PRIZE LIST
DYRHAM PARK TROPHY Winner Singles net): Trevor Faber (Shirley) 71
WHITEFIELD CUP (Runners-up Singles net): Cyril Cohen CPO G. Christie – MA Alan Batton – W G Specterman A) Shirley 72
HARTSBOURNE TROPHY (Winner Singles gross): Lance Pomerance (Abridge) 77
SUSSEX TROPHY (Runner-up Singles Gross): Laurence Green (CPO G Specterman – A) Abridge 79 NORTH EAST TROPHY (Winner Team net): Moor Allerton 292
ABRIDGE TROPHY (Runner-up Team net): Abridge 293 COOMBE HILL TROPHY (Team gross): Abridge 321
POTTERS BAR TROPHY (Runnerup Team gross): Moor Allerton 331
FOOTBALL London Lions suffered mixed emotions at the start of the new Spartan South Midlands League season.
The Division One new boys began life by beating Buckingham Athletic 5-4 in an opening-day cracker.
But they came back down to earth with a bump after crashing 3-0 at Risborough Rangers on Tuesday.
Joint-boss Tony Gold insists his new-look side are a work in progress and will take their time to find their feet at a new level. He said: “There were a lot of positives to take out of the two games. But we will learn and grow with every game.
“We have a lot of young players who have made the step-up from youth football. It’s a big jump and it takes time adjust to that.
“They are still raw in the game understanding and in a positional sense. I have no doubt they will learn and we will work hard collectively to eliminate them the best we can.
“The younger players need to learn when to play out from the back and when to clear their lines. We also have to do better when we don’t have the ball. We have been exposed too much defensively, so that’s clearly an area we need to look at and work on.”
The Lions had kicked-off life back in Division One in a nine-goal thriller.
Josh Kennet bagged a hat-trick, while Ben Ellis and Max Kyte were also on the scoresheet as Buckingham were edged out.
But it was a different story as they were put to the sword on their travels in an early-season wake-up call.
Gold added: “It’s early days and we are finding our feet. It’s just a case of a few of our players adapting. But I’m confident we will have a good season.”
Wingate & Finchley were edged out in a seven-goal thriller with Leiston in their Ryman Premier League curtain-raiser.
Rob Laney handed the hosts a dream start when he nodded in Mark Goodman’s eighth-minute cross.
Leiston hit back but Scott Shulton’s solo strike restored Wingate’s lead at the break, though the visitors were level with 69 minutes on the clock.
And they went ahead four minutes later adding a fourth goal as Wingate were caught out in a counter-attack.
David Knight cut the deficit late on, but it was a scant reward.