DIVISION 1:
Champions Tiger Old Boys heralded the start of the New Year as they had closed the previous one, by maintaining their 100% sequence of Uxella League victories and returning to the position that they had occupied for the majority of 2004, sliding back into top spot in the Division One table thanks to a 3-1 home victory over a resolute Admirals Landing side.
Admirals first team have apparently withdrawn from the league and their reserves have made the step up from Division Three to fulfil the club's remaining top flight fixtures, becoming the new Admirals Landing first team. On this performance it looks like they are worthy, albeit cautious, additions to Division One, having made the all-conquering Tigers work all the way for their three points.
Tigers manager Alan Lott commented:
"They were really up for it and had eleven men behind the ball most of the time. They only got into our area once and, when they scored, you'd have thought they had won the FA Cup. Give them their due, though. They did their best to keep us out."
Pig & Whistle also headed back up the table, leapfrogging non-playing Railway Club into third position after a 6-2 home win over a battling Cobblestones side, thanks to a hat-trick from Tony Cook and further goals from Jay Bawden, Brian Hobbs and Dave Baker.
In the other fixture in Division One, Clearwater beat Durleigh 4-3 at home and move up two places to fifth in the table while Durleigh drop a place to sixth. Clearwater's decisive goals were shared between brothers with Steve Spencer bagging a hat-trick and Wayne Spencer contributing the other goal.
DIVISION 2:
A hat-trick from Andy Epps gave bottom-of-the-table Cannington a vital point from their 3-3 home draw with Ashcott.
The only other fixture played in Division Two also saw a score draw as two goals from Huntspill Crowns' Richard Cattell were enough to secure a point from a 2-2 home encounter with the Uxella League's draw specialists, North Petherton, who have now come away with a point five times from their fourteen league fixtures this season.
DIVISION 3:
There were only two games played in the third division as well with the Uxella League's other unstoppable machine, Artillery West Huntspill Boys, also maintaining their 100% winning record, making it twelve wins out of twelve with a 7-1 away thrashing of fourth-placed Countryman. The Artillery goals were shared around the team with Jeff Read (2), Steve Jones, Dean Holman, Andrew Walter, John Winter and Pete Thompson all contributing to yet another impressive result for the Chedzoy Lane-based outfit.
The other team from Chedzoy Lane, Bridgwater Grasshoppers, were also in action this weekend and continued to demonstrate their week-by-week improvement with a solid 4-1 home win over bottom side Tor Sports, in the process exacting revenge for their 8-2 thrashing at the hands of the Glastonbury side earlier in the campaign.
The Hoppers controlled possession for long periods of the game but somehow contrived to fall behind against the run of play after half an hour when a speculative James Pentney lob just cleared the fingertips of the Grasshoppers excellent young goalkeeper, Gavin Riddle, to give the visitors an unlikely lead. However, parity was restored before the interval when, from a superb Adam Kinsey cross from the left flank, new signing Sean O'Grady opened his Hoppers goalscoring account with a textbook diving header. The second half saw the Grasshoppers go for broke, making full use of their strengthened squad by bringing on an experienced attacking trio in the form of Rob Whiterod, Andy Cattle and Les Hobbs. The changes reaped immediate dividends with Hobbs and Cattle both going close before Whiterod blasted home a fine goal upon his return from a lengthy suspension. It was then left to young starlet, Adam Kinsey, to seal the victory and take his season's tally to twelve goals as he bagged the first of a brace with a powerful headed effort from a Les Hobbs cross before creating his second strike all by himself, dribbling through the entire Tor Sports defence and slotting the ball underneath the advancing 'keeper to secure three more precious points for the home side.
(Story First Published: 03.01.05) |
