Category: League Round Up

kingsteignton athletic sdfl premier division 2025

Leaders Villa fend off stern Bees challenge

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 8th FEBRUARY, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Kingsteignton Athletic, who hit Elburton Villa Reserves for six this week, contributed by SDFL

It may well be as you were in the top half of the Premier Division after this weeks results, but Ilsington Villa huffed and puffed to get past a determined Beesands Rovers side that are fighting for their Premier Division status; it took goals from Daniel Langford and Myles Caldwell to secure a 2 – 1 home win and remain in pole position with 7 games to play.

Keeping up the pressure, and remaining level on points with the Moorlanders, are Newton Abbot ’66 who have played a game more and made no mistakes in their 4 – 1 victory over Chudleigh Athletic who are also fighting for their top division status. Ashley Dove scored twice with Carl Foskett and 17 year old Marley Rivers also finding the net. No doubt young Marley will be hoping to follow in his fathers footsteps into the pro game. In Mark’s career, he made 331 appearances for Crewe Alexandra, Norwich City and Carlisle United and netted 62 goals along the way. Coincidentally, ’66 only have 6 games to play and two of them are against top four clubs, so there are plenty of points to be played for especially next week against Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves. Elsewhere, Kingsteignton Athletic (pictured) remain in third place after brushing aside Elburton Villa Reserves by 6 goals to 1; Nick Garret won the match ball with a hat-trick, and Tom Reeves, Kelsey Leech and Matt Williams weighed in with singles. That was more than enough to give the Rams a comfortable afternoon at Broadpark. Buckfastleigh Rangers stay in fourth place, but it could have been so much more as they were held to a 1 – 1 draw by Paignton Saints in a game that both teams felt that it was 2 points dropped; the two teams meet again next week in the Herald Cup and with extra time and penalties there will definitely be a winner. Newton Abbot Spurs continue to be upwardly mobile; they had a good win over East Allington United and stay in fifth place thanks to a 3- 2 scoreline at the Rec; Callum Noyce, Jamie Micklewright and Jake Mitchell were the target men for Spurs who are 8 points off the lead with 4 games in hand and as the weeks go by, they are becoming the writer’s favourites for the title just two seasons after joining the South Devon Football League from the Devon Football League. Waldon Athletic got back to winning ways after a turbulent week for the club; a 4 – 1 home win against Totnes and Dartington was just the medicine for the Torquay-based team who will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season; Les Afful bagged two and there were singles for Kyle Doughty and Frank Major to keep the Clarets in contention.

There were only two league games played in Division One due to delayed cup games as Bovey Tracey Reserves took advantage with a fine 5-2 win at Newton Spurs Thirds to keep themselves ahead of The Windmill and within touching distance of Plymouth True Blues. Paignton Villa moved above Buckland Athletic Reserves in the standings with a 2 – 1 win over the Newton Abbot side; goals from Daniel Petty and Charlie Thomas puts the Villa into fifth place and just 4 points off the top four.

In Division Two, Barton Athletic picked up three free points as Buckfastleigh Rangers Reserves could not raise a team, but despite being in pole position, they must be looking over their shoulders as the clubs as far down as East Allington Seconds in seventh place have games in hand over the leaders who only have 7 to play; Mount Gould in third place have an incredibile 7 games in hand and are 12 points behind. Paignton Villa Seconds have been in a run of good form of late but that came to an end at Harbertonford who ran out winners on the day by 3 goals to 1. Strikes from Seb Looker, Joshua Block and George Haan won the points for the Fords who have now picked up points from over half of their fixtures and seem to be more settled after a worrying couple of seasons. Most of you know that you can never write off a Watcombe Wanderers team and the Greens, having had an indifferent start to the season, are up to fifth place with games in hand thanks to a 5 – 1 win at Bakers Park against Newton Rovers; Keiron Dale scored two and there were singles from Simon Ross, Steve Doyle and Sam Edney. Paignton Saints Reserves also moved away from any potential squeaky bum time with a 6 – 2 home win versus Upton Athletic who are also in a safe mid-table berth.

In Division Three, Drake FC let 2 more points slip away in their quest for a second successive promotion as visitors South Brent are more than happy with a 1 – 1 draw that moves them further away from the bottom two; Kasper Gorecki was on target for the Plymouth team who remain in second place but just to put this division into context, South Brent are third from bottom with five games in hand and should they win them, they could bag a promotion spot, so it’s all to play for; another team with games in hand are Totnes and Dartington Seconds; they dispatched Paignton Saints Thirds 6-nil with strikes from Ryan Turner, Jimmy Spriggs, Jordan Baxter, Connor Bagnell and Harry Parnham, a result which leaves Saints second from bottom having conceded 95 goals in 13 games.

