Lincolshire Defeats Rain - Deeping Rangers vs. Rothwell Corinthians

Long awaited rain free sky in Market Deeping

I like many people were shocked by the horrific rain forecast that seemed to come out of nowhere on Friday evening and a very late change of plan saw me changing course to the very southern edge of Lincolnshire for United Counties action between Deeping Rangers and Rothwell Corinthians. On the train and bus up, Twitter was a constant stream (in more sense than one) of games being called off but I was relived to see there was inspection planned at Deeping Sports and Social Club and was able to enjoy my pregame beers in peace. I of course only saw Deeping a couple of weeks ago and they were still looking to keep the pressure on table toppers Newport Pagnell. Other than the fact you have to get a bus from Kettering to get there, I have to confess I know very little about Rothwell Corinthians. Today's match pitted third against twelfth but I was just happy to see a game at a new ground on grass. Rothwell won the reverse fixture one nil in a rare blank for today's hosts.    

Eight on one at kick off

Deeping dominate possession in the opening stages but they relived to see Rothwell missing the key man on the overlap when they break out of defence. When Deeping have a break of their own they take the lead as the man cuts inside before angling a shot past the keeper. The Deeping defence then twice blocks shots from a confident Rothwell. The visitors get the equalizer they deserve when a cross field pass is headed back across goal and the Rothwell attacker lashes the ball home.

Rothwell keep Deeping out in the first half

Deeping press on the start of the second period. They create numerous half chances but the Rothwell defence stands firm. Rothwell's resistance is broken however twice in two minutes. Firstly when a header from a corner is cleared off the line, the rebound is hammered home. Then shortly afterwards, the attacker is played in on goal and even though the first effort is well saved the rebound from some distance is slotted home. Deeping make sure of the points when a powerful header from another corner flies past the keeper.

The Rothwell keeper collects the high ball

The trip into Lincolnshire first requires you to catch a train to Peterborough from Kings Cross with the quick trains taking forty five minutes. Then from the bus station next to the shopping centre you take the 101 bus into Market Deeping that if traffic is good takes twenty minutes. Market Deeping is a pleasant part of the world which is similar to Stamford but on a smaller scale. Even through it is primarily a restaurant, The Iron Horse Ranch House had a great selection of American beers. For more traditional British fayre, The Bull has a couple of ales on. If you want to catch the early kick or have a drink by the river in warmer weathers, The Old Coach House is a good choice. The ground is then a twenty minute walk out of town. The clubhouse outside of the ground had a good choice of beers. Unlike many grounds that are on the edge of town, this ground has a great unique stand and the hot dogs are fantastic as is the friendly welcome.

All the best teams in Lincolnshire play in claret and blue...

Dugout side of the ground