League Report 25th October.

The Notley’s first division is once more being dominated by champions Hearts of Oak as they ground out a 2-1 win at Sole Bay Res, despite missing a few players.
They remain 1 point ahead of Blundeston Magpies who have took the division by storm so far winning 5 of their 7 games which included a 1-0 success over Barsham who seem to be having no luck this season.

Challengers for the title Wrentham dropped two valuable points as they were held by bottom side Spexhall, for whom it’s surely a matter of time before they start to climb the table.

Pot Black recorded an impressive 5-1 win over a depleted Norton Athletic side whilst FC Hearts jump to third place following their 6-1 success at Oxford Arms.
Just the one match in the second division as Bungay Town A recorded a fine 5-2 win at Waveney Gunners.

There were 3 match played in the third division where Earsham ran out 6-1 winners over basement boys Blundeston Magpies Res.
Harleston Town Res. are second following their 4-0 win against Factory Arms whilst Kirkley & Pakefield B scored a 3-1 win at Spexhall Res.

Most of the second and third division sides were involved in the Primary Cups.

In the Suffolk version Ole Frank booked a home tie with Pakefield Re-United after their 3-0 win against LIFC and Pakefield’s 1-0 triumph against Halesworth Town Res.
Tudor FC recorded a fine 4-1 win at Corton A and will now take on St Clements Hospital in round 3. The closest game was at Crusaders where they were edged out 4-3 by Caxton Res. who now entertains Coplestonians in the third round.
Corton White Horse Seltic thumped Westhall 9-1 to book a trip to Tacket Street Boys Brigade Old Boys whilst Waveney A will face Needham Market Vets after disposing of Marquis of Lorne 7-1.

Suffolk Punch hit 6 with no reply against Wenhaston and will now face Henly Athletic Res. whilst Lake Lothing booked a tie with Cockfield United Res. after dumping out Oulton Broad & Notley’s Res 4-1.

In the Norfolk version two sides made it through and two went out. Last year’s beaten finalists Ellingham wont repeat their fate as they lost 4-2 to Hoveton Wherryman Res. Hopton White Hart lost 2-1 against Swanton Morley.

Gt Yarmouth Town Hall eased through 3-0 against Bawdeswell and Norton Athletic Res. also progressed after a 2-1 win against Corpusty & Saxthorpe Res. The draw is on Friday night for these two teams.

Tomorrow sees the KO Cup 1st round and with it some interesting and intriguing ties.
The tie of the round has to be at Dip Farm where FC Hearts take on former club mates and holders Hearts of Oak.

Last year’s runner’s up Norton will be looking for revenge against Kirkley A who beat them just a month ago whilst Waveney Res. and Wrentham also looks a tasty tie.

Results 25th October:

Division 1:
Barsham 0 v 1 Blundeston Magpies
Oxford Arms 1 v 6 FC Hearts
Pot Black 5 v 1 Norton Athletic
Sole Bay United Res. 1 v 2 Hearts of Oak
Wrentham 2 v 2 Spexhall

Division 2:
Waveney Gunners 2 v 5 Bungay Town A

Division 3:
Earsham 6 v 1 Blundeston Magpies Res.
Harleston Town Res. 4 v 0 Factory Arms
Spexhall Res. 1 v 3 Kirkley & Pakefield B

Norfolk Primary Cup 2nd Round:
Ellingham 2 v 4 Hoveton Wherryman Res.
Gt Yarmouth Town Hall 3 v 0 Bawdeswell
Hopton White Hart 1 v 2 Swanton Morley
Norton Athletic Res. 2 v 1 Corpusty & Saxthorpe Res.

Suffolk Primary Cup 2nd Round:
Corton A 1 v 4 Tudor FC
Crusaders 3 v 4 Beccles Caxton Res.
Lake Lothing 4 v 1 Oulton Broad & Notley’s Res.
Ole Frank 3 v 0 LIFC
Pakefield Re-United 1 v 0 Halesworth Town Res.
Suffolk Punch 6 v 0 Wenhaston Res.
Waveney A 7 v 1 Marquis of Lorne
White Horse Seltic 9 v 1 Westhall

League Report 18th October.

