Tier Hopping: Reds aplenty as Bishops Cleeve best Tredworth Tigers (and the Cheltenham League’s weirdest winners)

A very cold day saw tempers flare in the Premier Division of the Cheltenham League as both sides saw a man see red at Kayte Lane. 

Sitting in the 14th tier, the Cheltenham League Premier Division brings passage to the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League for those who can conquer all with Bishops Cleeve A looking like this season’s hot prospect, and thank God something was hot as this game was absolutely freezing. 

There were some classic non-league aspects to proceedings with the club linesman having to use a bib for a flag, the opposition keeper wearing the same colour as the home side, a huge fight, and some technical difficulties for the 40 odd spectators in attendance with the footballing gods clearly rewarding their bravery in the arctic conditions. 

It took just two minutes for the first ball to be fired out the ground with the first sight of goal coming soon after, though no one in the right shade of green was able to guide a low cross goalwards with the ball flying harmlessly across the face of goal. Tredworth would have to wait an entire six minutes for their first opportunity to work an attempt on goal, their free kick on halfway was fired into the mixer but they'd eventually commit a foul of their own to quash any pressure on the Cleeve goal. 

Tredworth Tigers Reserves, the visitors that afternoon, looked closest to taking the lead in the early stages, fashioning another opportunity with 14 minutes on the clock but again the referee's whistle would halt their endeavours and hand the Mitres a chance to regroup and clear their lines. 

It may have been too cold for angels to fly, but it certainly wasn't too cold for flying tackles, with one causing an away player to do a flip following a strong challenge. A sign of things to come…imminently. As Tredworth's Terelle Weir quickly descended on the Cleeve goal, Callum Smith put in a last-ditch challenge to spare his keeper a dreaded one-on-one, he almost won the ball but was slightly late, sending Weir tumbling to the floor. He didn't like that. The two locked heads, were promptly dismissed (Weir was shown and is credited with two red cards), causing a bit of a fracas that led to 11 minutes of added time. Once the dust finally settled, the football could return. 

Nothing else really happened in the first half and we entered the break goalless.

The second half featured far more goal-mouth action as it took just five minutes for Cleeve to find the opener, the Tredworth keeper judged Ben Hailwood's low shot to be heading wide of the target but was deceived as it nestled into the bottom left corner. One of the greatest headers I've ever seen made it two as Marcus Edwards dived towards a low cross and managed to loop the ball over the keeper and into the top left corner!

Hailwood would bag his second and Cleeve's third after a long throw was flicked on at the near post where the Mitres striker was able to bring it down, take it around the man, and fire home. There was time for one more in the dying stages as Edwards completed a brace of his own, knocking a long ball around the onrushing keeper before sliding in to seal the victory.

Bishops Cleeve A look set to lift the Cheltenham League Premier Division title as they hold as they hold a nine-point lead with six games to play though second place Whaddon United Reserves do have three games in hand to make up those nine points. The two sides will meet in a potentially season-defining encounter on the penultimate day when Cleeve host Whaddon on the 15th of February. The winner may be crowned champions and join an esteemed list of winners including the likes of Cheltenham Town, Gloucester City, Evesham United and...GCHQ?

The first three Cheltenham League titles were won by St Paul's United in a dominant early 20th century for the Cheltenham club. They won five of the first six titles with only Charlton Rangers able to pip them to the league in 1904. Fresh out of World War Two, it seemed that the 1st Infantry Hold Battalion needed something to do so, as you'd expect, they won the Cheltenham League's 1945/46 league title.

Dowty's Propellers, who dominate the Staverton skyline, lifted the title under their original name Rotol in 1952/53 while it appears that a cricket club has also been crowned champions, thrice for that matter, when St Marks CC came out on top in 1963, 1970, and 1971. Division Three was of course won by GCHQ in 1955/56, followed by RAF Innsworth in 1984/85 and the 1951/52 Division Four title went the way of No.11 Vehicle Depot.

With attention now turning to the cup competitions, the Junior Charities Cup was won by Co-op Employees in 1951 after the Post Office were victorious in 1938. Following our military and aviation theme, the RAOC (Royal Army Ordnance Corps) won it in 1956 while Gloster Aircraft were winners in 1962 and Dowty Electrics won it in 1985.