Do we play in too many cups?

That is the question posed by Brakes fan G Hobbins in a letter to The Non-League Paper. Unfortunately, the accompanying photo of a snowbound pitch in yesterday's issue is not of the New Windmill Ground.

Mr Hobbins calls for a reduction 'in the number of pointless cup competitions that our teams are forced to compete in, such as county cups and league cups etc. Owing to FA Cup and FA Trophy draws, my club Leamington FC did not have a home fixture for seven weeks and now face the daunting task of having to fit in 24 matches in the last 14 weeks of the season.'

'Why should we be penalised for the success of other clubs? Let's cut out these meaningless fixtures and free up time for football people want to watch.'

Of course, it would have been good for all sorts of reasons, not least financial ones, if we had had a bit of a run in the FA Cup or the FA Trophy. I have actually enjoyed our games in the Birmingham Senior Cup against the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City. They were hard fought contests in which we acquitted ourselves well.

Admittedly, the one cup we are left in, the Red Insure Cup, is a bit underwhelming, but I will be disappointed if we go out to Cinderford. If we do win, and there is a pitch invasion someone tweeeted that it would not be treated as part of the 'magic of the Cup' as happened at Oldham.

Arctic weather hit matches in 1913

With today's match postponed, here is the 'Way Back Then' article that would have appeared in the programme

Arctic weather interrupted football in Leamington and throughout the country one hundred years ago. An attempt was made to play several matches, but a snow storm brought them to an end. Leamington Town went to Stoke in Coventry for a league match ‘but found that the meterological conditions there were worse than those in Leamington. A plucky start was made in a blinding snow-storm, but it was impossible to continue for longer than twenty minutes.’

Fans were looking forward to the Saturday game against Cradley Heath in the Birmingham Junior Cup. The Courier noted, ‘It is difficult to say what chances the local club have of winning, but it is certain they will give the Black Country team a good game. Both players and officials are keenly desirous of bringing the trophy to Leamington for the first time, and providing the team shows the form of which we know it to be capable, there is no reason why this should not be achieved.’

But the Courier cautioned, ‘Cradley Heath are, without a doubt, a very formidable obstacle to surmount. In the Smethwick League this season, they have lost one match only.’ The game had an outcome which no one had anticipated, ‘ending in a fiasco which will not be forgotten by those who witnessed it.’

‘In the first place, the ground was in a truly wretched state. It reached the absolute limit of muddiness, even for a cup tie. ‘ It was admitted that the FA Cup at Coventry had been played on a ground that was all mud and water, but at least that was flat. On the Old Warwick Road enclosure, we get a layer of thick ooze, combined with a series of pools of water. To reach the stand in the reserved enclosure one had to perform feats on a series of planks which squelched as one trod upon them. If the ground was fit to play, it was hardly so. A large quantity of sawdust had been strewn on the worst parts, but it seemed to make very little improvement.’

Town started to kick towards the Municipal School end and ‘it was one of the toughest struggles we have seen at Leamington this season. It was not a brilliant or scientific game by any means. What was the point of trying to do clever things with a ball that rarely bounced, and utterly failed to respond to those delicate touches necessary for good dribbling?’ The score was 0-0 at half time, but in the second half Town ‘had the better end for shooting’ and their star striker Gathercole pounced to make it 1-0.

Then disaster struck. The outside right for Cradley had a violent collision with Jonas and broke his left leg. An immediate collection was taken for him and raised £3-12-6d which was made up to £4 by Town players. However, Cradley then refused to continue playing and the match had to be abandoned, to the considerable annoyance of the large crowd of spectators. The referee insisted that he had nothing to do with the decision. If the condition of the ground was the problem, it was hoped that Town would be awarded the match as Cradley had declared it playable in the morning.

Let's have Moore of that

Brackley Town are said to have been prepared to pay him £1,000 per week not so long ago and Stefan Moore certainly showed his value with a fine hat trick in Leamington's 6-1 demolition of Bedworth United at the New Windmill Ground this afternoon in front of a bank holiday crowd of 643.

<>Brakes applied early pressure on the visitors and it was from what was their first effective attack on 15 minutes that Bedworth scored their first and only goal, Cooper just getting a finger tip to it as the drive went into the net.

A move that started with a free kick saw an exchange of headers between Leamington players in front of goal with Stefan Moore heading the ball into the back of the net. It was not quite Moore of the same when Lee Moore made it 2-1 on 42 minutes with a shot along the ground. Daly, who had been in some good defensive headers, got booked for dissent and a free kick for the visitors was wasted, Brakes going in 2-1 ahead at the break.

On 58 minutes Chilton made it 3-1 with a great goal, but there was more to come. Stefan Moore's angled strike on 67 minutes was worthy of a former Premiership player. It was one of the best goals I have seen at non-league level. He then made it 5-1 a few minutes later and was subsequently withdrawn to give Tom Berwick some action.

The keeper saved from Lee Moore when he was one on one with him and the energetic Dodd missed a chance to score. Leamington's final goal came in the 94th minute scored by James Mace from a Brakes corner.

Read more about Stefan Moore here: Moore