Only a few days after meeting in the Presidents Cup charity season curtain raiser, Uxella League champions Tiger Old Boys clashed swords yet again with last season?s Dave Hobbs Cup winners, Railway Club. Following on from their 4-1 victory over Railway on Wednesday evening, this time the Tigers ran out 7-4 winners to get their league campaign off to yet another winning start. Railway put up a stiff resistance in the early stages of the game but by half-time the Tigers had secured a 4-2 lead. Railway then scored almost from kick-off early in the second period to get the scores back to 4-3 but the Tigers simply found another gear and pulled further ahead until they were leading 7-3 with a few minutes to go. Then, with almost the last kick of the game, Railway got a late consolation goal. Steve Haste was instrumental in providing a comfortable winning margin for the Tigers thanks to his fine hat-trick, while James Hamilton, a close season signing from Red Tile, bagged a couple of goals as well. An own goal from Railway?s Graham Roberts and a 25-yard curler into the top corner from Steve Woods sealed the first of what will probably prove to be many victories this season for the Uxella League?s dominant force.
In the other 'clash of the titans' in the top division, Squib Madrid, the exotically renamed former Pig & Whistle side, ran out comfortable 5-1 winners over a depleted Woolavington side. Squib actually played the majority of the game with only ten men after an early dismissal and have Dave Baker to thank for their winning margin after he bagged four goals and Vince Kennedy struck as well to seal an impressive win. Woolavington will rue the fact that they have started this campaign in the same manner as the last one - with a number of key players missing. However, they are sure to grow stronger as the season develops and they are guaranteed to be fighting it out at the top of the table before too long.
The Spencer brothers have started the season as they ended the last one, as both of them got on the scoresheet again in Clearwater's 6-1 away demolition of Bunch of Grapes (formerly Eastover). Steve Spencer blasted four goals, brother Wayne bagged one and Paul Thompson broke the Spencer family monopoly to register a goal of his own.
Flag OId Boys went down 3-5 at home to Tiger Reserves despite two goals from Jamie Stewart and one from Mike Taylor. Matt Washer racked up a hat-trick for the Tigers with Huw Richards and Justin Lewis, from a 35-yard free-kick, also scoring to seal three points for the visitors.
Red Tile were beaten 4-1 at home by Blake Old Boys '05 (formerly Black Horse) despite a goal for Tile from player-manager Andy Staunton.
In the remaining game in the newly expanded First Division, a brace from Huntspill Crowns' Paul Burrow gave his side a point from their 2-2 home draw with Ashcott.
In the new-look Division Two, Countryman ran out 3-0 home winners over newly-formed Grasshoppers '05, thanks to goals from T.Tucker and G. Cullingford and an own goal from veteran Hopper stopper Paul Ham.
Meanwhile the other Bridgwater Grasshoppers side, the newly youthful Grasshoppers '04, were at home to Nether Stowey, a new entrant in to the Uxella League. The game was a tight affair early on with 16-year-old Liam Wardle capping an excellent performance on his league debut with a well-taken strike to give Hoppers '04 an early lead. Stowey rallied well and came back to lead 2-1 at the interval. Then, early in the second half, the Grasshoppers lost Danny O'Loughlin to a hamstring injury and were forced to play with ten men, at which point Stowey made their numerical advantage tell as they made the game safe with two further goals. It just remained for pacey frontman Jimmer Nichols to get a goal back for the Grasshoppers with a superb left-footed chip into the top corner but the Hoppers will take heart from the potential shown by a side which has yet to gel but which contained four 16-year-olds in its ranks.
Highly-fancied Puriton United surprisingly fell 2-0 behind early on in their encounter with a ten-man Bridgwater Wanderers (formerly Pig & Whistle Reserves) before eventually finding their rhythm and clawing their way back into the game with a flurry of goals, four of which came from powerful Welsh striker, Will Beggs. Josh Harvey(2), and veteran goal-machine Darryl Taylor also scored to eventually give United a 7-4 victory. Jamie Evans(2), Kev Ware and A.J. Mounting responded for the Wanderers.
Maltshovel (formerly Sportsman) followed on from their Division 3 league and cup double of last season with a winning start to the new campaign as they won 6-3 at home to Woolavington Reserves. Tom Presley(2) and Sam Weston scored consolation goals for the Woolavington second string.
Commercial went down 1-3 at home to Admirals despite a Robert Price goal.
In the other game played in Division Two, a hotly-contested Glastonbury derby saw Glastonbury Town Sundays emerge as narrow 1-0 victors over local rivals Tor Sports thanks to a goal from exciting new striker Joynal Ali. The Glastonbury victory celebrations were somewhat tempered by the news that Lewis Fox, a player who had only just returned to regular action after a stop-start campaign last time around, broke his ankle after falling awkwardly and will be out for a considerable spell.
The scheduled games between Cross Rifles and North Petherton in Division One, and between Quantock Pride and Cannington in the Second Division, were both postponed until later dates.
(Story First Published: 04.09.05) |
