More that there's lots of competition for GBG places as well as a limit to how many pubs can be in Chester.

The pitch was my MoM for holding out against a relentless attack from the rain. Credit both sets of players.

Been drinking there regular for well over 40 years. Barely changed. Any sign of the pub cats?

Six minutes away from me !!! Hope you enjoy the Albion. I'll be there tonight!

Pub Sign of the Week: Friend at Hand, West Wycombe (1996). An unbreakable bond of companionship destroyed by 21st-century property developers. The pub was demolished and converted to residential use around 2007. #PubSignThursday

Pub Sign of the Week: Henry VIII, Edenbridge, Kent. Do not mess with this man. Lager drinkers to the chopping block. Superb signage from Shepherd Neame (as expected) although they don't own the pub any more and their name has subsequently been blacked out. #PubSignThursday

It was a case of cry wolf. He got a sympathetic round of applause when he was carried off. Hope the lad's OK but clearly in some pain.

Pub Sign of the Week: Oak & Black Dog, Stretton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire (1990). Atmosphere in abundance. Has the hound spotted a Cockapoo to play with or is he aware of a malevolent presence lurking in the encroaching mist? #PubSignThursday

And did this work?

Pub Sign of the Week: The Industry, Darnall. Thirsty work as sparks fly at a foundry in Sheffield. Rather poignant imagery really. The pub's converted to housing, the local Wards brewery has closed and the steel industry has shrunk beyond recognition. Hey-ho. #PubSignThursday

Pub Sign of the Week: Lady Chatterley, Eastwood. Excellent present signage at this Spoons close to DH Lawrence's birthplace in Nottinghamshire. It might suggest Mellors and her Ladyship are up to more than merely dead-heading geraniums in the potting shed. #PubSignThursday

Pub Sign of the Week: Rutland Angler, Oakham When pub signs were good. An ordinary looking bloke absorbed in his own thoughts. Artwork unique to the pub. Today's sign is a monochrome, stylised graphic of a fisherman casting his rod. In other words, shite. #PubSignThursday

Central, Gateshead Fantastic coffin-shaped pub with Art-Nouveau vibe in the back rooms. Dark wood fittings. Vast etched windows. Little wonder it's on CAMRA's heritage list!

Superb entertainment. Credit to both sides.

Pub Sign of the Week: Hansom Cab, York. What's going on here? A potential fare giving the finger to a cabbie who retaliates with the V sign? Named after a 2-wheeled carriage invented by York-born Joseph Hansom. Now the Burns Hotel with a sign depicting the eponymous Scots bard.

Narrow Nick, Rothbury, Northumberland. A superb pint of Allendale Curlew's Return at this tight-squeeze micropub. Relatively remote but Rothbury is a lovely picturesque market town. Almost as lovely as the pump clips.

Pub Sign of the Week: Spinner & Bergamot, Comberbach, Cheshire. Charming artwork at this Robinson's local. No attempt at realism. Rustic, imperfect but all the better for it. Named after two 18C racehorses from the nearby (now demolished) Marbury Hall stables. #PubSignThursday

Top birding to separate that one out.

Pub Sign of the Week: Harvest Moon, New Waltham. Perhaps we see here no farm labourer but a grim reaper from Co-op's acquisitions department. Despite strong local opposition, this community pub near Cleethorpes was converted to a convenience store in 2019. #PubSignThursday

Wrynecks are absolute jaffas!!!