In the premier Uxella League Cup Competition, the Dave Hobbs Cup, both semi-finals saw first division clubs going head-to-head with second division opponents and in each case the top flight clubs prevailed.
In the first encounter, Pig & Whistle emphatically progressed to the final of the competition with a 6-1 away win over Huntspill Crowns, for whom Damon Mogg bagged a consolation effort.
In the other semi-final an upset briefly looked on the cards as second division Cross Rifles took a first-half lead through Philip Court. However, Carl Tucker soon managed to equalise for Railway before going on to score a second to give the home side a crucial advantage. That was how the score remained until a controversial final few minutes of the game when Cross Rifles thought they should have been awarded a penalty but their claims were denied and Railway then rubbed salt in the wounds by racing to the other end of the pitch to score a third and victory-sealing strike through Barry Hardwell. All in all, the game was an excellent advertisement for Sunday league football and kept the sizeable watching crowd of over fifty entertained from first minute to last.
In the other main cup competition, the Tom Bell Trophy, the semi-final between third division Glastonbury Town Sundays and first division leaders Tiger Old Boys went very much according to the script as the Tigers came away with a comfortable 3-0 victory with all the goals being scored in the first half, through Paul Mear, Wilf Davie and from the penalty spot from Darren Chillingworth. Scott Middleton distinguished himself in the Glastonbury goal with a number of impressive saves but the Tigers appeared to be conserving their energy with one eye on next weekend's crucial Somerset Cup Quarter-Final clash at home to Young Guns United.
In the other Tom Bell semi-final between Admirals Landing and Durleigh it was Durleigh who progressed to the final after an 8-3 away victory.
Meanwhile, back in the Uxella League, there was action in the lower divisions with second division Cannington going down 3-2 at home to North Petherton despite goals from Paul Ham and player-manager Ben Dyer. Going down seems to be the appropriate term as the result makes their relegation to the third flight a mathematical certainty.
In the other second division encounter, lowly Woolavington Reserves won themselves a valuable point from a 2-2 home draw with high-flying Flag Old Boys thanks to strikes from Steve Haste and Tom Presley. Lee White and Ashley Knowles scored for the visitors.
In the third division only one game was played, with two goals from Lee Mitchell, one of which was a stunning 20-yard volley, plus further strikes from Darryl Taylor and Ryan Williams giving second-placed Puriton United a 4-1 away win over Pig & Whistle Reserves. Aaron Huxtable scored by way of reply for Pig Reserves.
The scheduled game between Tor Sports and Middlezoy was postponed until a later date after Middlezoy were unable to field enough players.
Meanwhile, following a spate of recently unfulfilled fixtures came the expected news from Glastonbury Backpackers that their club has effectively folded. As a result the third division table will have to be adjusted accordingly once confirmation of this decision has been received in writing by the league executive.
Other adjustments have already been applied to this weekend's league tables as a result of recent rulings.
First Division Woolavington have been awarded three points from their abandoned match against Pig & Whistle back in November 2004 following a ruling by the league's executive committee. The fixture has also been declared null and void and will not be replayed.
Second flight North Petherton are to be deducted three points for non-fulfilment of their scheduled fixture on 13th February 2005.
In the Third Division, Artillery West Huntspill Boys have also been deducted three points for selecting an ineligible player for their game against Sportsman on 13th February 2005.
(Story First Published: 14.03.05) |
