NBFL-News9

North Berks Football League Roundup

24^th October 2009

(Phil Annets)

With Faringdon Town out of action it was an opportunity for their closest Division One rivals to keep the pressure on, and both duly delivered. Faringdon’s upcoming Centenary Cup Final opponents Saxton Rovers won 5-0 at home to Wootton and Dry Sandford to record their fourth win out of four. Garry Hartley and Adam Greenaway both bagged a brace, with Danny Parry scoring their fifth. AFC Wallingford also maintained their own 100% record thrashing Harwell Village 7-0. Ben Gladwin expertly grabbed the first and last goal, whilst Tristan Lewis, Tristan Campbell, Bradley Grant, Tarome Hemmings and Ben Chadbone all contributed to the scoresheet. In the only other Division One match Warborough and Shillingford remain pointless after five matches going down 5-1 at Lambourn Sports. Rob Powell netted a hat-trick for the home team with Ben Matthews scoring two. Luke Dewar replied for Warborough.

There were just two games in Division Two. Steventon beat Saxton Rovers Reserves 5-2 thanks to an Alex Bird double and goals from Stuart Coppock, Martin Gray and Shane Preece-Tripp. The bottom two met at East Hendred with the home team losing 3-2 to Lambourn Sports Reserves. Jonathan Hedges and Kevin Pryde scored for Hendred whilst Andy Holley and Steve Crame with two scored for the visitors to leave East Hendred rooted to the foot of the table.

In Division Three Faringdon Town Reserves kept up the pressure on non-playing Kintbury Rangers Reserves at the top of the table running out 3-2 winners at Shrivenham ‘A’. Brian Mills and Matt Howe scored for the hosts with Ben Spencer scoring two and Matt Dixon netting for the visitors. Goals from James Bishop and Chris Hogan ensured Hanney United maintained their 100% start winning their fourth consecutive league match this time 2-0 at Harwell International Reserves. Ian Steele hit the net five times as Bampton Town trounced Wootton and Dry Sandford Reserves 10-2. Dan Oyston netted twice and Tom Boot, George Seacole and Lloyd Hancock also registered, whilst Chris Shahab hit two consolation goals for Wootton. Harwell Village Reserves drew for the third successive league match this time 2-2 at Benson AFC Reserves for whom Charles Sellwood and Pete Ashman scored.

In Division Four Challow United kept up their challenge at the top with a 2-0 victory at Marcham Reserves thanks to goals from Lee Shann and Max Jagga. Grove Rangers Reserves won 4-1 at Faringdon Town ‘A’ for whom Ben Henly scored. Hagbourne United and East Hendred Reserves shared the points in a 1-1 draw with gaols from Nick Guiry and Adrian Gibbons respectively.

Division Five is proving to be the most competitive division in the NBFL with only four points separating the top eight teams. League leaders Benson Lions Reserves lost 6-0 at home to Bampton Town Reserves who remain unbeaten after five matches. Didcot Casuals ‘A’ move up to second following a closely contested 1-0 win at home to Sutton Courtenay Reserves with new signing Malcolm Currie netting the winner. Stanford-in-the-Vale Reserves won 4-2 at home to Uffington United Reserves and leapfrog them in the table. Jamie Gregory grabbed all four of their goals whilst Kevin Edwards and Dale Bird replied for the visitors. Warborough and Shillingford Reserves came back from conceding an own goal to defeat Long Wittenham Athletic Reserves 3-1 thanks to second half goals from Marcus Charman and two from Mike Littleworth.

