MARCH HISTORY
WESSEX LEAGUE
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MONEYFIELDS were the beaten finalists in the Portsmouth Senior Cup on Wednesday night, losing 4-1 to the Southern League Premier Division’s Gosport Borough at Baffins Milton Rovers.
Ex-AFC Bournemouth striker Steve Hutchings was on target for Moneys while Dan Wooden bagged a brace for Shaun Gale’s Gosport with further goals from Ashton Leigh and Luke Hallett.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Cowes Sports made it in to the final of the Isleof-Wight Gold Cup with a 2-0 home win against Whitecroft & Barton Sports. Jez Conway and Ji Nash both netted a goal apiece for Sports to set them up with a final on May 10 against Newport IOW.
Elsewhere, Danny Thompson was unveiled as the new boss of Portsmouthbased Baffins Milton Rovers having previously been assistant manager.
Fareham Town and Shaftesbury met in the Wessex League Cup final yesterday at AFC Portchester’s home. Despite Casey Bartlett-Scott netting for the Creeksiders, goals from Ash Pope and Asa Phillips sealed a 2-1 win for Shaftesbury.
Next week, Brockenhurst take on
Hamble Club in the Russell Cotes Cup final on Tuesday night at Grigg Lane. Then on Thursday night, Folland Sports take on AFC Totton in the Southampton Senior Cup final at St Mary’s Stadium.
Alresford Town are also in cup final action on Thursday against Basingstoke Town in the North Hants Senior Cup at
Whitchurch United’s Longmeadow.
MATT RICHBELL
HELLENIC LEAGUE
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HEREFORD PEGASUS will play at Step 5 next season after winning the Division One play-off, the fourth-placed finishers beating runners-up Worcester Raiders 3-0 on Friday evening.
In front of a crowd of 1,048, Richard Greaves gave the visitors the lead after 60 seconds and Matt James added a second in the 27th minute. Greaves struck again two minutes from time to make sure.
Pegasus will now seek to round off the season with silverware when they meet Premier side Cribbs in the final of the Bluefin Sports Challenge Cup at Bishops Cleeve’s ground on Monday.
In Tuesday’s semi-finals, a 60th-minute Steve Murray goal gave Cribbs a 1-0 victory at Clanfield 85 while Hereford Pegasus beat visitors Bradford Town 4-0 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. George Box gave the hosts a 23rd-minute lead before an own goal in the 66th minute levelled it.
The final of the Bluefin Sports Supplementary Cup between Roman Glass St George and Pershore Town also takes place at Bishops Cleeve on Monday.
In the semi-final at Newent Town on Tuesday, two strikes from Lewis Gilcrist and one each from Lewis Ellington and Dawid Regula, plus an own goal, gave Roman Glass a 5-1 win while Pershore were given a walkover to the final after Westbury United pulled out.
On Thursday, Premier side Brimscombe & Thrupp lost 3-2 to Western Division One side AEK Boco in the final of the Gloucestershire County FA Challenge Trophy.
ROBIN JONES
ESSEX SENIOR LEAGUE
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THE LAST game of the Essex Senior League season will be played tomorrow afternoon when Enfield meet Cockfosters in the Errington Challenge League Cup final.
Kick-off at Great Wakering Rovers’
Burroughs Park ground is 3pm for the first final since Stansted won the trophy in 2019, Covid having curtailed the last two seasons.
Enfield finished fifth in the table, 10 points behind runners-up Saffron Walden Town, who lost out to Witham Town on Saturday in the new super play-offs for a place at Step 4.
Cockfosters were four places behind the Es, but neither really threatened champions Walthamstow, who finished clear of Saffron Walden, with
Redbridge third and Stansted fourth.
Leading the line for the Es are Dwade James, who twice won the league’s top scorer award when he was at Stow and Samrai Gebrai. For Fosters, their top marksmen was George Beattie and Reece Monsanya.
To reach the final, Cockfosters won three times on the road at Clapton, FC Clacton and Stanway Rovers. Enfield had three home draws and beat Saffron Walden, Sawbridgeworth Town and
Hoddesdon Town.
The Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy was won over Easter, Redbridge beating Stanway 2–0 at Saffron Walden.
DAVID BALLHEIMER
SOUTH WEST PENINSULA
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TORPOINT ATHLETIC won the Premier East championship with a 7-1 home win over Honiton Town on Thursday.
Curtis Damerell hit a hat-trick, taking his season’s tally to 54 and breaking the league’s scoring record in the process as Torpoint lifted their first league title in 55 years.
Liskeard Athletic all but secured second spot in Premier West on Tuesday with a goalless draw at champions
Falmouth Town.
Yesterday, however, Liskeard were hammered 7-0 at third-placed Wendron whose Charlie Young hit a hattrick. Wendron will overtake Liskeard only if Dobwalls beat them by nine goals on Bank Holiday Monday. Yesterday, Dobwalls lost 6-0 at Falmouth.
On Friday, Bodmin Town boss Darren Gilbert was given the perfect retirement gift after 14 seasons as his side beat visitors St Dennis 9-1.
ROBIN JONES