STEP 5 & 6 ACTION

COMBINED COUNTIES

■ RUNAWAY Premier South leaders Farnham Town continued their record-breaking run, making it 25 straight wins since the season started with a 2-0 victory at Camberley Town.

Harry Cooksley gave them the lead in the eighth minute and Ryan Kinnane added the second.

Alton went down 1-0 at home to second-placed Knaphill, who netted via Jose Sani.

A Ben Cheklit hat-trick including a penalty and a goal each by Brandon Pierrick and Pierrick and Darryl Siaw earned

AFC Croydon Athletic a 5-0 home win over Fleet Town.

Horley Town won 5-1 at Cobham thanks to goals from Lewis Pearch, Jake Roberts, Josh Alder and substitute Azeez Elegushi plus a Scott Walker penalty, the hosts having two players sent off.

Abbey Rangers triumphed 3-0 at

Guildford City with Daryl Cooper-Smith, Jack Watts and substitute Danile Cadete delivering the goods.

Hosts Sheerwater beat Tooting & Mitcham United 3-0 with George Mackie, Zac Jervis and Harvey Dosanje on target, with the visitors having Mario Quiasacca sent off for two yellows.

Jersey Bulls were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Sandhurst Town while Epsom & Ewell v Redhill. Spelthorne Sports v Colliers Wood United and

Tadley Calleva-Balham also ended 1-1.

In Premier North, Rayners Lane moved back to top spot on goal difference with a Rio Connell double and one each from Elliott Buchanan and Josh Williams in a 4-1 home win over Virginia Water. Short-lived table-toppers Flackwell Heath lost 2-0 at home to Harefield United, who netted through Leo Sery and Ezekiel Williams.

A Greg Hackett brace and a goal each by Lewis Toomey and Adz Smith saw hosts Risborough Rangers beat Milton United 4-1.

Goals by Eddie Lee and Tyler Robinson saw Reading City win 2-1 at Ardley United. A 95th-minute Rahman Ajibola goal following an earlier Josh Addae strike gave Holyport a 2-1 win at Wembley. Ben Jordan netted for Egham Town in their 1-0 win over visitors Wallingford & Crowmarsh.

Chalfont St Peter drew 0-0 at home to Bedfont Sports.

ROBIN JONES

UNITED COUNTIES

■ Newark & Sherwood

IN Premier North, United made it five wins in a row as Liam Moran and Luke White found the back of the net in a 2-0 win at

Hucknall Town.

Goals from Marley Fearon, Keaton August and Alexander Marshall earned hosts Heanor Town a 3-2 victory over

Belper United.

Ryan Lennon netted for Sleaford as they triumphed 1-0 at Deeping Rangers. In a game played at Quorn, Ashby Ivanhoe drew 2-2 with Skegness Town. Boston Town had to settle for 1-1 at Kimberley Miners Welfare while Wisbech were held 1-1 at home to Melton.

Wellingborough Town maintain top spot in Premier South with a key victory at thirds-placed St Neots Town. Delivering the goods for the visitors were Jessie Obeng and Nehemiah Richard-Noel.

Daventry went down 3-0 to Bugbrooke St Michaels, who scored through Tom Binder, Levon Stewart and Cian Shea. Easington Sports returned from Rugby Borough with a 2-1 victory courtesy of goals from Leam Howards and Callum Convey.

Histon came from behind to beat visitors Lutterworth Town 3-1 with firsthalf goals from Joe Sutton, Josh Kilsby and a Danny Gould penalty. The game celebrated International Women’s Day with ladies admitted to the ground for half-price.

Julinho Gomes and Oleksandr Muzychuk were on target for Yaxley, who won 2-0 at Cogenhoe United.

James Hall scored the only goal of the game as home side Eynesbury Rovers

saw off second-from-bottom Leicester Nirvana. Second-placed Aylestone Park

could manage only a 1-1 draw at basement side Desborough, while Newport Pagnell drew 1-1 at home to March.

The highest score in Division One saw Kirby Muxloe beat visitors Sandiacre

5-2 with Dante Naute-Brown bagging a brace and Mark Foster, Adam Parry and substitute Jack Gunn claiming one each.

Two goals by Lewis Chambers and one from Jack Beckett saw hosts Newark

beat visitors Birstall United Social 3-1.

Hosts Radford beat Southwell 2-0, the first coming from Fola Fagbemi and the second, from Conor Moore in the 90th minute, was his 50th goal for the club, in what was his 200th game.

ROBIN JONES

NORTHERN LEAGUE

■ LEADERS Bishop Auckland and second-placed Shildon both reached a century of goals with comfortable wins over Sunderland RCA and Newcastle Benfield.

Bishops put seven past second-bottom RCA with Dean Thexton and Dane Burlace registering braces and Andrew May, Jake Hackett and Joe Bartliff also scoring.

Shildon came from behind to win 4-1 at Newcastle Benfield, Luke Spalding with a late brace for the Railwaymen.

Whickham and Birtley Town shared four goals in the Gateshead derby, while Heaton Stannington were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Crook, who had Aaron Wearmouth sent off after just eight minutes.

Lewis Rutherford scored a hat-trick as fourth-bottom Seaham Red Star beat North Shields 3-1, while Nathan Greenwood and Liam Potter goals gave West Auckland a 2-0 home win over West Allotment Celtic.

Boro Rangers won 2-0 at Carlisle City

through second half goals from James Field and Stuart Rose.

Third-bottom Northallerton Town

recorded a 4-2 victory over visitors Penrith,

who led twice through Connor Shields, then sent off at the death.

A first-half double from Adam Boyes saw Redcar Athletic run out 3-0 winners at home to bottom markers Tow Law.