The most exciting match in the War Memorial Cup 1^st round occurred in the Benson derby with 2^nd Division Benson AFC finally overcoming their 3^rd Division neighbours Benson Lions 4-3 on penalties after a pulsating 4-4 draw. Alex Smallshaw with two and Steve Burns had scored for the Lions in normal time with goals from Tom Tuckwell, captain Joe Flower and a late one from Adam Cowling for Benson AFC taking the game into extra time. Will Wardell for the hosts and Nick Skiller for the visitors resulted in the need for penalties with Russ Flower scoring the winning kick. Elsewhere in the competition Harwell International won 3-1 at Botley United thanks to goals from Jamie Clark and a Mike Yardley double. Andy Potter scored for the hosts. Tom Weeks hit five goals including one penalty as Childrey United thrashed their fellow 2^nd Division opponents Marcham 7-1. Steve Weaving and Alan Haines hit the other two with Phil Stokes scoring the consolation. Grove Rangers similarly had an emphatic victory over their own 2^nd Division opponents winning 9-2 at home to Coleshill United. Brad Ritchie was their five goal hero with Dave Stebbings grabbing two and one each from Ben Eltham and Dean Worthington. Dan Broadbank and Shane Blake netted for the visitors. 2^nd Division Long Wittenham Athletic strolled to a 12-0 victory over bottom of the 4^th Division Appleton Stars. Joe Harvey hit four, Luke Saunders bagged a hat-trick, and Steve Molloy, Andy Marriott, Mark Ingram, Andy Cooper and Phil Lynch also registered. 3^rd Division Sutton Courtenay ran out emphatic 7-2 winners at home to top of the 4^th Division Stanford-in-the-Vale. Dan Cox netted a hat-trick, Pawel Bromzinski bagged a brace, and Karl Crockford and Wayne Grant both scored for Sutton, whilst Mike van de Mortel and Ross MacDonald scored for Stanford.

In the remaining North Berks League Cup 1^st Round match Division Five side Hanney United Reserves were thrashed 8-1 by 4^th Division high flyers Coleshill United Reserves. Steve Wright scored for Hanney whilst Chris Wardroper, Peter Byrne, Dean O’Hagan and Martin Chivers all bagged two goals apiece for Coleshill.

Ben Gladwin opened and closed the scoring with two excellently executed goals as AFC Wallingford outplayed their division one opponents Harwell Village to keep the pressure on early leaders Faringdon Town and Saxton Rovers.

Harwell had started brightly achieiving a succession of corners in the first five minutes, but were unable to capitalise on Wallingford’s slow start. Paul Bedwell, in particular, missed a glorious chance from one of these corners when his clear header went over the bar in the 11^th minute. Wallingford then started to come into the game and on the 19^th minute Ben Gladwin collected a well crossed ball on the right hand side of the area. He dummied to shoot twice before curling an excellent shot past the outstretched hand of the Harwell keeper into the left hand side of the goal.

Wallingford were unfortunate not to stretch their lead in the first half when the woodwork twice came to the rescue of the visitors. In the 26^th minute Tristan Campbell latched onto a long ball, ran towards the goal and hammered the ball against the crossbar. In the 42^nd minute Jordan Brown collected the ball on the edge of the area, hit it first time and saw his shot rebound off the left hand post.

The second half started where the first had ended as Campbell was once again denied by the woodwork, this time heading against the bar in the 47^th minute. But it was only a matter of time before Wallingford’s pressure started to pay and it came about through a freak goal by player manager Tristan Lewis in the 55^th minute. Lewis’s corner evaded both attack and defence and was fumbled over the line by the surprised Harwell keeper.

In the 67^th minute Campbell finally got the goal his play had deserved. He collected the ball just outside the area, calmly turned and expertly lobbed the ball over the advancing Ian East in the Harwell goal. With fifteen minutes remaining Wallingford then scored twice in the space of two minutes. First, Lewis played a long free kick into the Harwell area where Bradley Grant’s backward header looped over the Harwell keeper into the net. Substitute Tarome Hemmings then came on and immediately latched onto a long ball down the right hand side and with his first touch powerfully fired the ball past the keeper.

Wallingford’s sixth goal came in the 84^th minute as Lewis played a long ball for Ben Chadbone to chase. The Harwell keeper came out of his area to clear only to hit the ball against Chadbone and leave him free to place the ball into the back of an empty net. In the 88^th minute there was no joy for Harwell as not only did they hit the post themselves, but from the ensuing clearance Gladwin collected the ball and cleverly scored past the advancing keeper. Wallingford even hit the post for the fourth time in injury time, but had to settle for being well-deserved 7-0 winners.