This week saw many of the league’s top flight sides battle it out against each other in the Suffolk Junior Cup 2nd round which is regionalised, meaning the league were guaranteed some sides through. The first of these being Pot Black who were granted a walkover due to AFC Bayfields demise earlier in the season. They will now travel to Cockfield in round 3.

Barsham booked their place by scoring the only goal in their match with Oxford Arms and will now play host to Wickham Market.
Spexhall who have started the season without a win took on league leaders Hearts of Oak and it was the home side that scored the only goal to book a home encounter with Haughley United.

FC Hearts found the Anglian Combination division two leaders Beccles Caxton too strong as they crashed to an 8-0 reverse whilst Blundeston Magpies faired little better as they were hit by a 7-1 defeat to SIL side Wenhaston United.

The youngsters of Kirkley A progressed after beating former league side Waveney 5-2 and they will travel to Wenhaston United in the 3rd Round. Waveney Gunners bowed out after going down 4-2 to Halesworth Town whilst the result of the day occurred at Wrentham as they beat Combination side Oulton Broad & Notley’s 3-0.
In the Norfolk Junior Cup a depleted Norton side slumped to a 4-2 defeat to Blofield United Res.

Onto league action and previously unbeaten Pot Black crashed to a heavy 4-0 defeat to Waveney Res, whose top scorer Ray Winney took his tally to 9 for the season with a brace.

Sole Bay United Res. gained their second win as they beat Caxton Res. 3-1.

The game of the day in the second divison for many would have been the Corton derby as Corton A who won 19-0 last week entertained White Horse Seltic. The outcome was a 10-0 win for the pub based side as they continue to climb the table. Leaders Ole Frank were also involved in a high scoring game as they won 5-3 at Ellingham.
Pakefield Re-United are into second place following a fine 3-1 win over Bungay Town A.

Oulton Broad & Notley’s Reserves are having a torrid time at present and this week went down 2-0 to LIFC whilst a Jon Green strike gave Norton Res. all 3 points at Tudor FC.

The third division saw no let up at the top as Town Hall crushed Factory Arms 12-1 which included strikes from Darren Beckett to take his season tally to 18.

Suffolk Punch remain the only side in the league with a perfect record as they made it 5 straight wins with a hard fought 2-1 success over White Horse Seltic Res.
The division is being dominated by the new sides as Harleston Town Res move into third following their 2-1 win at Kirkley & Pakefield B.

The remaining games ended all square as Earsham and Spexhall Reserves drew 2-2 and Blundeston magpies Res. collected their first point in holding Lacon Arms to a high scoring 4-4 draw.

Finally a reminder to all clubs that all details including players full names should be present on result cards. Failure to do so will result in fines being imposed.

Results 18th September:

Norfolk Junior Cup 2nd Round:
Norton Athletic 2 v 4 Blofield United Res.

Suffolk Junior Cup 2nd Round:
Barsham 1 v 0 Oxford Arms
Blundeston Magpies 1 v 7 Wenhaston United
FC Hearts 0 v 8 Beccles Caxton
Spexhall 1 v 0 Hearts of Oak
Waveney Youth 2 v 5 Kirkley & Pakefield A
Waveney Gunners 2 v 4 Halesworth Town
Wrentham 3 v 1 Oulton Broad

Division 1;
Pot Black 0 v 4 Waveney Res.
Sole bay United Res. 3 v 1 Beccles Caxton

Division 2:
Corton A 0 v 10 Corton White Horse Seltic
Ellingham 3 v 5 Ole Frank
Hopton White Hart P v P Oxford Arms Res.
LIFC 2 v 0 Oulton Broad & Notley’s Res.
Pakefield Re-United 3 v 1 Bungay Town A
Tudor FC 0 v 1 Norton Athletic Res.

