Cleckheaton v Ilkley 9 November 2018

Adjudicators:  AB, PL, JK

Timing: 10:30 and 12:15

Prices: 1.30 and 1.30

The Adjudicators drove into Cleckheaton on a bright and sunny November morning, to find car parks full, roads blocked off, and the streets lined with stalls. Never had a PLC Semi-Final been so enthusiastically prepared for.

And the Cleckheaton Pie did full justice to the elaborate preparations. It was served at an almost perfect temperature……warm, but not hot, with the loosely formed jelly adding juiciness to the meat and pastry. The pastry itself was firm but flaky, pleasantly tasty, complementing the mildly seasoned and well textured meat. The PLS Champions were clearly of a mind to claim their place in the Grand Final.

Half-time drinks were taken at The Cow And Calf, where the Adjudicators found a pleasantly quiet corner, close to a fireplace, to discuss the timetable of future events.

Ilkley were in no mood to concede their place in the final, and responded with an almost hot pie, packing a generous, tasty, well seasoned meat content. Unfortunately, none of the Adjudicators were able to contain the still liquid jelly without significant spillage, but despite that, there was enough of the liquid to provide the required juiciness. The pastry was deemed good, but inferior to that of the home pie. All in all, a very good pie, enjoyed by all the Adjudicators, but the verdict was unanimous…..Cleckheaton were the victors…….and now go on to meet Pateley Bridge in the 2018 PLC GF.

Post match drinks were taken at The Hermit, where the Adjudicators discussed differences between Goblins and Hobgoblins………and were reminded of the Hymn oft sung back in their schooldays, in which neither Hobgoblin nor Foul Fiend could daunt a good man’s spirit.