KICK OFF: Nailsea & Tickenham FC debut fixture in the Toolstation Western League  is at home against Warminster Town on Saturday, July 30. Make a note of this Fryth Way game...which is having floodlights installed thanks to a generous Nailsea Town Council grant...

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER: Another local boy makes the grade from Nailsea United junior Sol moves upwards and onwards via Slimbridge and Hungerford FCs. He has signed a two year contract with Kent based club Maidstone United after several seasons as a coach with Priority Football

Champions plaque

Winning ways of Peter's croquet prodigies

Nailsea's top association croquet team continued their south west premier league title challenge by thrashing Cheltenham 7-0 on Sunday, May 29.

Cheltenham had beaten Bristol, champions for the past 11 seasons, convincingly the previous week but weren't able to field quite as strong a team this time.

The Nailsea players took full advantage, effectively changing between aggressive and defensive play to suit the game situation.

With an average age of just 32, the Nailsea team were the youngest to take to the court in this competition for at least 20 years, across all clubs.

The Nailsea club has long had a well-deserved reputation for encouraging and nurturing young players, with all four of the team having been coached by club founder Peter Dyke, who is still actively coaching juniors to this day.

Nailsea's next match is away at fierce local rivals Bristol on Saturday, June 11, and a win there will all but guarantee the championship trophy returns to Nailsea for the first time since 2010.

The Nailsea lawns at Avening Close, off Trendlewood, are well maintained and there is a clubhouse on site.

The matured lawns had some over-seeding in August 2020.

This improved the sward for 2021 and more work was done over the winter.

The club has a reputation for excellence in competitive croquet and also for its friendliness.

If you like ball games or mind games, croquet might be just what you have been looking for.

You don’t need to be fleet of foot but you do need to have good co-ordination and to enjoy strategic thinking.

In 2021, 27 new recruits enjoyed lessons for beginners and 18 of them went on to join the club. 

For further intormation Nailsea Croquet Club has its own website here https://www.nailsea-croquet.org.uk/.

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PHOTOS: Top Peter's prodigies from left Kristian Chambers, Marcus Evans, Ryan Cabble, James Galpin and below all four of the Nailsea team pictured in simultaneous action taken by Kathy Wallace

Barratt Homes invest £400K+ building new community links

Barratt Homes is building one, two, three and four-bedroom homes at Parish Brook, on Nailsea’s Engine Lane.

Alongside a £1m plus investment into community facilities as part of the legal agreements with the local authority, Barratt has made a £400,000 contribution to the next door Nailsea and Backwell Rugby Football Club which is being used to help improve the club’s playing pitches, changing facilities and club house.

Additionally, the housebuilder has agreed a three-year sponsorship package for the rugby club’s junior teams with Nailsea & Backwell RFC under 5s to under 12s teams starting the new season with the Barratt logo on their shirts.

Nailsea & Backwell Rugby Football Club honorary treasurer Anthony Warren said: “We’re really excited to see work starting on the huge improvements to our pitches and facilities.

"The Barratt Homes team has been really helpful and supportive and it’s great to be working together as they start to build the new homes next door.

"We look forward to the possibility of welcoming new players and supporters from amongst our new neighbours as the community starts to take shape.”

The new community at Parish Brook will include a broad range of sustainability measures such as solar panels and electric car charge points on a range of the homes.The development will also include a dedicated public open space, child-friendly play areas and a broad range of wildlife protection and enhancements including a new meadow grassland, sustainable drainage ponds and protected trees and hedgerows.

A cycle path will connect the development with Engine Lane and the wider Sustrans cycle network.

Barratt Homes Bristol division, which covers the Nailsea area, sales director Andrea Pilgrim said: "It’s fantastic that works are now underway to create high quality new homes for Nailsea.

"Parish Brook offers a range of homes, catering for growing families to downsizers to first time buyers, right on the edge of the North Somerset countryside with supermarkets, high street shops and a school not far away.  

"We’re delighted to be sponsoring the junior teams of the brilliant local rugby club – which will be another fantastic community facility for people living here.”

Parish Brook is just two miles’ from Nailsea & Backwell railway station and a hop and a leap to the M5 junction at Clevedon.

To find out more about new homes from Barratt Homes, visit www.barratthomes.co.uk