Wish I Could Have Seen Moor - Dewsbury Moor vs. Skirlaugh

Clubhouse / ex-ice cream factory at Dewsbury Moor

A couple of weeks ago I was in Sheffield for my soon to be brother-in-law's stag do and with there being no football left I happily switched to rugby league. Oddly enough, all of the rugby league I've watched has been in the south and so this was the first time I'd seen a game in north. It was Challenge Cup weekend and I was tempted by Bradford vs. Leeds in the cup but the logistics of getting to the ground and a large crowd put me off, so in keeping with the blog I opted for some amateur rugby league in The National Conference League. There were a couple of options but having seen positive posts on the excellent We All Stand Together and Onion Bag blogs I opted for Dewsbury Moor against Skirlaugh. All I knew about of the two clubs was that is Skirlaugh is to the east of Hull and that Dewsbury had lost every game this season so they were hoping for a change of fortune.

Kick off at Dewsbury Moor

Skirlaugh take an early lead but they can't pull too far ahead of the hosts who score at regular intervals and the game is still close at half time. Sadly then the heavens open and with there being no cover at the ground and me heading straight out upon my return to Sheffield (and also not having a coat or umbrella), I have to give the second half but the theme continues in the second half and Skirlaugh win a close contest.

Dewsbury conversion before the storm

It takes a very long time to get to Dewsbury from London with you having to take a train from Kings Cross to Leeds and changing there for a train to Dewsbury which all in all takes nearly three hours. However, when you get there you can reward yourself at the excellent West Riding Refreshment Rooms which is part of the station building and has an fantastic selection of ales and beers. The ground is an up and down half hour walk or you take the 254 bus from the bus station to just outside the clubhouse. The bar at the ground had a wide selection of beers as well as the sports channels and the ground is then a five minute walk through the car park and then the estate. You can get cans and great burgers from the cabin inside the ground itself. A really brilliant introduction to the National Conference League.

Storm in coming from the grass bank