I returned to Baslow, to this time see a football match at this picturesque football ground.
On the same day that the clocks went forward one hour in the UK to welcome British Summer time, it was a cold start and my car temperature gauge told me it was getting colder as I approached this edge of the Peak District village. The temperature was 5 degrees but this didn’t seem to worry the lambs running about on the hill field opposite. It didn’t warm up during the game either and although summer beckoned, we had sleet, rain, a cold wind and some sunshine in the time I was there. Although the biting strong wind was not appreciated, at least it meant that the black, dark grey and white clouds scuttled by, occasionally giving some blue sky, sun and some welcome warmth.
I had come to see a table top clash between Hammer and Pincers and Thurgoland Welfare in the Sheffield and District Fair Play League.
This League is for teams who play within a 12 mile radius of Ponds Forge in Sheffield and normal kick off time is 10.30 am on a Saturday Morning. The Hammers and Pincers is a pub in the West of Sheffield and Thurgoland Welfare is situated in Thurgoland north of the city on the road to Penistone.
Hammer and Pincers 1 Thurgoland Welfare 2
Sheffield and District Fair Play League, Baslow Sports Field, Church Lane, Baslow, Bakewell, DE45 1SP.
Saturday 28th March 2026, 10.30 am kick off. Ist V 3rd
Hammer and Pincers,Orange and black vertical striped shirts with black shorts. Goalkeeper in purple top with black shorts
Thurgoland Welfare, Blue shirts with red shoulders and sleeves and red shorts with goalkeeper in all black.
The Kick off was 3 mins late waiting for ref, and with the teams even in the first 20 minutes it was the hail, rain, sun and wind that were the feature.
It was noticeable that the teams had a wide variety of ages but were competitive and a much higher skill level than I had expected. The home team made more passes but either the away keeper thwarted them or they were shy to shoot near to goal.
After a corner to H&S on 37 minutes Thurgoland quickly broke away down field, leaving the home keeper exposed to parry a fierce shot diving to his left, only for another Thurgoland attacker to nip in and place the ball into the net.
Despite Hammer and Pincers having more of the ball in the first half they went in behind at the break.
Feeling very cold a Sausage Roll and coffee on offer as a special at £4.75 revived me for the second half. The cafe at the Sports Field is open for on most days and offers a great place to relax.
Into the second half, and the home team were again shading the posesion and hit the intersection of the cross bar and upright on 20 minutes. Seven minutes later they equalised when their number 12 who had played well all game, held the ball and slipped it through to the overlapping umber 3 who put it underneath the goalkeeper into the left hand corner of the net.
With the game ebbing and flowing and full time beckoning Thurland’s number 11, from 30 yards out, just hit the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal. He celebrated with joy, not surprising as it would have been a goal of the month on ‘Match of the Day’.
Hammer had no time to get an equaliser and the two teams will resume their rivalry in a few weeks at Thurgoland in the League and at Doncasters Keepmoat Stadium in the final of the cup.
Great venue, great cafe, great football and an amazing winner. Up until then my man of the match would have been Hammer and Pincers 17 year old goal keeper.
I’ll watch more of this level of football in the future.
Being Non-League Day and an early finish I moved on to another game.
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