Division 3:
Earsham 2 v 2 Spexhall Res.
Gt Yarmouth Town Hall 12 v 1 Factory Arms
Kirkley & Pakefield B 1 v 2 Harleston Town Res.
Lake Lothing 4 v 4 Blundeston Magpies Res.
Suffolk Punch 2 v 1 Corton White Horse Seltic Res.

Result Sheets.

This is to remind all clubs to complete your result sheets properly.

All results cards should be in clear writing and include players full and proper names, the result, and all the questions and marks at the bottom.

Failure to do so will result in clubs being fined as per Rule 11 of your handbook.

Town Hall Report.

For the second week running Hall faced a major reshuffle,the main absentee
being keeper Lee Marshall who succumbed to a gastric illness.What a
difference a week makes,last weeks hat trick hero Rob Leggett donned the
gloves as Hall took the field at a warm but very long grassed
Westhall.Hall put in what can only be described as a Jekyll and Hyde first
half performance,the manager was clearly upset with the passing and ball
retention, which at times was nothing short of woefull , despite this Hall
did go into the break leading 3-0,scoring three good goals.The first came
after a good move and cross from Darren Beckett on the right inviting
Jamie Gallant to bury his routine bullet header.The second showed that
Hall have route 1 in their armoury also, with Gallant turning provider in
flicking on to return the favour for strike partner Darren Beckett to use
his pace and finish well.The third came after some slick movement & a
delightfull threaded pass from Brent harvey allowing the returning Cheesy
(Rob Ripkey)to calmly pick his spot and stroke the ball home first time.HT
3-0. The manager made two changes at the break and maybe Hall were
adjusting to this but maybe the credit should go to Westhall who upped
their game and gave Hall problems after the break, pulling two back to set
the game on a knife edge. Hall then introduced midfield lynchpin Adam
Yaxley after a four week lay off from injury, which settled the side
enabling Hall to get back into their stride & play football.Putting their
blip behind them, Hall turned the screw to make the points safe with a 25
yard bending drive from Gavin Tweed after good approach play for the
fourth.Halls fifth came from a typical Beckett finish, before another good
move which after another deft harvey touch found Cheesy in the inside
right channel,without hesiataion he caught the volley sweetly, Van Basten
like(perhaps not quite as acuter angle)to put the gloss on the 3 points
and seal a 6-2 victory. Credit must go to Westhall for their part in a
fine game,giving Hall their sternest test so far.Their heads never dropped
and were a credit to their manager and club.Hall showed how necessary it
has been in the past few weeks to call on the whole squad,and show the
character required in coming through that 15 minute blip.Hall MOM Sam
Betts who was huge & inspired all around him.

Team:Leggett,Locke,Tweed,Betts,Grant(Lowe),Donovan(O'Grady),Smith(Yaxley),Harvey,Ripkey,Beckett,Gallant

Next week back to Green Lane for a home league fixture v Factory
Arms.Kick off 2.30pm...meet 1.45pm sharp.

Bad News for Barsham.

Barsham currently sitting one from bottom of division 1, having only taken two points from 5 games, have suffered two more major setbacks. Last week, Beccles Town captured the signing of 16 year old goal machine Alex Holmes, which has made an immediate impact scoring 2 in 2 games for the reserves. The second set back is, his older brother Nick, has suffered a nasty looking ankle injury suffered against Spexhall at the weekend, and may be out for a couple of weeks. However, some good news for the Barsham boys is top goal scorer from last season Nick Wilson should return to action next week, following a 6 week lay off.

Not all doom and gloom for Barsham just yet.

Barsham host Oxford Arms this weekend in the cup, followed by a tricky looking encounter against Blundeston the week after.

League Report 11th October.