It was business as usual in Division Four as Kingskerswell saw off the Teign Village challenge, winning 7-nil, and now only need 1 more win to be crowned Division Four champions, and we are only in February; they have a free weekend this week so I will report next week in case you would like to see the first silverware of the season won. The race for second place will go to the wire; Templer Way, currently in second place, won 5 – 2 at home against Broadhempston United; Toto Whittle scored 4 goals before being subbed off(!!) and James McGrain added a single after replacing him; now that’s what managers are supposed to do. And Teign Village remain in third place with a game in hand, and should it come down to goal difference, Templer are on plus 21 and Village are on plus 20, so that extra game for Village could make the difference but of course they both have to win the games before goal difference is considered. Chudleigh Athletic Reserves remain in fourth place with two games in hand but would need Templer or Village to slip up to overtake them; this week they won 4 – 1 at Kingsbridge and Kellaton United with goals from Joshua Webber, Jack Wills and Warren Smart to keep their good season on track. Paignton Villa Thirds and Waldon Athletic Thirds shared a 2 – 2 draw and both remain in mid-table.

The Torbay Clearance Services League has so far been fairly fortunate with the weather; with only a couple of weeks totally lost to the season, it’s amazing that we are in the first week of February and Waldon Athletic Thirds only have one league game to play at Cricketfield Road and whilst Division Four is a smaller division with ten teams, it’s only two less than the Premier Division where Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves have eleven games still to play. In Division One, Plymouth Phoenix still have to play thirteen games and they play on a 3g pitch!! They have been blighted by postponements by other teams and to their credit are still in three cup competitions, so if they continue to be unbeaten they could have 20 games to play, and there are only sixteen playing Saturdays left, so if you take out eight of those Saturdays for cup games, they could have to arrange at least eight midweek games in a six week period to finish the season. Another Plymouth based team in Mount Gould are also in a similar situation with fourteen league games to play not including their remaining cup games and in Division Three, South Brent, who had a month off earlier in the season, still have a bit of catch up to do in their remaining twelve games. Most other teams fall into the six to ten games left to play which should give the majority plenty of time and not so many mid-week fixtures to arrange. Having said that, I expect 6 feet of snow to hit us within a fortnight!!

Games to catch on Saturday 15th February.

It’s all up for the cup this week as teams battle for a place in the quarter finals of the Herald Cup, and what an offering is available to grassroots supporters. Premier Division East Allington United welcome Division One’s top team Plymouth True Blues to Poole Lane in what should be a difficult game for both teams. Another Plymouth based team in Phoenix get the experience of visiting Long Lane to face a Watcombe Wanderers team determined to keep a cup run going. There is an all Division One tie between Bovey Tracey Reserves and Ivybridge Town Reserves and down at Loddiswell, two of the bottom three in the top division clash in the cup when Beesands Rovers play Chudleigh Athletic in a game where the winning team will get a boost of confidence to take back to their league fixtures. The cup would not be the cup without a banana skin game and there are two on offer. Premier Division Waldon Athletic travel to Division Three outfit South Brent with no doubt a brief to avoid any trainspotting during the game, and Kingsteignton Athletic will be taking nothing for granted when Division Two side Liverton United visit Broadpark . Buckfastleigh Rangers host Paignton Saints for the second time in a week in an all Premier Division tie at Duckspond. But my game of the day is not in the cup, it is the Premier Division clash at Osborne Park between Newton Abbot ’66 and Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves where it really is a don’t lose game for both teams; the last meeting, just two weeks ago, went the way of Spurs who won 3-nil and put ’66 out of the Belli Cup, so I am sure that Mr. Clenahan and Mr. Feaver will make sure their teams have their eyes on the prize for this game. All cup games kick off at 2pm with the Newton Abbot derby starting at 2.30pm.

Enjoy your grassroots football.

south brent fc

WBB in discussions to salvage season

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 25th JANUARY, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of South Brent (Div 3), who almost folded but came back from the brink, contributed by SDFL

It is always disappointing to have to report of the demise of any team and, not for the first time this season, another club, in Watts Blake Bearne, have decided that it’s time to call it a day and have given the SDFL notice to withdraw. The rules state that they must now enter a period of discussion with the league management to try to save the club who have 35 registered players. They will be given four weeks without fixtures to attempt to reset and complete the season.

Storm Eowyn also played a part in this weeks grassroots football, knocking out 12 of the 25 games that were due to be played, but in the 13 that were played, there were plenty of goals and talking points. It’s as you were at the top of the Premier Division position-wise, but Ilsington Villa were held to a 1 – 1 draw by Waldon Athletic in a game that would not have been out of place in the pyramid; Jack Langford was again on target for the Moorlanders, but it was not enough to win the game, and the Torquay-based team remain in 3rd place just 2 points off the lead. In fact, only 4 points separate the top 4 teams in what is turning out to be a very tight title race. Sandwiched between these two, on goal difference, are Newton Abbot ’66 who had a massive scare at Beesands Rovers; in the end, goals from Ashley Dove, Callum Foskett and Joe Clarke Farley cancelled out the 2 home team goals to keep Sixes in the mix. Buckfastleigh Rangers have also moved into a challenging position with a 2-nil win at Paignton Saints; Tyler Wark was the Rangers hero with both goals. The win puts Rangers into fourth place just 4 points shy of ’66, with a game in hand. East Allington United finally secured their first win in 2025 by beating Elburton Villa Reserves by 6 goals to 2 in a game where the venue was switched on Saturday morning, by the hosts, to ensure that it went ahead, so well done to the management at Villa for being proactive; Finley Bullen moved up the golden boot ranks by netting 4 goals with singles from Dan Hurrell and Fred Massey. This puts the Pirates towards mid-table and should help the Weeks family avoid any squeaky bum time this season.

