North Wiltshire Division

There was a full schedule of league fixtures in the North Wiltshire Veterans’ Division of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League this week and it was a good week for the chasing pack behind league leaders Redhouse. On Tuesday night Redhouse were away at second in the table Cricklade Town in a game that could prove pivotal in the final destination of this season’s league title. Goals from Phil Corcoran, Stuart Hughes and James Tinsley gave Cricklade a 3-1 win that saw them move to within four points of the leaders but with five games in hand, Dave Pratt with his 16^th goal of the season with the solitary reply for Redhouse. Cricklade are yet to lose in the league this season and look determined to hold onto the league title they won last season.  

Nationwide remain level on points with Cricklade having played one more game after they also closed the gap to the leaders with an emphatic 9-0 win over bottom of the table FS Swindon. Marc Merritt led the way scoring four of the Nationwide goals, Paul Stonehouse and Dan Kingsley both bagged a brace with Pete Sealey getting the other Nationwide goal. Whilst Redhouse remain top of the table for now, Nationwide look to be Cricklade’s main rivals for the title but with Cricklade and Nationwide yet to meet each other this season, points will be dropped by one or other side which will give Redhouse hope of still securing honours come the end of the season.  

ExIntel consolidated their fourth-place position with a come from behind win over AFC Swindon. Andrew Copland had given AFC Swindon a half time 1-0 lead but two goals in the final ten minutes from substitute Alex Rudd turned things around for ExIntel. ExIntel are four points behind Cricklade and Nationwide but have just four league games left to play. Ahead of those league games they have an important date this coming Friday night when they play Cricklade Town in the final of the Wiltshire Veterans’ County Cup at Green Lane with an 8PM kick-off.  

Penhill United sit four points below ExIntel following a 3-1 win over Chiseldon on Thursday night at Moredon. Two goals from Jamie Ashby and one from Joe Anderson inflicted the damage on Chiseldon, Adam O’Keeffe with the Chiseldon goal. Penhill, like Cricklade and Nationwide, are behind with their fixtures and will be eyeing up a top four finish if they can win those games in hand.

At the other end of the table Royal Wootton Bassett Town and Stratton Juniors had to settle for a point apiece following a 2-2 draw at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, Steve Shaw and Mark Simpkins with the goals for Royal Wootton Bassett, Matthew Bown and Ogedi Uzokwe with the reply for Stratton Juniors. The point for Royal Wootton Bassett ended a miserable run that had seen them lose six straight games.

Mid Wiltshire Division

Unfortunately the fixtures in the Mid Wiltshire Division were also hit by the week’s wet weather with the two games scheduled to be on grass both falling victim to pitch issues, a waterlogged pitch in the case of Radstock Town and a massive sink hole in the case of Devizes Town which had also caused games in the Western League and Division One of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League to be postponed.

Two of the three games that went ahead impacted the top of the table and the week ended with new league leaders, Durrington taking over at the top after a 2-0 win away at Calne Town on Monday night, Declan McGregor and Shaune Smith with the Durrington goals, the latter taking his total for the season into double figures.

The following night Melksham Town moved up into joint second spot, maintaining their unbeaten start to the season in the league, with a hard fought 4-3 away win against Westbury United. Two goals from Tom Robinson plus further strikes from Adam Young and a 21^st of the season from Gary Higdon securing the win for Melksham, Matthew Mead, David Percival and Wayne Wheeler with the Westbury goals. Melksham became the last side to reach the halfway stage with their fixtures and like Devizes they have drawn one and won nine of those ten games with the two unbeaten sides yet to play each other as they both sit two points below Durrington with two games in hand.

The same night there was a big game at the bottom end of the table when Amesbury Junior Badgers entertained Bishops Cannings who started the night just above the Badgers in the table. Come the end of the night the two sides had swapped positions as Amesbury Junior Badgers picked up their second win of the season, winning 5-1 to avenge the 3-1 defeat they had suffered at the hands of Bishops Cannings back in October. Star of the show was Kieryn Fox who helped himself to a hat-trick with further goals from Richard Taylor and Aaron West. Whilst Bishops Cannings are now two points behind Badgers they have three games in hand.

With Half Term this week there is a very limited schedule of fixtures with just the one league game in the Mid Wiltshire Division involving Melksham Town and Calne Town and then the big County Cup Final on Friday night between Cricklade Town and ExIntel.

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