into James Lorenz who ghosted round the back of the away defence and tucked past Holland from inside the six yard box. 2-0 became 3-0 in the 54th minute and as Lorenz grabbed his second goal of the game. This one had a stroke of luck about it as Lorenz had cut inside from the right wing before his mishit cross snuck in the narrow gap between keeper and post with the ball finding the far corner of the net. In the 57th minute Lorenz was causing problems again as he was unleashed down the right wing and crossed for Tom Cleveland at the back post with Cleveland blazing over from a couple of yards out. After this St Dennis were able to sort themselves out defensively to restrict Liskeard's chances but the damage was done as the game petered out with an uneventful last 30 minutes. There was still time for one more goal which came in the 87th minute when Tom Cleveland was allowed far too much time to run down the right side of the pitch, advance into the are and stroke low past Holland from a couple of yards out. That wrapped up the scoring as Lorenz and Cleveland's braces secured a comfortable scoreline for Liskeard.

Result: Liskeard Athletic 4-0 St Dennis
Division: South West Peninsula League Division One West
Attendance: 51

Ground #261 - Oxland Parc

Date: 31st March 2018
Ground: Oxland Parc
Ground: Illogan, Cornwall

My ninth new ground of 2018 was on Saturday 31st March at Oxland Parc in Illogan, Cornwall. The match was Illogan Royal British Legion vs. Wadebridge Town in the South West Peninsula League Division One West.

Oxland Parc is located in the village of Illogan a couple of miles north-west of Redruth. The ground is bordered by housing on the northern, western and southern sides with a couple of additional smaller pitches on the eastern side with less dense housing beyond this. The nearest railway station is back in Redruth a couple of miles south-east.

The entrance to the ground is in the north-west corner and leads into an area for car parking which is part on the western side and part on the northern side. The northern side has uncovered hard standing the whole way along and behind this is a clubhouse including a nice, spacious bar as well as a separate dressing room building. The western side of the ground has a food shed by the entrance followed by a small uncovered standing area in front of another club building and then the venue's main stand which ends just after the half-way line. This is a concrete stand with a wooden roof - the spectator area consists of four levels of concrete with wooden benching attached to it. The southern half of this side is uncovered grass standing which gets progressively narrower due to the road running alongside the ground.

On the eastern side there is a very small stand near the half-way line which provides covered seating on wooden benching. Otherwise there is a pretty narrow spectator area of uncovered grass standing which runs between the pitch and the concrete wall separating it from the additional pitches at the complex. The two dugouts are also on this side. The southern end is the most sparse as it has uncovered grass standing which slopes gently uphill. Due to the proximity of a road and a two houses behind there is netting behind the goal to catch any loose balls. The venue does not currently have any floodlights so the club will be unable to progress beyond their current 11th tier status though they only reached this level for the first time in 2014.

With both sides in lower mid-table there was little to play for and the game was a rather poor affair in the early going. The first real action was in the 26th minute when a corner was dropped by the Illogan keeper but Kyle Flew snatched at the rebound and lofted over from close range. The best opportunity for the hosts arrived in the 33rd minute when a cross from the left almost beat Wadebridge goalie Rob Rosevear who had to stretch to tip over. Wadebridge were on top for much of the second period, ten minute after the break a free-kick unleashed a wing-back down the right and his cross in was perfect for Dan Jennings but the home keeper made himself big and saved Jennings' effort well. On the hour Jennings spurned another chance when a misjudged back header let him in on goal but he shot well over. For Illogan's part their best play of the match was in the 64th minute when a free-kick was headed towards goal requiring a really good save by Rosevear to keeper it goalless. The last meaningful chance came in the 86th minute when an Illogan shot was blocked on the line. The second half was decent enough as a spectacle but the finishing of both sides was poor resulting in a goalless draw.

Result: Illogan RBL 0-0 Wadebridge Town
Division: South West Peninsula League Division One West.
Attendance: N/A

Ground #259 - Treyew Road

Date: 30th March 2018
Ground: Treyew Road
Location: Truro, Cornwall

My seventh new ground of 2018 was on Friday 30th March at Treyew Road in Truro, Cornwall. The match was Truro City vs. Hemel Hempstead Town in National League South.

Treyew Road is located on the southern outskirts of the city on the edge of the A390. The road runs along the eastern side of the ground with fields to the west and beyond the car park at the southern end. The northern end has a small section of unused land before a road which splits the site from the Cornwall Council office complex. The venue is half a mile south of Truro railway station. It was the home of Truro City until July 2018 when they vacated the site to allow for a supermarket to be built. However, due to delays in site development the club returned in January 2019.

The entrance to the ground is at the southern end - upon going through the turnstiles there is a media centre and a Cornish pasty outlet to the right and to the left a clubhouse with a patio in front of this where you can watch the game from. The dressing rooms are also located in this building. In front of the patio there is uncovered standing with concrete standing towards the front and grass standing towards the back.

The only permanent stands are on the western side - on this area there are three separate structures which take up most of the length of the field. The stand towards the southern end is a covered flat standing area, the one in the middle is the main all-seater section and there is an extra small all-seater stand beyond this which was added later on. There is a small section of uncovered standing at the northern and southern sections with a food outlet and club shop towards the south-west corner. The club have had a rise up the leagues in recent years and this can be seen on the opposite side of Treyew Road where two temporary stands reside. The stand on the northern side of the half-way line is covered with the roof held up by a large number of supporting beams while the stand on the southern side of the half-way line is uncovered. There is another temporary stand directly behind the northern goal - this one is much smaller and was about the width of the goal. The rest of this end is uncovered standing.