In Division One, only two games survived and both were mid-table games; Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds continue on their rollercoaster of a season; this time, they were on the up with a 3 – 2 win at Paignton Villa thanks to a Toby Pullman hat-trick; and Buckland Athletic Reserves, who lead the mid-table pack, had a good 3 – 2 victory at Watcombe Wanderers, but they remain 7 points off the top four. Interestingly in this division, Paignton Villa only have 7 games left in the league and Plymouth Phoenix have 13 plus interest in 3 cups; one reason is that Phoenix have been fixtured twice to play Brixham AFC Reserves and WBB who are both on a short leave from league games as they continue to work with the league to keep their teams afloat.

In Division Two, Babbacombe Corries moved into second place with a fantastic 5 – 3 victory against league leaders Barton Athletic; Keiron Sweet bagged a brace and there were singles from Jack Cole, Joshua Easterbrook and James Thompson; that put Corries 6 points from top spot with 2 games in hand, and Barton only have 8 games to play, so they could need to win 7 of them for a top two place. Mount Gould remain favourites with 14 games remaining and were victims of the wet weather. East Allington Seconds are also in contention and have games in hand; a comfortable 5 – 1 home win versus Newton Rovers sees them move up to 6th place. At the other end of the table, Ipplepen Athletic Seconds and Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds remain a few points from safety; the Pens lost 5-nil at home to Paignton Saints Seconds and Rangers put up a fight at Watcombe Wanderers Seconds but lost 4 – 3 in the end.

The big game in Division Three saw Ashburton and Stoke Gabriel TP share the points in a 2 – 2 draw; Daniel Treseze scored both the goals for the home team who also had a substitute sent off in what must have been a short spell on the pitch. In the only other game to be played in this division, South Brent picked up a valuable win that gives them a bit of a cushion over the bottom two, Paignton Saints Thirds and Brixham Town Seconds, who were both rained off.

In Division Four, Templer Way closed the gap at the top but used another game; they are now 5 points from Kingskerswell who have played two games less. They had to work hard to overcome Kingsbridge and Kellaton United, a 4 – 3 scoreline with goals from Bradley and JJ Breslen, with another single for Alfie Moffatt, keeps Templer in the mix for second place; they also finished the game with ten players. Paignton Villa Thirds also had a good win; a 4 – 3 victory at home to Broadhempston United sees them safely into mid-table and Broadhempston just 6 points above the bottom two, and Kingsbridge have 3 games in hand. Earlier, I mentioned the number of games that some teams have left to play; in Division Four, Waldon Athletic Thirds have just 2 league games to play to complete their season whilst Templer Way and Barton Athletic Seconds have 3 games left.

The Fixture Secretary has reported that compared with recent seasons, the league fixtures are in a fairly healthy position with only 3 or 4 teams out of 59 two or three fixtures behind.

Games to catch on Saturday 1st February:

The divisional cups get under way providing all clubs with the shortest route to winning a trophy.

An absolute belter in the Belli Cup, and my game of the day is a repeat of last seasons Herald Cup semi-final and a local derby at Osborne Park where Newton Abbot ’66 and Newton Abbot Spurs lock horns at 2pm.

In Division One’s Dartmouth Cup, can Watcombe Wanderers overcome The Windmill in what will be a tricky test for the Plymouth outfit?

The Division Two, the knockout competition offers another local derby in Barton Athletic versus Watcombe Wanderers Seconds at Paignton Community College.

The Ronald Cup for Division Three teams sees Liverton United Seconds travel to the Manadon sports hub to play Drake FC in a fixture that normally keeps on giving.

And in the Division Four cup at Bakers Park, Newton Rovers Seconds meet Templer Way in what could be an interesting game as the visitors are looking for some silverware in their first season in the competition.

All cup games kick off at 2pm. Enjoy your grassroots football.

liverton united south devon football league division two

Caldwell and Dixon strike as Villa return to the top

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 18th JANUARY, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of fourth placed Liverton United (Div 2), who hit the net five times to overcome Upton Athletic at Armada Park, contributed by SDFL

Golden Boot Update: Top few in each division for league goals. Up to 17th January.

Premier: Callum Foskett (Newton Abbot ’66) and Jack Langford (Ilsington Villa), both 8.

Joe Clarke Farley (Newton ’66), Jamie Micklewright and Aiden Blackie (Newton Spurs), Dan Rankin (Kingsteignton) and Steve Sutton (Buckfastleigh), all 7.

Division 1: Luis Green (Newton Abbot Spurs Third) leads the field with 12 goals from 11 games.

Brodie Simpson (Windmill) and Lee Phillips (Plymouth True Blues), both 8.

David Moore (Plymouth Phoenix), Sam Pyne (Watcombe) and Ben Moyle (Bovey), all on 7 goals.

