NBFL-News26

North Berks Football League Roundup

20^th February 2010

(Phil Annets)

There were mixed fortunes for North Berks League teams in the 5^th round of the Berks & Bucks Junior Cup. Second Division East Hendred are now the sole NBFL survivors following a closely fought 3-2 victory over Hellenic League Reserves Division Two East side Newbury Reserves. Mark Baring got the first, whilst a Tyrone McGill double ensured East Hendred move into the quarter final to meet Reading League Division Two side Reading YMCA Reserves. No such luck for Third Division Hanney United who went down fighting 4-3 away to Old Windsor from East Berkshire League Division One. James Bishop, Craig Payne and Jason Maynard scored in vain for Hanney.

In the North Berks Cup 2^nd Round 1^st Division Saxton Rovers eased past 3^rd Division Benson Lions 6-0 with doubles from Paul Churchouse and Mike Beale, and one goal each from Matt Shelton and Tom Larman. Saxton now travel to East Hendred in the quarter final.

In the War Memorial Cup quarter final a pulsating tie was finally won by Long Wittenham Athletic who beat their fellow 2^nd Division side Benson AFC 3-2 after extra time after the scores were level one apiece after 90 minutes. Joe Harvey, Tim Barton and Andy Marriott netted for Wittenham with James Oliver and Joe Flower replying for Benson. Wittenham face Harwell International in the semi final.

In the North Berks Charity Shield quarter final 1^st Division Drayton flatteringly ran out 5-1 winners at 2^nd Division Childrey United. Dan Cannings scored for the hosts with Joe Dixon, Matt Lyford, Bill Warner, Rob Powell and Iain Oram all netting for the visitors.

3^rd Division Benson AFC Reserves booked a place in the AG Kingham Cup semi final for the first ever time following a comprehensive 7-2 victory over 4^th Division Grove Rangers Reserves thanks to a Pete Ashman hat-trick, goals from Ted Carter, Kris Ray and Alijandro Rodriguez and an Ian Abbott penalty.

In Division One Faringdon Town succumbed to their second successive home 1-0 defeat, this time beaten by an Andrew Allum penalty for Crowmarsh Gifford, who moved above them into 2^nd place. A Gareth Fenton brace and a Brendan Morris strike secured a third successive league victory for Harwell Village winning 3-1 at home to bottom placed Warborough and Shillingford for whom Nick Goodman scored. Lambourn Sports and Didcot Casuals shared the points in a 2-2 draw with Sam Mooney and Chris Prior scoring for Lambourn, and Ross Tyler with a penalty and Daniel Cox-Rogers scoring for Didcot. AFC Wallingford also drew 2-2 at home to Wootton and Dry Sandford.

In Division Two, Harwell International extended their lead at the top of the table, following a 3-0 home win over Saxton Rovers Reserves, with Lee Chapman, Simon Rees and Johnny Eudell all on the scoresheet. Grove Rangers returned to winning ways defeating bottom club Coleshill United 5-1 with Ben Eltham and Chris Whitworth both scoring twice along with one for Luke Wilkins. Jamie Glock responded for Coleshill. Steventon inflicted the third successive league defeat onto Marcham winning 2-1 with goals from Danny Horne and Cameron Moore. Stuart Armstrong netted for Marcham. Lambourn Sports Reserves bounced back well from last week’s heavy defeat to run out 3-2 winners at Botley United. Andy Bulloch netted twice along with one from Mark Mooney, whilst Luke Welling and Andy Humphreys scored for the home side.

Faringdon Town Reserves jump to the top of Division Three following a 7-0 thrashing of Kintbury Rangers Reserves with both Mike Marsh and James Tyler netting hat-tricks. Chris Kershaw scored the other goal. Bampton Town move up to third place with their seventh successive league victory, winning 4-0 at Drayton Reserves via a Nathan Beckett double and goals from George Seacole and Russell Steele. Sutton Courtenay saw their recent run of three league wins come to a shuddering halt going down 4-1 at home to Harwell Village Reserves. Ian Jones scored twice for the visitors along with one apiece from Des Healey and Neal Smith, with Luke Morley putting the ball into his own net for Sutton’s goal.

