Just up the road from The Broadfield, the pub mentioned in Joe Simpson’s adventuring epic. “Touching The Void”, Meersbrook Park fell to a narrow, but damaging defeat in their bid to avoid relegation from Division D of the Hallamshire Tuesday Evening League (on 6th June).

A tight match on the slopes of one of Sheffield’s steepest greens saw Nether Edge climb closer to safety, whereas Meersbrook Park, while certainly not falling down a crevasse, do find themselves towards the foot end of a safety rope at the half-way stage in the season.

Division D
MatchesAggregate
Pos.TeamPlWLDForOppAggrPoints
1.Whiteley Woods B88001260939+32165
2.Fogey862011711029+14253
3.Fulwood A853010811076+542
4.High Hazels Park834110871085+241
5.Hallam Grange A843111211080+4139
6.Nether Edge B844010381114-7637
7.Colley Park B835010251089-6433
8.Meersbrook Park826010311172-14127
9.Crookes Social B80809321162-23023

It was a match of fine margins.  Terry bowled well despite a headwound he claimed was incurred working on the garden bank at the club, but I suspect was the result of another Ice Climbing expedition. He went down to 14 – the same fate that awaited Mick, who was also playing nicely and also returning from injury (a leg injury, but Mick was coy with details, although the words “Polar Bear” were mentioned in the course of the evening).  Jim too started promisingly, before eventually tumbling on the slopes and Tucker, again drawing the short straw in pairings, bowled with little error before succumbing to exposure to an in-form opponent.  

The match was so close that if any of these games had reversed their score then Meersbrook Park would have won.

Butch went closer still, scaling the scorer’s card rapidly early on, he seemed to be recovering after a suspected bout of oxygen sickness but had little luck before going down to 18.

Jon, Rod and Anges all came through the expedition with flying colours and are expected to recover from frostbite in time for next week.

The Nether Edge green was in great condition but the debate on whether crampons should be allowed still runs. Make your own mind up from this picture of the green (before mowing).

A (small) mountain to climb in the sunny half of the season if the MP’s are to make safety but, with several absent players set to return to a rapidly improving squad, morale in the base camp remains optimistic.

Fall on slopes of Nether Edge leave MP’s Touching The Void