Division 2: Oakley Hunt (Barton Ath) is in front with 14 goals, but right on his tail are Joe Jasper (Mount Gould), 13 and Simon Ross (Watcombe Res), 12

Jamie Passmore (Liverton), Alex Narvidge (Paignton Villa Res) and Liam Walton (Barton), all on 11.

Division 3: Lucas Phillips (Elburton Villa Third) leads the way with 16 goals.

Adam Blackburn (Stoke Gabriel & TP Res), Callum Thomas (Drake FC) and Jono Ellis (Newton Abbot 66′ Res), all on 13. Ashley Walker (Drake FC) 12, and four players on 11 goals.

Division 4: Joshua Clarke (Kingskerswell) can make a space for the divisional trophy as he is on 30 goals from 12 games. Chris Bennett (Templer Way) 19, Alex Harding (Kingskerswell) 14 and Tom Beer (Teign Village), 12.

In the Torbay Clearance Services Premier Division, Ilsington Villa returned to the top with a 2-nil home win against relegation threatened Chudleigh Athletic; Myles Caldwell and Jack Dixon were on target for the Villa who were no doubt assisted in their return to pole position by Kingsteignton Athletics’ 4 – 1 home win versus Newton Abbot ’66; goals from Luke Manuell (2), Callum Leach and Ryan Tovagliari have brought Sixes back down to earth after their great result last week. Kingsteignton, on the other hand, are in fourth place, just 4 points behind ’66, and are now the highest scorers in the division. Buckfastleigh Rangers are also in the same boat as the Rams but with a game in hand; they had a comfortable 4 – 1 win against Beesands Rovers who were close to not putting out a team as a result of a norovirus outbreak in the Kingsbridge area; Steve Sutton added to his goal tally for Rangers who make up the top five; Newton Abbot Spurs remain in sixth place with three games in hand and with a big squad to pick from, will be challenging come May; a tough 4 – 2 win at Elburton Villa Reserves, who themselves are improving without getting the wins, was enough to bring the points up the A38. Waldon Athletic’s woes continue: a 2-2 stalemate against East Allington Utd, who twice held the lead through Finlay Bullen and Ben Tapper, have put yet another dent in the ambitions of the Torquay based team and moves the Pirates 8 points clear of the bottom three.

Division One is still very tight for the top four, and True Blues and Phoenix remain unbeaten. True Blues had an impressive 8-nil win at relegation threatened Ivybridge Town Reserves, and with seven players getting on the scoresheet, just proves they have talent all over the team and could well be playing Premier League football next season. Phoenix had a trip to the seaside to visit Paignton Villa and came away with a 5-nil win to keep them very much favourites for this division; Villa remain one of six teams in mid table and separated by 6 points and games in hand over each other. Bovey were on cup business which gave Windmill the opportunity to close the gap in a tricky game at Brixham Town; a Brodie Simpson hat-trick and singles from Louis Godwin and Myles Hunt completed a 5-nil victory at JC Park to keep up the pressure on their Plymouth neighbours. Also, a word of congratulations to Shaun Langdon and his band of volunteers who have turned a horse compound and stable into a very good football pitch with pitch-side parking which is a fantastic facility for the community, so well done to all at Brixham Town. In the two other midtable fixtures in Division One, Buckland Athletic Reserves won 2-nil at Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds and Watcombe beat WBB 3-nil with goals from Laurence Macloud, Jack White and Zac Steele.

In Division Two, the top two, Barton Athletic and Mount Gould, were on cup duty which gave the chasing pack of four a chance to close the gap, and East Allington United Seconds, Liverton United and Paignton Villa Seconds duly obliged. East Allington were the big scorers of the day with an 11-nil thumping of bottom club Ipplepen Athletic Reserves, and Paignton Villa had a very impressive 5 – 1 win at White Rock versus Watcombe Wanderers Seconds. Liverton United also hit the net five times to overcome Upton Athletic at Armada Park. Babbacombe Corries could not find the points that would have put them into second place at Harbertonford where they lost 1-nil to a Luke Collens strike that moves Fords up four places and well away from the relegation battle that they have endured in recent seasons.

The big game in Division Three went the way of Elburton Villa Thirds; a 3-nil win over Stoke Gabriel TP Reserves closes the gap to just one point between 3rd and 4th place. Second-placed Drake FC also dropped points at improving Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds; the Plymouth team had to settle for a 1 – 1 draw and finish the game with ten players at Osborne Park. Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds also remain well-placed for a challenge; a 3-nil win at South Brent, thanks to goals from Ashton Hogarth and a double from Harry Bannister, keeps the young Rams in 5th place, 4 points off 2nd with a game in hand. South Brent remain in the bottom three but have 3 games in hand on the teams above them and just need to find a win.

