PRESS OFFICER

Clive Milton

Match Reports

Sunday 29th January 2012 

 

A LEAGUE CUP DAY WITH NO GREAT SURPRISES

The League Cups took centre stage this week

with the Quarter Final rounds in all three competitions.

 

The Harrison & Rowley Cup holders, Constant & Co., have already been eliminated so another club will be presented with the trophy at the end of the season.  Meltis Mexicans took on Oakley after losing last week in the league.  In a tight game Meltis ran out four / three winners to progress into the semi-finals. Darek Jozwiak opened the scoring for Meltis but Oakley got back level by half-time.  Jozwiak completed his hat-trick in the second half to make it three / one, but Oakley buried a penalty to reduce the deficit.  Scott Alleyne score Meltis’ fourth goal, but Oakley again scored after some sloppy Mexican defending.  After a nervous final period Meltis hung on to progress in the Cup.  Queensmen beat Esquires, who are struggling in the league at the moment, but Esquires put up a fight when going down six / three.  Caldecote Young Boys may be the dark horses in this competition, hammering Kempston Hammers six / nil, but Hammers are from the Division below.  It took Caldecote only thirteen minutes to go into a three / nil lead.  Neil Giles scored the first after five minutes when he converted after a set up by Ricky Harris.  Two minutes later Ricky scored a goal of his own after Jack Boyd had set the chance up.  Tom Wallace was the next to score assisted by Kai Shilton but there were two more goals in the first half for Caldecote.  Neil Giles flicked the ball on for Ricky Harris to score and seven minutes before the break it became five / nil when Tom Wallace netted.  The second half was a frustrating time for the Boys, missing countless chances with the Hammers just hanging in there.  It was not until the seventieth minute that the only goal of the half was scored.  Man of the match Ricky Harris scored it to complete his hat-trick with the assistance again of Tom Wallace.  Dunton Sunday hosted 21st GNG Tigers but made the Tigers feel at home by losing two / one.

 

In the Brian Craddock Jubilee Cup Gardeners Arms Biggleswade beat Flitwick Eagles four / two, and Mile Road Casuals came out on top against Old Boys, the final score being three / one.  Caldecote Reserves failed to raise a side, so Bedford Allsters may be getting a free ride into the semi-finals.  The other tie will be played at a later date.

 

The Fifth Division leaders, Westoning Gijon RC, have already put their stamp on the M & DH Insurance Cup, demolishing Fourth Division Fox & Hounds Clapham seven / three at Greenfield Road.  Oakley Wanderers had a very good result at home to Sir William Peel, sending them back to Sandy with a four / nil beating.  Despite fielding the bare number of players required, Wanderers went into the lead midway through the first half.  Mike Kalyan cut in from the right and arrowed a shot past the Peeler’s keeper.  Kalyan made it two from the penalty spot, and when they turned round at half time Stevie Yessian latched onto an exquisite pass from Ashley Ayles to make it three / nil to Oakley.  Three became four when Mike Kalyan burst through from midfield to power in his hat-trick goal to complete an excellent performance.  Sandy Titans expectedly beat BMC five / one and AF Mato came through a tough encounter against Rose Biggleswade by winning that tie three / one after extra time.

 

In the Premier Division only one game was played.  Constant & Co. beat Haynes to collect two valuable points.

 

It was the same story in the First Division where leaders Sharnbrook Casuals visited Stewartby and won four / nil.  Just one more win will clinch the title for the Casuals.

 

Houghton Conquest failed to turn up at Eagle Heating, so the only game in the Second Division was a cracker with second placed Wootton Wanderers and leaders Mowsbury Athletic sharing the points and four goals.  The first twenty minutes was tight at Mowsbury Park but then Rhys Allen hurled in a Delap style throw-in to a crowded Wootton Wanderers penalty area, resulting in the ball deflecting off the back of a Wootton defender and into the net.  Just after half-time Wootton were back in the game when they equalised and then scored a second.  Skipper Arran pushed forward for Mowsbury and scored to level the match.  The rest of the half was cut and thrust with Andy Klein rattling the Wootton crossbar, and a number of one-on-one situations going begging with the keepers doing a sterling job.  An excellent game that was worthy of the pre- match billing.

 

The long time leaders of the Third Division, M & DH Clapham, lost their first game of the season, and top spot to Grafton Celtics.  Celtics beat Clapham two / one.  Bedford Panthers beat Meltis Rangers two / one to leap above Mile Road Casuals into third place.

 

Santaniello’s were stopped in their tracks by Shillington Pirates who beat them seven / nil in the Fourth Division.  Santaniello’s stay third but have now played a game more that the two clubs above them on the same number of points.  Bird in Hand Lower Stondon shared the points with Bedford Albion in a two-all score which benefited both clubs trying to get away from the bottom.

 

No surprises in the Fifth Division where lowly Salento lost three / one to Alfa Oakley, and second placed Blackbirds Flitwick beat Bedford Old Boys three / nil.

 

In the Under 21 Division Barton Rovers took on leaders Hitchin Town at Luton Road in a game that was very close, both teams sharing the points at one-all.  It was an even first half until Charlie Colbourne set up Ashley Parker to score.  In the second half, the equalising goal came from a disputed corner kick.  The final period saw both teams having good chances but poor finishing produced no further goals.  Man of the match was Skipper Danny Pratt who wore out the right side of the pitch with his probing runs and crosses.  It was a local derby between the two Brickhill teams, ‘A’ and ‘B’, and the bragging rights are clearly with the ‘A’ team who savaged the ‘B’ team ten / two at Russell Park.  Bottom placed Watling Youth took on Luton Central who are one place above, and Watling came out on top three / one giving them both points but still languishing in bottom place but now only a point behind Luton Central.

 

The December and January Manager of the month awards

have been combined, and the joint management for Caldecote Young Boys of

Kevin Smyth, Nathan Buckland and Pete Waller

will receive the Britannia Harrison & Rowley award.

 

The winner of the League’s Manager of the month award

Is Daniel Gauntlett of Shillington Pirates.

 

Next Sunday there are some

Beds. F.A. County Cup

Quarter Finals involving this League,

and a number of League games.

 

 

                  

Clive Milton.

(Press Secretary)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 DON'T FORGET , GET YOUR CLUB AND PLAYERS A MENTION IN THE PRESS

Wearing one of my other hats, that of League Press Officer, every week I will be submitting a report to the Times & Citizen, and its associated newspapers, giving a report on League and Cup games played by the Bedford and District Sunday League clubs.

I am reliant on club members sending in to me information on their games.  It matters not if your club has lost the game, let me know goal-scorers’ names and nicknames (however daft), any interesting incidents, man of the match etc., and I will try to make it an interesting read.

I have no control over what actually gets printed in the newspapers, but my complete, unexpurgated version will be duplicated on the League website.

Players like to see their names in print and I believe that interest in who does what in the games is universally interesting.

so please give me a ring on 01234-273893,

or e-mail crmilton2@btinternet.com

by the Monday evening following the Sunday game.