The first division of the league is turning into an open encounter and this week sees champions Hearts of Oak as the new leaders as they have quietly gone about their business in racking up big wins. This week they defeated Caxton Res. 8-2.
Previous leaders Kirkley & Pakefield A were beaten for the second time this season by FC Hearts who won 3-1.

Blundeston Magpies who had been racking up some impressive victories were this week disappointing as they went down 2-0 to Oxford Arms who had lost all their games so far. I am also led to believe a Magpies players suffered a broken leg and the league would like to wish him all the best.

The win for Oxford takes them out of the bottom two who are now Barsham and Spexhall who shared the points in a thrilling 3-3 draw, Spexhall’s first point of the season.

There was another 3-3 draw in the match at Pot Black between them and Wrentham. Pot Black are looking a hard to beat side this season but have already drawn three times.

The final match in the division saw Norton run out 4-0 winners against Waveney Res.
Ryan Hills converting 2 first half spot kicks and Chris Smith added a second half brace as Norton bounced back from their defeat the previous week.

The second division is once more headed by Hopton White Hart who defeated Crusaders 2-1 and as a result sees them slip to 6th place. Leapfrogging them are Corton A who recorded a 19 (nineteen) 1 thrashing at Oxford Arms Res.

Ole Frank are second after winning 6-2 at Oulton Broad & Notley’s Res. and Pakefield Re-United who are in goof form are now 4th following their 4-2 win over LIFC.

It was a tight game at Dip Farm as Tudor FC scored the only goal against Waveney Gunners whilst at the Malting Meadow Bungay Town A won 3-1 against Norton Res aided by two howlers from the Norton keeper.

Finally Corton White Horse Seltic collected the points with a rather comfortable 4-0 success against Ellingham.

The third division was mainly full of tight scorelines.

The biggest winners of the day were leaders Gt Yarmouth Town Hall who won by 4 goals in their 6-2 win at Westhall.

The only team with a 100% record are still Suffolk Punch as they chalked up their 4th win 2-1 against Waveney A.

Marquis of Lorne are in third following their single goal win at Factory Arms.
Kirkley & Pakefield B defeated Blundeston Magpies Res. 3-2 to climb into mid table and just above them are Spexhall Res. who beat Lake Lothing 3-0.

The final match of the day saw Corton White Horse Seltic Res. 2-0 winners at Earsham who drop to 9th.

Results 11th October:

Division 1;
Barsham 3 v 3 Spexhall
Blundeston Magpies 0 v 2 Oxford Arms
FC Hearts 3 v 1 Kirkley & Pakefield A
Hearts of Oak 8 v 2 Caxton Res.
Norton Athletic 4 v 0 Waveney Res.
Pot Black 3 v 3 Wrentham

Division 2:
Bungay Town A 3 v 1 Norton Athletic Res.
Corton White Horse Seltic 4 v 0 Ellingham
Hopton White Hart 2 v 1 Crusaders
Oulton Broad & Notley’s Res. 2 v 6 Ole Frank
Oxford Arms Res. 1 v 19 Corton A
Pakefield Re-United 4 v 2 LIFC
Waveney Gunners 0 v 1 Tudor FC

Division 3:
Earsham 0 v 2 Corton White Horse Seltic Res.
Factory Arms 0 v 1 Marquis of Lorne
Kirkley & Pakefield B 3 v 2 Blundeston Magpies
Spexhall Res. 3 v 0 Lake Lothing
Suffolk Punch 2 v 1 Waveney A
Westhall 2 v 6 Gt. Yarmouth Town Hall

Pakefield Re-United Notes 4th October.