As expected in Division Four, Kingskerswell move further clear at the top and as the only team in all the divisions with a 100% league record, this weeks 7-nil win over Kingsbridge and Kellaton, with a hat-trick from the league’s top striker Joshua Clarke, and his brother Oliver, with Shane Shobbrook rolling back the years with a single goal, the rumour is that Shobby went over the halfway line and got a nose bleed, so he had to go back; also noted that a certain Owen Stockton could only make the bench for this successful team. Templer Way remain in 2nd place but 8 points behind the leaders with a 4 – 3 home win in an ill-tempered game against Waldon Athletic Thirds; Chris Bennett scored a hat trick and Nick Osbourne was also on target for Templer in a game that produced 7 yellows and 2 reds and lots of paperwork for the referee and lots of fines and suspensions for the players. Teign Village make up the top three with a 3 – 2 win over Paignton Villa Thirds, and Chudleigh Athletic Seconds are 4th, just a tad off the pace thanks to a 3 – 1 home win versus bottom team Barton Athletic Seconds.

There were two delayed cup games played this week. In the Herald Cup, Bovey Tracey Reserves, from Division One, dispatched Barton Athletic, from Division Two, by 3 goals to 1; Alister Chuchuk, John Agpoon and Ben Goble scored the goals in front of a decent crowd that put Bovey in the hat for the next round. Ashburton are also still in the cup following their trip to Mount Gould in Plymouth; the game was level at 2 – 2 and with no extra time goals or replays, the dreaded penalty shootout was on, and it was the Ashes who held their nerve by scoring 4 of the spot kicks when Mount Gould missed 2. The full draw for the next round will be published in next week’s edition and will be available on the full-time website.

Games to catch on Saturday 25th January in the Torbay Clearance Services League:

There is a cache of great games this week to watch. Take your pick from: Liverton Utd Seconds v Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds in the quarter finals of the Fred Hewings Cup; Bovey Tracey Reserves v The Windmill, 3rd v 4th in Div 1; Chudleigh Athletic Seconds v Kingskerswell, 4th v 1st in Div 4; Kingsteignton Athletic v Newton Spurs Reserves, a classic Premier game; Stoke Gabriel TP Reserves v Ashburton, 3rd v 1st in Div 3; Watcombe Wanderers v Buckland Athletic, a good old derby; but my game of the day has to be up on the moor where top of the Premier Ilsington Villa take on Waldon Athletic at 2.30pm.

Enjoy your grassroots football.

newton rovers fc south devon football league divisdion two

Ilsington Villa Close the Gap on the Top Two

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 26th OCTOBER, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo contributed by SDFL

With both Waldon Athletic and Newton Abbot ’66 having a free weekend in the league, it gave the chasing pack an opportunity to catch up at the top of the Premier Division; Ilsington Villa got back to winning ways with a 3 – 1 home win against Elburton Villa; goals from Daniel Langford and Jamie Beer were enough to put the champions into third place, three points off the top with a game in hand.

Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves are making good progress up the league; a five-nil win at Totnes and Dartington is an excellent scoreline that puts Spurs into fourth place, six points behind with two games in hand, and the result drops Totnes into a respectable fifth place. The other team moving upwards is East Allington United although they have four games in hand already; they have only lost once, and a hard fought two-nil win at Paignton Saints, thanks to goals from Joe Sita and Ben Tapper, keeps the Pirates in the mix in what is turning out to be a great competition this season. A third win on the bounce for Kingsteignton Athletic has moved them clear of the bottom three; a one-nil win at local rivals Chudleigh Athletic, thanks to a solitary goal from Nick Garrett, leaves the home team third from bottom with Elburton Villa Reserves and Beesands Rovers below them. Beesands came a cropper at Buckfastleigh Rangers who blew hot this week; a 4 – 1 win for the home team leaves the Bees searching for a second win of the season that would give some confidence to the players.

In Division One, Phoenix, True Blues and Bovey Tracey Reserves march on at the top with impressive wins; Phoenix remain two points clear at the top; a 4 – 1 win at Buckland Athletic Reserves, with goals from JJ Honeywell, David Moore, Taylor Owen and Grant Craven, keeps the momentum upwards for the pre-season favourites. True Blues probably had the result of the day in Division One; an 8 – 1 win at Brixham Town, who lost for only the second time this term, is a very good result and almost as good as the overhead kick from Danny Wright that has been doing the rounds on social media this week. Bovey Tracey also enjoyed success on the road; a 5 – 1 win at WBB thanks to an all round great team performance keeps them well placed to disrupt the Plymouth dominance in what is a good division. In fourth place are The Windmill FC who were held to a 1 – 1 draw at Watcombe Wanderers and lose a bit of ground on the top three, the home team proving that Long Lane is not just a difficult drive; you need to turn up when the game starts. Paignton Villa also had another good result which sees them up to fifth place; a 2 – 1 home win versus Ivybridge Town Reserves leaves the visitors second from bottom after just missing out on promotion last season.