This was an important game with both sides in a very tight race for the National League South play-offs. The visitors had a great start when they netted within a quarter of an hour. A deflected pass ended up at the feet of Karl Oliyde on the left side of the box and his cross looped over Truro keeper Tom McHale allowing David Moyo to bundle the ball in on the line. This lead was short-lived though as the hosts equalised in the 20th minute when a ball into the box from the left was brought down by Cody Cooke for Tom Owen-Evans to direct into the bottom corner from 12 yards. A couple of minutes later Owen-Evans almost grabbed a second as a pass from Niall Thompson found him a couple of yards from goal. Owen-Evans was on the stretch though and his shot didn't have enough power to sneak in as Hemel cleared their lines. The away side retook the lead in the 37th minute when a smartly worked free-kick saw Jordan Parkes lob the ball straight to David Moyo who nodded over McHale from the edge of the six-yard area. It looked like Hemel would take this lead into the break but in the final minute of the first-half Truro made it 2-2 with a lovely goal. Owen-Evans picked up the ball 30 yards from goal, played a nice one-two with Jordan Copp before outpacing a couple of defenders and squaring for Copp to stroke past Laurie Walker in the away goal. Hemel edged ahead for the third time in the 65th minute when a well-timed ball from James Kaloczi put Karl Oliyde in on goal. Though his initial shot was saved by McHale the ball bounced back to him and with the Truro shotstopper on the floor Oliyde bundled in the rebound. After this Hemel sat back meaning it was one-way traffic for the remainder of the match. The visitors had rebuffed all the corners and free-kicks in the second half but in the 94th minute they succumbed to a late, late equaliser. Niall Thompson played a good ball in from the wing and though Walker saved Andrew Neal's close range effort Tyler Harvey reacted quickest to the lose ball and smashed home to grab a point for Truro.

Result: Truro City 3-3 Hemel Hempstead Town
Division: National League South
Attendance: 527

Ground #258 - The Mill

Date: 30th March 2018
Ground: The Mill
Location: Torpoint, Cornwall

My sixth new ground of 2018 was on Friday 30th March at The Mill in Torpoint, Cornwall. The match was Torpoint Athletic vs. Saltash United in the South West Peninsula League Premier Division.

The Mill is in the south of Torpoint adjacent to one of the town's marinas. This marina is to the south-east of the complex with the rest of the eastern and northern sides sitting near housing. The remainder of the southern side and the whole of the western end see additional grass areas beyond the football field. The town does not have a railway station with the quickest transport link via the ferry across the River Tamar into Devon with Plymouth being the most convenient station some three miles east of the ground. The venue has been home to the club since 1971 when they left Defiance Field after an eleven year spell.

The southern side of The Mill has the main stand, known as the Les Cardew Stand, by the half-way line. This structure has 74 seats across four rows and the two dugouts are either side of it. Towards the eastern end is the Reg Devonshire Stand which is a covered area consisting of four seats flanked by two wooden benches. The rest of this side is uncovered standing and there is an additional building called the Corner Flag Caterer in the south-east corner.

The eastern end of the ground has the car park, a clubhouse and a demountable which serves as the player and officials dressing rooms. There is then a large grass area leading up a strip of hard standing behind the goal which runs for the whole of this end. The northern end of the venue has the only other pitch side structure - a covered standing area takes up the middle third of this section staddling the half-way line. The rest of this side and the entirety of the western end are uncovered standing.

With the visitors unbeaten since early November they went into the local derby with high hopes against a Torpoint side with just one win in their previous seven league games. The game went to form early on as Saltash grabbed the lead in the 3rd minute. Sam Leary knocked the ball out wide to Paul Heveran in acres of space on the right wing. Heveran had plenty of time to pick out a cross into the six-yard box and Richard Maddison nipped in front of the keeper to poke the ball in. The away side should have scored again in the 17th minute when Sam Hughes' well-time run beat the offside line but with just the goalie to beat he dragged his shot wide. A few minutes later Lee Phillips had a similar chance but his shot was straight at the keeper. The post denied Saltash just before the half-hour mark as Callum O'Brien met a corner with a downward header which came back off the post. The hosts then had a good spell and equalised in the 37th minute when a corner found Darren Hicks at the back post and he headed in from a couple of yards out. Into the second half and Saltash couldn't believe their luck in the 62nd minute when Sam Farrant's free-kick came back off the post, rebounded to Richard Maddison and he managed to hit the other post. The game was a really decent end-to-end encounter now but was getting increasingly tetchy. In the 83rd minute Torpoint's Lance Bailey came in with a late tackle on the half-way line and while everyone was expecting the referee to produce a yellow card, the colour was in fact red. A couple of minutes after this Saltash hit the woodwork for the fourth time on the day as Callum O'Brien's headed hit the crossbar. In the 95th minute the away side were reduced to ten men when a dreadful late challenge by Henry Wilson saw him deservedly get his marching orders. The drama wasn't over just yet though as eight minutes into stoppage time Lewis Edwards' cross from the right found Danny Lewis in the six-yard area and his point blank saved was acrobatically saved by the Torpoint shotstopper to rescue a point for his side in what had been an entertaining match.

Result: Torpoint Athletic 1-1 Saltash United
Division: South West Peninsula League Premier Division
Attendance: 133