The match against Tudor FC on Saturday started in a very unusual way for Pakefield Reunited in a state of disorganisation; Harvey was delayed by having to make the return trip to Ellingham from two weeks ago to pick up his boots! With “Bambi” Michalski out for the next two months after twisting his knee, “Dippy” Dale away paintballing and “Skrimshaw” Scriggins also unavailable changes had to be made to the starting line up. “Tillsy” Tills came in for a start, picking up the moldy captains armband that had been left abandoned over the summer, and “Blue” Balls finally coming in from the sidelines to start as centre half. The fact that Tudor FC were also laughing at the state of disarray in the changing rooms seemed to sum up the day’s potential for a slip up…

However, “Crafty” Craft, living up to his name, showed a remarkable turn of phrase in the pre-match talk and set out what needed to be done. Using a game plan is something that always seems to flummox Pakefield but this week it appeared to be different as it seemed everybody was actually listening. Throughout the first half a disciplined performance from everybody saw some excellent football being played. Pakefield allowed Tudor to press forward and tackled well, even if “Tillsy” Tills did start suffering from oxygen deprivation as he closed on the half way line once or twice, with strong performances from all the back four to recover the ball. They then passed out through the active midfield of “Piglet” Graham and “Magic Rabbit” Harvey (A well deserved promotion after pulling his boots out of the hat) using “New Town” Harlow and “Blubber” Whale as excellent outlets. This was all very well but it relied on “Baldy” Coote to play a strong game in the centre up front. This he did with a match winning performance; two excellent finishes from good team approach play and many other strong challenges and good distribution belied his claims of a pulled “walking stick”. Yet this two goal lead was established in the first half with a strong following wind.

Therefore, the second half was sure to provide a totally different proposition (Fill in the appropriate cliché if feeling deprived of a real match report). The hal time team talk was again an opportunity for “Crafty” Craft to eruditely sum up the commitment of the whole team. Pakefield continued to be well organised but the long ball provided Tudor FC with several good chances. The defence held up well until a misjudged challenge at worst led to the award of a penalty. “Boris” Becker’s efforts to save the penalty again led to calls to the National Geological Society to confirm that an earthquake centred on Lowestoft was felt at about 3:42pm on Saturday 4th October. That Pakefield were shocked to see the success of his efforts may have led to them being flat footed and the rebound was scuffed in! However, the continued defensive effort, and good use of the out ball meant Pakefield ended the game with another good win on the road.

The debrief at the Ducthmans was got off to a good start as “Boris” Becker forgot the bridge was closed in his drug addled state, “Crafty” Craft was kept indoors for being a naughty boy and the first social of the year was finally organised. Next week, after a game against Lowestoft International at Normanston, will see an “Evening with the Lads” kick off at 4:30pm(ish) with the England game and food at the Dutchmans. Maybe “Micky” Broxup will stay around long enough to get the full picture of what happening this year – all welcome!!

TEAM: Becker, Tills, Punt, Ball (Coote), Chapman, Whale, Harvey, Craft, Graham, Harlow, Coote.

RESULT: Won 2-1 GOALS: Coote (2)

COMEDY VALUE: Changing Rooms, Referee’s “Hurry Up” Routine, Crafty being kept indoors

Thanks to all!

League Report 05th October

The first division saw the top two win again as both Kirkley & Pakefield A and Blundeston Magpies sit on 12 points from 5 games. The youngster of Kirkley had to work hard to beat Norton Athletic 3-2. Kirkley were winning 1-0 for a long period until Norton’s Steve Moore struck twice inside the final 8 minutes to give them the lead. Kirkley hit back with two of their own in the final 4 minutes to steal the points.

Blundeston on the other hand chalked up another fine victory coming back from Spexhall with a 1-0 win. That’s three straight defeats for the village side now.

Hearts of Oak are up to third on ten points following their 10-2 win over a poor Sole Bay Res side. Wrentham bounced back with a fine 5-2 win over FC Hearts with Dale Gowing netting a brace as they leapfrog Norton into 4th place.

Waveney Res. also got a good win 3-1 over Barsham as they are now 6th. Finally Caxton Res. recorded a 3-0 victory against bottom side Oxford Arms.