A 45th-minute penalty from Lewis Suddick gave Whitley Bay a 2-1 win over high-flying Guisborough at Hillheads.

JEFF BOWRON

NORTH WEST COUNTIES

■

THE race for the Premier Division title was blown wide open, as William Riding’s double led Wythenshawe Town joint-top of the tree.

Coinciding with Bury’s 1-0 defeat at

Irlam, where Ethan Cartwright finished a slick move on 12 minutes, Town were a different class on home turf and saw off

Barnoldswick Town with relative ease in their 3-1 triumph.

Riding’s free-kick midway through the opening half was doubled up five minutes before the break with a rocket past the helpless Callum Jakovievs.

Despite Jack Foster’s header halving the deficit with ten to play, Thomas Bentham confirmed victory in stoppage time.

An eight-goal thriller could not see Litherland REMYCA and Cheadle Town separated, despite Elliot Taylor’s double, in a stunning 4-4 draw.

Wythenshawe made sure they kept the pace for the title, courtesy of Bryan Ly’s penalty in a 1-0 win at Lower Breck, a scoreline repeated by Kendal Town at

Pilkington thanks to Patrick Allington’s decider at the death.

Brad Carsley and Fenton Davies were a class above Squires Gate in a 6-1 drubbing, as the Charnock Richard duo netted hat-tricks, while Joel Brownhill notched a double in Padiham’s 4-1 success at Chadderton.

AFC Liverpool’s Luke Porter and Liam Paton secured a 2-1 win at Ramsbottom.

BEN TYLER

NORTHERN COUNTIES EAST

■ A SIX-GOAL thriller at Penistone

Church saw Barton Town launch a second-half comeback to clinch a late point.

Having trailed to the visitors’ Iwan Heeley, Nathan Keightley and Antony Brown’s quickfire double saw hosts Penistone take a commanding 3-1 lead at the interval, only for Reece Moody and Clark Greaves with his first goal for the club to level up at 3-3.

Bottesford Town had a far more straightforward afternoon, drubbing basement side Maltby Main 4-0 with Finley Pulford, Jack Griffin, Charlie Dunkerley and Danny Walker registering.

Oliver Norman struck a brace to help

Tadcaster Albion reverse Leon Howarth’s opening goal for Handsworth in a 2-1 success, pushing Albion to 12th.

Rossington Main are fourth after Manasse Klange and Liam Hardy downed

Thackley 2-0, a scoreline repeated by Knaresborough Town - victors over Frickley Athletic thanks to first-half strikes from Bradley Walker and Danny Edwards.

Hallam left it late to confirm their 3-1 win, Sam Eckhardt strking in stoppage time to see off Albion Sports. Elsewhere, Eccleshill United secured a huge three points to drag themselves away from relegation danger in their 2-0 victory over Goole and on Friday night third-placed Garforth Town slipped to a 3-2 defeat at Golcar United.

BEN TYLER

MIDLAND LEAGUE

■ UTTOXETER TOWN celebrated the life of former boss Dean Arnold in style with a gritty 2-0 win over Shifnal Town.

Arnold was in charge of Uttoxeter when he died suddenly in February 2020 aged 49 and yesterday’s match was dedicated to his memory.

Second-half mistakes proved Shifnal’s undoing, Haydn Brown squeezing in from a tight angle in the 56th minute having mugged Jordan Jones. The killer second came two minutes later when Shifnal keeper Yankuba Colley swiped at fresh air to gift Kieran Wild a walk-in.

Lichfield City closed to within three points of leaders Congleton Town by sweeping aside Whitchurch Alport 5-0, Jack Edwards, Liam Kirton, Jamie Elkes, Leighton McMenemy and Joe Haines wrapping up the points within 51 minutes while Congleton drew 0-0 at AFC Wulfrunians.

Ten-man Studley drew 0-0 at play-off rivals Darlaston Town and a Jack Watts hat-trick fired hosts Stourport Swifts

back in to the top five with a 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Casuals.

Boss Steve Pickup left Northwich Victoria this week and interim managers Matt Barnes and Chris Broad got off to the perfect start with a 3-2 win over Atherstone Town. Elsewhere, Dudley Town won 1-0 at Romulus and Highgate United drew 1-1 with Stone Old Alleynians.

ANDY MITCHELL

HELLENIC LEAGUE

■ CORSHAM TOWN took over top spot by a single point after drawing 1-1 at Slimbridge.

George Neil gave the hosts a firsthalf lead with Owen Humphries levelling midway through the second. Corsham have now played five more games than Worcester City who sit right below them.

Hereford Pegasus returned from

Longlevens AFC with a 3-0 win thanks to a double from Carlo Moreira and a James Price goal.

Cameron Davis, Oli Barnes and Luke Williams were on target for Westfields as they won 3-2 at Pershore Town and David Pratt netted to earn Highworth Town a 1-0 win over Roman Glass St George.

Elsewhere, Liam Harper scored the only goal as hosts Brimscombe & Thrupp beat Thornbury Town, hosts Cinderford Town settled for 1-1 with Worcester Raiders and mid-table Mangotsfield United drew 0-0 at home to basement side Wantage Town.

On Friday, a 79th-minute winner from Kieran Alder gave hosts Tuffley Rovers a 3-2 win over Lydney Town while Oliver Case scored for third-placed Royal Wootton Bassett Town in their 1-0 win over visitors Fairford Town in fourth place.

And goals by Gabe Costello, Akeem Stewart, Charlie Warren and Joe Williamson earned Calne Town a 4-2 victory at

Chipping Sodbury Town in Division One.

ROBIN JONES