Last week, I reported that Division Two was officially a two horse race, but that may have been premature; after this week’s results, I must admit it looks like a five horse race but only if the games in hand are turned into points. Barton Athletic were beaten for the first time this term; a 4 – 2 home defeat by Watcombe Wanderers Seconds, and a cracking game by all accounts, puts the Greens ten points off the top with three games in hand, and both of these teams will be up there come May. East Allington United Seconds are twelve points off the top with four games in hand and were held this week by bottom club Ipplepen Athletic Reserves in a 4 – 4 draw. And finally, Liverton United are thirteen points off the top with four games in hand; they enjoyed a 6 – 2 victory at Paignton Villa Seconds; strikes from Joshua Passmore-Tarpey, Jamie Passmore, Graham Mercieca and Stuart McAuley were good enough to get Livvy back to winning ways. The big game at the bottom went the way of the home team, Newton Rovers (pictured), who edged a niggly game by two goals to one against Buckfastleigh Rangers Reserves who swap places for now. The home team turned around a one-nil deficit at half time with goals from Jordan Bastow and a free-kick from Keelan Howart that evaded everyone to cross the line right at the end to give Rovers their first win of the season and delight the home supporters enjoying the fantastic new facilities at Bakers Park. Harbertonford are one of six teams within a point of each other clogging up the mid-table positions; they suffered a shock two-nil home defeat inflicted by Paignton Saints Seconds; the result moves Saints into one of those mid-table berths.

The top of the table clash in Division Three went to the home team; Ashburton moved two points clear of Drake FC with a fine 2 – 1 win in what was a great game for the neutral but not so good for the managers; the Plymouth-based team headed down the A38 with only their second loss of the season whilst Ashburton have yet to lose a league game. The other two teams in the top four both won; Elburton Villa Thirds were the big hitters this week, a fifteen-nil demolition job was inflicted on Brixham Town Seconds who have been given more accolades this week for not giving up and playing as well as they could for 90 minutes. Kingsteignton Athletic Reserves make up the top four after a 5 – 2 home win versus Totnes and Dartington Reserves with five players getting on the scoresheet: Louis Dickenson, Jason Jones, Finlay Lumgair, Stephen Payne and Mark Prowse all found the target for the Rams. Stoke Gabriel TP suffered a shock 4 – 1 home defeat by Waldon Athletic Seconds; it was their second loss of the season and leaves them seven points off the lead, but for Waldon, goals from Sean Finch, Tom Davies, Charlie Charlesworth and Charlie Uniackie move them away from immediate danger, and finally in Division Three, a word for South Brent FC; four weeks ago, they gave notice to withdraw from the competition; a quickly arranged discussion with the league management resulted in them being given four weeks with no games or penalties during that period with an advertising campaign to attract a new manager and players. Four weeks later, they have a new manager and have registered 15 new players. Despite playing together for the first time, they won three-nil against Paignton Saints Thirds; Brent remain bottom of the table but the future looks good at Palstone Park, and the other teams in this division will have two more games to play during the season instead of two free Saturdays had they folded. Well done to Chris Hill and the volunteers at Brent.

The top of Division Four in the Torbay Clearance Services league is currently shared by three teams on 18 points; Kingskerswell FC continue to impress at this level; a 7 – 1 home win against Templer Way keeps their momentum going, and top scorer Josh Clarke hit another four goals to add to his own impressive total at the moment. Chudleigh Athletic Seconds are level on points with Kerswell; a 5 – 2 win at Broadhempston United is a very good result; strikes from Christian Williams, Oliver Bradley and Ben Hamilton-Hill were enough to win the points for the visitors; Teign Village remain in third place, but they suffered a shock 4 – 1 home defeat by Newton Rovers Reserves in a niggly game that sees Rovers into mid-table and enjoying some better results than they have had for a few seasons. Such was the disappointment of the defeat at the Village, they put the beer prices up to £1.90 a pint in the social club to deter the Rovers supporters from celebrating too much; did it work? I will let you decide. Waldon Athletic Thirds also had a good day at the office and moved off the bottom of the division; a 4 – 1 victory over local rivals, thanks to goals from Phoenix Watts, Theo Boyd, Kylan Kurup and Ezekiel Nugent, gives the Clarets their first taste of victory this season.

Games to catch on the 2nd November.

Just the one Premier Division game this week as the county cups once again take up two weeks of league fixtures. Your Premier fix can be found at Broadpark where Kingsteignton Athletic welcome Totnes and Dartington which should be an entertaining affair; in Division One, who does not like a derby and a fisherman’s derby at that? Well worth a watch at Wall Park will be Brixham AFC versus Brixham Town. The big game in Division Two is at Long Lane where Watcombe Wanderers Seconds lock horns with table toppers Barton Athletic who will need to be at their best to get past the Greens.

Enjoy your grassroots football.

the windmill fc

Doyle Delivers for Windmill in Tight Win Over Wattsies

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 5th OCTOBER, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo contributed by SDFL

With no Premier league games being played due to the county cups being spread over a number of weeks, we are able to focus on what is becoming a great competition in Division One of the South Devon Football League.

