Amesbury Town the new leaders in the Premier Division

This weekend’s fixtures in the Premier Division of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League had an early kick-off with the league leaders Kintbruy Rangers kicking off their game against Malmesbury Victoria Development at 1PM due to a charitable event at the club. In an entertaining first half it was a tale of two penalties in the space of three minutes. Malmesbury went in front on 36 minutes when Robbie Collier put his spot kick away after Joe Tranter had been brought down in the box. However, the lead did not last long as three minutes later Kintbury Rangers were awarded a spot kick at the other end and George Armstrong fired in for his 14^th of the season to leave it all square at the break. It remained a tight affair after the restart, but visitors Malmesbury restored their lead nineteen minutes from time, Matthew Jones surging through the Kintbury defence to fire his side back in front. It looked like the leaders were heading for back-back home defeats after losing in midweek against Kingsdown but were able to salvage a point from the game when they were awarded their second penalty of the afternoon in the final minute of the game, Will Frank putting the spot kick away as it finished 2-2.

Whilst Kintbury had avoided defeat with that late equaliser it was not enough to prevent them from being dislodged at the top of the table as Amesbury Town took over that top spot with an impressive 5-1 away win at Shrivenham. Most of the damage was done in the first half, Josh Moore putting them in front with an overhead kick before captain Jack Vallis doubled their lead heading in from a Bailey Hill corner.  Ben Morris then added a third to give Amesbury a 3-0 half time lead. The second half was to belong to Morris. Firstly, a ball from Ellis Cleary-Tucker found him in space and he chipped the Shrivenham keeper for his second of the game to put his side 4-0 up. He then scored again to complete his hat-trick and put Amesbury 5-0 up after good work from Josh Moore. There was still time for a consolation goal for the home side, Finnley Hopkins hitting a powerful free kick into the net to make the final score 5-1 to Amesbury who moved to the top of the table, two points clear of Kintbury with both sides having played 11 games. Amesbury Town and Shrivenham are set to meet again next Saturday, this time in the Second Round of the Fountain Trophies Cup.

Pewsey Vale had lost only their second game of the season in midweek and were keen to bounce back to maintain their title challenge when they entertained Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development at the Recreation Ground. Two seasons ago the two sides had been involved in a titanic title race which had seen the visitors Royal Wootton Bassett Town effectively claim the title with a narrow win at Pewsey but there was to be no repeat of that earlier triumph. Pewsey led 2-1 at the break thanks to goals from James Guthrie and Jude Cawley, Kevin Lartey with the visitors’ goal. Further goals in the second half from Matt James and Andy Rossiter put Pewsey 4-1 up before a late second from Nick Mason for the visitors reduced the deficit but a comfortable win for Pewsey. The win saw Pewsey move to within a point of Kintbury Rangers with a game in hand, and three points of the new leaders Amesbury Town, again with a game in hand. Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development remain in fifth spot.

Kingsdown followed up their impressive win at Kintbury Rangers in midweek with another victory, this time against struggling Salisbury Development. Salisbury belied their lowly position in the table making it very difficult for their opponents and the two teams turned round at the break with the game still looking for its first goals. Goals did come in the second half though, and they went the way of Kingsdown, with all three being scored by Antonio Gerrish. The win saw Kingsdown move up into sixth spot with games in hand over the two sides immediately above them in the table.

Another side achieving back-to-back victories this week are Shrewton United who followed up their midweek win at Odd Down with a narrow victory over Ludgershall Sports. The spectators at the Recreation Ground were served up a nine-goal thriller which will probably be giving the defensive coaches nightmares this evening. Shrewton found themselves 2-0 up after 25 minutes both goals coming from George Plank corners, Tom Mundy getting on the end of the first on 19 minutes before James Collins headed in from another Plank corner six minutes later. Reece Finn then pulled one back for the visitors to make it 2-1 at the interval. Ludgershall Sports then got themselves back on level terms within a minute of the restart, Thomas Finn firing in to make it 2-2. Shrewton restored their lead when leading scorer Lewis Cross netted his eighth of the campaign on his return to the side. Kyle Paull then doubled Shrewton’s lead with his first goal of the season, and it looked like Shrewton would finally put the game to bed. However, Ludgershall had other thoughts and leading scored Luke Holden pulled one back to give the visitors hope of getting something out of the game. Those hopes were effectively extinguished when substitute Lewis Woodhead added a fifth for Shrewton with his first touch since coming on to make it 5-3. Still Ludgershall would not lie down, and Holden added his second of the game, and ninth of the campaign, to make it 5-4 but there was to be no more goals as Shrewton saw out the closing stages to take the three points in what had been an enthralling game for the spectators. The second win of the week for Shrewton saw them climb to 11^th place in the table.

Trowbridge Town have not made the best of starts and were looking to make up ground on the sides above them in the table when they made the short journey to take on Calne Town Reserves. It did not start too well though as just six minutes in, defender Steven Fox was surrounded by Calne players around 30 yards from goal and had no option but to pass it back to Kierran Ramsey in goal. Calne Town’s Asher Jones gambled on and closed Ramsey downat pace  and the keeper’s clearance deflected off him and into the back of the net to give Calne an early lead. Both sides created several chances during the remainder of the half, but it remained just the one goal as the sides turned round with Calne having that slender advantage. Trowbridge Town came out fired up for the second half and got themselves back on level terms within two minutes of the restart. George Bendle was played in one on one, but his shot was well saved by the Calne keeper, before he squared it for Jack Miluk. Miluk still had work to do but fired it home into the bottom corner to equalise for Trowbridge. Buoyed by the goal Trowbridge then pushed for a second with player manager Ryan Baggs going close with a powerful shot from the edge of the box that went just over and then Bendle, turning his defender,  fired in another shot that went just over the bar. As Trowbridge pushed for a winner Bendle then had a shot cleared off the line after good work from substitute Adam Shipman. It was not all one-way traffic though as Trowbridge keeper Ramsey was forced into an excellent diving save ten minutes from time. Trowbridge continued to seek that elusive winner and with seven minutes to go Shipman was played in on the right, his shot fizzing across the box – waiting for a touch – but instead rolling agonisingly just wide of the post. Almost immediately, Trowbridge attacked again, and another Shipman shot was well saved by the keeper . Then right at the death Calne Town Reserves had a golden chance for a winner when a defensive mix up at the back left Ramsey exposed, but some brilliant recovering defending allowed Trowbridge to clear when a goal looked almost certain. Trowbridge are back in action in midweek when they travel to Malmesbury Vics Development in the only midweek game set to take place next week.