In Division Four two goals from Jamie Dutton were not enough to stop Didcot Casuals Reserves from being thumped 8-2 at home by Uffington United. Marcham Reserves recorded their first league win of the season winning 3-1 at Challow United thanks to goals from Shane Northcott, Leighton Jackson and Phil Stokes. Cameron Rankine scored for the home side. Appleton Stars were on the end of yet another drubbing this time losing 9-1 at Hagbourne United for whom Luke Chambers and Jake Winslow both hit trebles along with a goal apiece for Rich Hathaway, Kevin Jones and Luke Ambler. Matt Dyer scored Appleton’s only goal from the penalty spot.

In a full Division Five programme two of the top three sides recorded handsome home victories. League leaders Bampton Town Reserves thrashed bottom placed club Challow United Reserves 7-1 with the prolific Dan Paintin netting four times. Tom Boot, Tom Madden and Aiden Necchi-Ghiri also scored for Bampton with Gareth Eltham responding for Challow. Third placed Stanford-in-the-Vale Reserves similarly thrashed third bottom Hanney United Reserves 7-2 with doubles from Rich Eltham and Jamie Gregory and goals from Dan Bradbury, Josh Warne and Martin Bungay. Rich Hughes and Andrew Alder netted for the away side. Didcot Casuals ‘A’ lost a bit of ground on their rivals going down 5-2 at home to Steventon Reserves for whom Tom Holloway struck four times along with one from Dan Rumley. Ben Chaffey and Daryl Harper scored for the hosts. Long Wittenham Athletic Reserves won 3-1 at Uffington United Reserves with goals from Oliver Saunders, Ricky Hastings and a Tim Haines own goal. Matt Cramp netted for Uffington. James Knapp and Ian McRobbie-Smith both scored for Benson Lions Reserves who surprisingly went down 3-2 at home to Hagbourne United Reserves. In the final game Warborough and Shillingford Reserves drew 1-1 at home to Sutton Courtenay Reserves. Dean Maycock scored for the hosts, Lee Jones for the visitors.

Detailed Report x 1

An evenly matched Berks & Bucks Junior Cup encounter was won by the odd goal in five by East Hendred, netting the winner after having been pegged back from two goals up.

East Hendred showed the early promise, but the first chance of the match fell to the Hellenic League Reserves Division Two East side Newbury Reserves when in the 13^th minute Carl Jerome was upended in the 18 yard area to win a penalty. Jerome stepped up to take the spot kick, but East Hendred captain Lee Wise guessed correctly and made a fantastic save low to his left hand post.

Both sides then saw a series of chances go begging before just after the half hour mark the deadlock was broken. An East Hendred throw-in bounced around the penalty area before falling kindly to Mark Baring who fired the ball home. Three minutes later East Hendred doubled their lead following an excellent long ball played forward by Jack Hurst into the path of early substitute Tyrone McGill, who calmly slotted the ball past Dave Leno in the Newbury goal.

Tyrone McGill East Hendred scores his first goal past Newbury keeper Dave Leno

Newbury exerted more pressure at the start of the second half and were duly rewarded after 55 minutes when the impressive John Taylor latched onto a free kick to blast the ball home through a melee of players. East Hendred were playing deeper and deeper providing Newbury with plenty of opportunities to create chances to equalise, which duly arrived in the 73^rd minute after a good move found Adam Haynes in the box with plenty of time to turn and shoot to make the score two apiece.

The tide had turned in Newbury’s favour, but East Hendred refused to allow their heads to drop and responded magnificently. With 10 minutes remaining Olly Bannister in the Newbury defence was harried into making too short a back pass to his keeper. Tyrone McGill pounced onto the ball and slotted home from a tight angle at the second attempt to score what proved to be the winner and send East Hendred into the quarter finals where they will face Reading League Division Two side Reading YMCA Reserves.