Watts Blake Bearne were just a smidgen away from taking points from Windmill. Ryan Dodd was called up to play in goal after the regular ‘keeper was unavailable, and it was clear the defence were nervy in the opening exchanges, Wattsies had the better of the first 15 minutes and could have been two up had it not been for the crossbar and a goal line clearance, but straight from that brush with the woodwork, Windmill cleared their lines and a 50 yard sprint and cross by Harrison Jones found Louis Godwin who tucked away the opener for Windmill. From the kick off, WBB still looked the more likely team: Sam Pearce was running the midfield and Jake Moore seemed in control at the back, but it took them 25 minutes of hard slog to get the equaliser; it came from a long ball into the box and with the Windmill ‘keeper coming to the edge of his box to collect, Jamie Orchard beat him to the ball and headed it over him into the goal. The game was then end to end and became a bit niggly, but the referee did well to keep his cards in his pocket. With 5 minutes left ’til the break, there was one of those deja vu moments when Charlie Prior hit a long ball towards the Windmill penalty area only for the ‘keeper to come rushing to the edge of his box to collect it, only for Ryan Clarke to beat him to it and head the ball over him to make it 2 – 1 to the home team. The question was, could Wattsies hold out until the break? And the answer was, no: within 2 minutes of them taking the lead, those nerves when the ball was close to the ‘keeper were clear and when Windmill won a corner kick that the ‘keeper could not reach, Billy Eccles was on hand to tap in the equaliser.

The second half was end to end, and in games like these, you need a leader to keep the team focused and Windmill had that in Sam Doyle who was a threat in front of goal; he was certainly a different player in the second half; it was him who put the Plymouth team in front for the first time in the game with a low diving header half way through the second period and when WBB hit the crossbar again, you could see that today was not going to be their day; 10 minutes before the end, Andrew Parker, who must have given up his playing days at St Blazey, scored a fourth goal for the visitors and they remain well placed having only lost once so far this season. Man of the match: Sam Doyle.

Elsewhere in Division One, Paignton Villa came within two minutes of taking all three points at Plymouth True Blues who needed a 92nd minute penalty courtesy of William Stringer to rescue a point after Xander Navridge scored a great goal to put Villa in control. The point keeps True Blues at the top and Villa in fourth in what is a great league to play in. Bovey Tracey Reserves also left it late in their game at Brixham Town; they equalised with what was the last kick of the game to retain their unbeaten start to the season; they stay in third place, 3 points behind True Blues with a game in hand. Buckland Athletic Reserves picked up their second win of the season with a 4 – 1 home win over Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds who seem to have gone off the boil since their opening day win; Deven Webb was again on target for Spurs, but it is Buckland who join 4 other teams in mid table.

In Division Two, Mount Gould and Barton Athletic continue their winning start to the season; only two points separate them and the Plymouth team still have a 100% record following a 6 – 1 victory over bottom team Ipplepen Athletic thanks to a hat trick from Saddam Bello, a double from Joe Jasper and a single from Arron Spear – a good return in the second half considering it was 1 – 1 at the break. Barton had a routine 2-nil home win versus Paignton Saints Seconds and Harbertonford remain in third place following a 4 – 2 win against Newton Rovers; Seb Looker was again on the score sheet as was Alan Hamlet and Leo Golding. East Allington United Reserves have lost their 100% record in a disappointing 1-nil defeat at Babbacombe Corries; whilst they have games in hand, they are 10 points off the top which will take some catching. Well done to Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds: they earned their first point of the season with a 2 – 2 draw against Upton Athletic in an entertaining game; the result leaves just Newton Rovers and Ipplepen Athletic as the only teams in Division Two yet to put points on the board.

Division Three is shaping up nicely; Drake FC became another team to surrender a 100% record. A Daniel Tresize hat trick and a single from Max Prestwood was more than enough for an improving Stoke Gabriel TP side that pulled a 4 – 1 win out of the hat over the league leaders. The win puts the Bees in fourth, 3 points off the top with a game in hand and leaves Ashburton as the only unbeaten team in this division; they had a close 2 – 1 home win versus Totnes and Dartington Seconds; Chris Morris and James Meekings scored the goals, but they had to hang on as they ended the game with less players on the field than they started with. The other game at the top in this division was at Broadpark where Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds got the better of Elburton Villa Thirds by 2 goals to 1. Goals from Ashley Heyworth and Ben Stephenson won the points for the Rams who stay in second place while Villa slip to fifth place. Liverton United got back to winning ways with a tight 2 – 1 home win over Waldon Athletic Seconds; Shane Essam and Stephen Rohan were on target against the team they used to play for and not surprisingly, things got a bit heated at times and Liverton also ended the game with 10 players.

Division Four is not so difficult to predict; both Chudleigh Athletic Seconds and Kingskerswell lead the way and Teign Village are still in the mix; all three picked up maximum points and two had the same scoreline. Chudleigh hit nine goals against Paignton Villa Thirds courtesy of Ben Hill and Daniel Martin, who got 5 between them; Gavin Lake, Kai Stocker, Wilson Bryce and Henry Stubbs secured the points to keep Athletic at the top. Kingskerwell also scored nine goals at Cricketfield Road versus Waldon Athletic Thirds to keep their 100% record and they have now scored 38 goals in four games. Teign Village remain in third place and manager Paul Edwards will be delighted with the progress they have made in the last 3 months; a 5 – 2 home win and a bit of revenge for an opening day defeat against Templer Way will give them a lot of confidence for the season. At the other end of Division Four, Barton Athletic Seconds picked up their first win of the season; a 2-nil win at Newton Rovers Seconds with strikes from Harry Lloyd and Mathew Ward was enough to move Athletic in the right direction.