The final game of the afternoon in the Premier Division was at the Weir Field where Wroughton’s visitors were Larkhall Athletic Development. With both sides missing players, representatives of the management teams of both sides were forced to get their boots out. It was a tight affair throughout settled by a solitary goal from Larkhall’s James Book, his third goal of the campaign. The win sees Larkhall sit in ninth place in the table but with at least two games in hand over all the sides above them in the table, win those games and they would be sitting in the top four.

The first game in the Second Round of the Fountain Trophies Cup saw Premier Division Melksham Town Reserves host Division One side Marlborough Town who came into the game in good form and were hopeful of causing a cup upset against their higher division opponents. However, there was to be no cup upset as goals from Jamie Ellis and Jake Dodge secured a 2-0 win for Melksham Town Reserves as they bounced back from the defeat they had suffered in midweek at the hands of Wroughton.

The big match in Division One was at Tucker Park where leaders Faringdon Town entertained second placed Park United. Early on the better of the chances went the way of the visitors Park United and twice in the first 15 minutes Faringdon keeper Jack Gibson was called into action to prevent the leaders from going behind. It wasn’t all one-way traffic though and the first real chance for the home side fell the way of Kyle Bowyer on 23 minutes, Josh Forth laying the ball off to Bowyer whose shot looked destined for the net until deflected wide for a corner. The first goal of the game arrived on the half hour mark; a cross from the left found Park's Corey Harbour-Burgess who fired in at the far post to make it 1-0 to the visitors. Three minutes before the break Gibson in the Faringdon goal was once again called into action tipping a shot from the edge of the area around the post to avoid his side going further behind. Just as though it looked like the leaders would be going into the half-time break trailing, right on the stroke of half time, they restored parity. Kyle Bowyer won a free kick on the edge of the Park United penalty area and Matt Pill’s inswinging free kick was met at the far post by Liam Hares who slammed the ball home for 1-1. The opening 15 minutes of the second half were a cagey affair but Park went back in front just after the hour mark, a cross from the right being headed powerfully in by player-manager Darrin Moss. Faringdon sought to respond immediately and an effort from 25 yards out was pushed away at full stretch by Park keeper Luke Roberts.  With ten minutes to go the home side had shouts for a penalty kick but the decision was just a free kick on the edge of the box. From the resulting free kick Adam Sly headed over from six yards out as it remained 2-1 to Park. As the game moved into the closing minutes Faringdon went close to falling further behind when they gave the ball away and Gibson was once again called into action to deny the visitors a third goal. That was to be the end of the action as Park United ended Faringdon Town’s perfect start to the season and moved above their beaten opponents at the top of the table. Faringdon have a game in hand, but it now means there are no unbeaten sides across the two Saturday divisions of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League. Your Sport Swindon were at the game with their cameras and subscribers can view highlights from the game by clicking on the link below or from the link on the Your Sport Swindon page of the Website.

Devizes Town Reserves are another side on a good run of form and they made it three wins in a row with a comfortable 6-1 away win against Kingsdown Development on the 3G at Kingsdown School. Two early goals from Oliver Barnes and Harry Drewitt set them on their way and they added four more in the second half, Barnes getting a second with further goals from Liam Moffat, Eoin O’Grady and Oliver Norman, Jack Campbell-Walker with the consolation goal for Kingsdown. The win for Devizes saw them move up to third spot in the table.

Bratton are another of the in-form sides and came into their away game at Bishops Cannings having won five games in a row scoring an impressive 30 goals in those five games. They found goals hard to come by in the first half on the 3G at Green Lane as the sides turned round at half time with the game still looking for its first goal. Bratton found that scoring form after the restart but had to wait until the 65^th minute to open their account for the afternoon. A cross from Jonathan Hogarth was headed back across goal by Max Bishop who set-up Jack Booth to slot home for 1-0 to Bratton. Bishop then went from provider to scorer, getting on the end of a corner ten minutes from time to net his fifth goal of the season. There was still time for one more goal, Drew Adams setting up Booth for his second of the game a minute from time to make the final score 3-0 to Bratton who moved up to fourth place in the table as a result of their sixth straight win.

Cricklade Town saw their game postponed last week through no fault of their own and took their frustration out on today’s opponents Wroughton Development on their return to action smashing 12 unanswered goals to record their biggest win of the season. Denis Nae led the way scoring four, both Josh Riggs and Chris Price bagged a brace, and there were further goals from Thomas Whitham, James Lovell, Godfrey Chisanga and Joao Pedro De Souza.  

Shrivenham Development had won just the one game before today’s trip into Swindon to play Stratton Juniors, but they doubled that total returning with all three points following a 2-1 success at Merton Fields thanks to goals from Max McCrae and Kieran Sutton, Corey Cullen, as is usually the case, with the Stratton Juniors goal. The win for Shrivenham saw them move level on points with their beaten opponents.

30 September 2023