League Cup

The improved weather meant that all but one of the scheduled games involving  the Ladies divisions of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League went ahead on Sunday, including two of the three outstanding games in the League Cup quarter finals. At the Save On Tyres Stadium Highworth Town were up against near neighbours Swindon Supermarine with a place in the last four of this season’s competition at stake. With just one place and three points separating the two sides in the Premier Division league table a close contest was anticipated, and it proved to be just that with a solitary goal from Highworth’s Bethan Harris being the difference between the sides come the end of 90 minutes. The two sides are set to meet again this coming Sunday when they play each other in the league.

The other quarter final cup tie saw Premier Division leaders Bemerton Heath Harlequins put seven unanswered goals past Calne Town to reach the semi-final. The Premier Division’s leading scorer Imogen Brady led the way with a hat-trick with further goals from Zoe Ridley, Leanne Griffiths-Lower, Amy Hards and Ellie Hayward. The draw for the next round has been made by League Chairman Brian Busson and League Secretary Jim Thorn and will be released once the final quarter final tie between South Newton & Barford Hornets and AFC Brislington, which is set for this coming Sunday, has been played.

Premier Division

Both teams warmed up for that cup quarter final with home wins on Sunday. In the Premier Division AFC Brislington moved second in the table with a 4-1 victory over Kingsdown. Rhianna Ben-Carew doubled her league goal tally for the season with two of the Brislington goals, with Jelissa Burke and Kirsty Smith also finding the target, leading scorer Charlotte Chandler with the Kingsdown goal. Lily Somers then added a third just after the half hour mark with her third goal of the season.

The other game played in the Premier Division saw Melksham Town pick up their third win of the season with a 6-0 home win over FC Chippenham. India Mulliss set Melksham on their way with the opener and the same player then doubled the home side’s lead on 25 minutes. Lily Summers then added a third just after the half hour mark with what was her third goal of the season. A fourth scored by Rebecca Kench sent Melksham into the half time break with a 4-0 lead and in a commanding position. FC Chippenham came out for the second half and an improved showing saw them stop the flow of goals until 25 minutes from time when Kench added her second of the game. There was to be one more for Melksham, Izzy McGuinness scoring her first goal of the season to round off a good afternoon for her side who moved to within two points of Kingsdown with a game in hand.

Development Division

Meanwhile in the Development Division, South Newton & Barford Hornets registered their biggest win of the season scoring ten goals without reply against Ferndale Rodbourne as they warmed up for next week’s cup encounter. There were hat-tricks for both Molly McCarthy and Lauren Baggot, substitute Sydney Buell bagged a brace with the other two goals coming through Kelly Church and Phoebe Whettleton. The win for South Newton & Barford saw them move level on points with Marlborough Town and Trowbridge Wanderers having played one more game in what is turning into a close title race.

The other two games played on Sunday were both tight affairs. At Kingsdown School, a solitary strike from Blunsdon’s Leah Bodman, after she outpowered the home defence to fire a shot from a tight angle into the far corner of the net, was enough to give her side all three points against Kingsdown Development  in their local derby encounter. The win for Blunsdon saw them move to within a point of Salisbury in the league table. Your Sport Swindon were at the game with their cameras and subscribers can view highlights of the game by clicking on the link below.

The game at Southwick Playing Field saw Staverton Rangers and Malmesbury Victoria share six goals and the points. That is now two games unbeaten for Staverton who had been defeated by Malmesbury earlier in the season, but recent results have shown that they are now a much-improved side. It was a particularly good afternoon for Staverton’s Maisie Harris who scored a hat-trick with the Malmesbury goals coming through Emilee Collier, Lisa Lane and Karen Marshall. The point for Malmesbury means they now trail the top three by three points, having played more games than all of those top three sides.

The final game of the week was scheduled to be the encounter between Salisbury and league leaders Marlborough Town but unfortunately a broken boiler saw the game at the Ray Mac having to be postponed. Thankfully it was repaired in time for Tuesday’s first team game in the Wiltshire Premier Shield so next Sunday’s home game against Trowbridge Wanderers should go ahead.