District Unbeaten Wanderers clinch title and return to Combination
NICHOLAS Wanderers are celebrating championship and promotion successes after confirming those feats in typically forceful fashion.
An 8-1 away win over Bristol Barcelona was sufficient for Wanderers, still parading 100 per cent winning form since the start of the season, to clinch the Senior Division title. A Billy Arnold hat-trick, Harry Sutton brace and Craig Baptist, Scott Andoniou and Matt Hawkins efforts paved the way for a comfortable victory for Kevin Pollard’s red-hot team.
Arnold stepped off the bench at half-time to score a rapid treble which referee Martyn Popel confirmed was accomplished in four minutes, 20 seconds. Chris Barton scored Barca’s consolation.
Wanderers’ application for membership of the Bristol Premier Combination was ratified in January, provided they clinched top spot. They joined the Combination league in 1967 but dropped out in 2016 to secure the future of the club.
Ecstatic secretary Bob Fudge said: “With the club expecting to agree an asset transfer with Bristol City Council to develop the facilities at Dundridge Playing Fields in St George, the future looks very
good. We have support from local councillors, members, previous members and The Friends of Dundridge Group, so we are raring to go!”
Bradley Stoke Town and visitors Hillfields Old Boys served up eight-goal entertainment in a crucial promotion bout.
Paul Coles fired four of the goals and Mikey Golding and Harrison Kelly pitched in as Hillfields moved up a place to third with a 6-2 success and within just a point of second-placed Stoke, whose Charles Moore and Chris Evans registered.
Charlie Evans and Zach Feltham scored for bottom side Longwell Green Sports A as they fell to a 3-2 home defeat to a Patchway Town Reserves outfit who eased their own relegation concerns.
Shane Simms scored for Made For Ever in a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Mendip Broadwalk Reserves.
There seems to be no stopping Hanham Athletic Reserves in Division One at this time, despite their fourth-bottom status.
They racked up a fourth straight win with a 5-0 home romp over bottom team Greyfriars Athletic Reserves, thanks to Luke Simmons’ pair and Ashley Bamford, Sam Baber and Kieran Hughes contributions.
Jac Humphries notched for Stapleton Reserves but visiting Nicholas Wanderers Reserves strolled to a 6-1 success to stay firmly in title contention.
The match between Henbury Reserves and struggling Totterdown Reserves was abandoned on 65 minutes with the latter a goal up through James Kearle’s strike.
The referee blew prematurely for time after sending off two Henbury players and allegedly taking a punch from one of them.
Eric Davies, Ben Burrell and Olvwaseun Adebayo were the happy marksmen as Hambrook Reserves edged up a place into fifth spot in the Division Two standings with a 3-2 home win over Frampton Athletic, who replied through Andrew Harper and Jack Brooks, still rooted to the bottom without a point.
Hambrook did pass up a twogoal lead when appearing comfortable before finding a winner on the stroke of full-time with a fizzing angled strike from the left side of the box into the far corner.
While unstoppable Highridge United Reserves stayed more than secure at the summit, courtesy of Jack Godfrey’s double and Dean Gingell’s goal in a 3-1 home victory over Bradley Stoke Reserves, Kevin Blunt, Lewis Kendall and Joe Morgan were making their mark for Lawrence Rovers as they moved into third with a hard-fought 3-2 win over visitors Iron Acton.
Amid an enthralling race involving several sides to seize runnersup spot, second-placed Tormarton kept their hopes alive as Lewis Meese, Ashley Matthews and Mason Harrison did the damage to see them past Sea Mills Park Reserves 3-1.
Skye Allen scored all three goals as Brimsham Green’s battlers held firm at the top of Division Three with a 3-2 home victory over Old Sodbury Reserves, who would have snatched pole position had they secured the three points.
Hillfields OB Reserves cruised into second place, knocking Sodbury back into third, by thrashing lowly Cutters SB 10-2 at Thicket Avenue through Kyle Thomas and Sam Carr hat-tricks, plus Jed Fields, Moss Baderin, Connor Henning and Joel Hall singles.
Westerleigh Sports secured a second straight win by overcoming Nicholas Wanderers A 4-2 via Brandon Snary (2), Wes Heath and Dan Parker goals to give them hope yet of exiting the bottom two places with four fixtures to face.
Daniel Poad’s goal for Real Thornbury Reserves earned them a point from a 1-1 home draw with a fourth-placed Stokeside side still harbouring hopes of landing a toptwo promotion spot.