Already the second division looks like it will be too close to call as every team has lost already. Crusaders now head the table following their fine 6-2 win over previous leaders Ole Frank. They are joined on 9 points by Hopton White Hart following their narrow 2-1 success at Bungay Town A.

Pakefield Re-United are up to 4th place following their 2-1 win at Tudor FC.

Norton Athletic Res. defeated their Oulton Broad counterparts 5-0 with young Rory Spinks helping himself to 4 goals.
Ellingham are hitting form and won 7-3 against Oxford Arms Res. whilst finally White Horse Seltic collected maximum points in winning 5-2 at LIFC.

The third division looks like it will be a more clear cut scenario as the top sides all won. Town Hall were 5-1 winners against Earsham, whilst Suffolk Punch maintained their perfect start with a 6-0 success at Magpies Res. Harleston Town Res. were 6-2 winners at Waveney A who have also had 3 points deducted.

It was a high scoring game at Lake Lothing where they won 6-4 against White Horse Seltic Res. whilst Spexhall Res climb to mid table with their 4-1 win at Factory Arms.

Finally Marquis of Lorne are getting into the groove and this week recorded a 5-0 win against Westhall as they new jump to 4th place.

Results 04th October:

Division 1;
Beccles Caxton Res. 3 v 0 Oxford Arms
Hearts of Oak 10 v 2 Sole Bay United Res.
Kirkley & Pakefield A 3 v 2 Norton Athletic
Spexhall 0 v 1 Blundeston Magpies
Waveney Res. 3 v 1 Barsham
Wrentham 5 v 2 FC Hearts

Division 2:
Bungay Town A 1 v 2 Hopton White Hart
Ellingham 7 v 3 Oxford Arms Res.
LIFC 2 v 5 White Horse Seltic
Norton Athletic Res. 5 v 0 Oulton Broad & Notley’s Res.
Ole Frank 2 v 6 Crusaders
Tudor FC 1 v 2 Pakefield Re-United

Division 3:
Blundeston Magpies Res. 0 v 6 Suffolk Punch
Factory Arms 1 v 4 Spexhall Res.
GT Yarmouth Town Hall 5 v 1 Earsham
Lake Lothing 6 v 4 White Horse Seltic Res.
Marquis of Lorne 5 v 0 Westhall
Waveney A 2 v 6 Harleston Town Res.

Town Hall Notes.

Hall eased to an 8-2 victory over a sporting Splitz United from the
Central and South Norfolk league.Goals came at regular intervals,leading
the way was leading scorer Darren Beckett with four,making it twelve so
far for the season.Strike partner Jamie Gallant also weighed in with two
headers,his aerial dominance combined with Becketts pace caused Splitz
headaches all afternoon!!Gallants second bagged him 100 competitive goals
for the club,a great milestone for any player,this on his 147th
competitive appearance.Halls other goals came from the industrious Dale
Smith following up at a corner ,and a penalty from keeper Lee Marshall.The
game was well refereed by Daniel Wright.

Marquis of Lorne Notes

Marquis of Lorne 5 - 1 Factory Arms

This was the first round of the Suffolk Primary Cup, and Marquis of Lorne started bright when Ray Baker put the Marquis 1-0 up within 5 minutes after a superb through ball from Andrew Lockwood. Lockwood soon made it 2-0 with a 30 yard shot which left the keeper with no chance. However Factory pulled one back just before the end of the half after a defensive error. First half ended 2-1. The second half started jus like the first with Marquis piling on the pressure which soon paid of when Andrew Howarth tapped in from close range after a well placed cross from Karl Stacey. Marquis soon made it 4-1 when Ricky Woolger headed home from a cross from Andrew Howarth. Andrew Howarth could have had his second when Ben Saunders well placed cross found the head of Andrew Howarth only for the keeper to save it with his feet, but Ben Saunders then made it 5-1 when he headed home. Ranmores Man of the Match: Stuart Loveday.

**********************************************************************