Divisional Golden Boot Leaders for SDFL league games up to 01/10:

Premier Division. Craig Duff ( Waldon Ath. ) 5. Joe Clarke Farley ( Newton Abbot ’66 ) 4.

8 players on 3 goals.

Division One. Sam Pyne ( Watcombe Wanderers ) 5. Michael Storey ( True Blues ) 5.

6 players on 4 goals.

Division Two. Simon Ross ( Watcombe Wanderers ) 8. Liam Walton ( Barton Athletic ) 8.

James Houghton ( Babbacombe Corries ) and Joe Jasper ( Mount Gould ) both 7.

Division Three. Ashley Heyworth ( Kingsteignton Ath. ) 9. Ashley Walker ( Drake ) 9.

Louis George ( Drake ) 8.

Division Four.

Joshua Clarke ( Kingskerswell ) 12 from 3 games. Chris Bennett ( Templar Way ) 8.

Gavin Lake ( Chudleigh Ath ) 7.

Games to catch on Saturday 12th October:

As it is another county cup weekend, there are not so many league games, however:

In the Premier Division there is heavyweight tussle to consider: Buckfastleigh Rangers take on unbeaten Waldon Athletic, but my game of the day is in Division Four where the top two meet for the first time at Kingskerwell where the visitors are Chudleigh Athletic, and the way the scores have been going in this division, I don’t think it will be a nil-nil.

Enjoy your grassroots football.

buckland reserves dartmouth cup winners 2024

Nine Goal Thriller Sees Bucks Edge Paignton Villa in the Dartmouth Cup

LAST GASP VICTORS: Buckland Athletic Reserves clinch the Dartmouth Cup, beating Paignton Villa 5-4 at Stoke Gabriel & Torbay Police. Photo contributed by SDFL.

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 25th MAY, report by Alastair Muirden

Ten days to go until the end of the South Devon Football League season, and still only two of the five divisions can name their champions which amplifies just how competitive this football season has been.

Whilst Ilsington Villa are one of the two teams that have claimed their divisional title, tonight’s 1 – 1 draw at Kingsteignton Athletic, where Jamie Beer added to his excellent goal tally for the season, puts the Rams out of contention for the Premier Division runners-up spot; that honour will go to either Buckfastleigh Rangers or Morley Rangers. The Plymouth-based team will need to win the final game at Chudleigh to get the trophy.

In Division One, Paignton Saints returned to pole position with one game to play thanks to a 6-nil win at relegated Buckfastleigh Rangers Reserves; the game had no score at half-time, and it’s fair to say that Saints were firing blanks and could have scored 6 or 7, but following the half time introduction of Jamie Micklewright to the pitch, within 3 minutes they scored twice and settled down to make inroads into their small goal difference shortfall. A word of credit must go to Buckfastleigh Rangers who pushed Saints all the way and made them work for the win, and hopefully they will have a better season in Division Two. It is incredible to note that with 10 days to go, 4 teams in Division One could still be promoted. Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves are one of them, and they received a walkover as Brixham Town could not raise a team.

In Division Three, Ashburton wrapped up their season with a 3-nil home win versus Teign Village which puts them joint top with Watcombe Wanderers Reserves and relegates Teign Village to the division they thought they would be in when they rejoined the league from the Devon & Exeter league 12 months ago. The result means that Liverton United must win their last two games to overtake Ashburton on goal difference. But waiting on the sidelines are Watcombe who will have to play two games in the last few days to gain the point they need for the title.

In Division Four, we know the top three but not the order: Liverton United Reserves are 9 points clear at the top and have no games left; Elburton Villa Thirds have 4 games to play in 10 days and two of them are against local rivals Drake who sit in third place and could get the runners-up spot if they win both games; talk about going to the wire!!

On Wednesday in Division Three, Liverton United moved within touching distance of the runners-up spot with a 3 – 1 win over South Brent. The result ends Brent’s interest in a promotion spot and Livvy will move into second place if they win their final game; in fact, they will go top if they score 15 goals!!!

On Thursday, the big Division One promotion clash at Newton Rec went the way of Newton Abbot Spurs. A 2-nil win against fellow promotion rivals Ivybridge Town Reserves thanks to goals from Joe Bushin and another strike from Callum Noyce who up until 6 weeks ago, had not played recreational football this season; he is now the team’s top scorer with 23 goals in 9 games; now that’s what you call an impact player. The result guarantees Spurs a place in the Torbay Clearance Services Premier Division next season as they move into second place behind Paignton Saints who have just one tricky game left at Brixham Town, and Spurs have two versus Babbacombe Corries and Harbertonford; so 4 points for Spurs and they will be crowned champions. As for Ivybridge Town, who will be disappointed that they did not bounce straight back after a relegation. they can be proud to know that they were one of the five teams that made Division One such a great competition, and a fourth place for them, just behind Totnes and Dartington who also played their part in pushing the two favourites all the way.

Photo contributed by SDFL.

Also on Thursday, at Liverton United, Stoke Gabriel TP Reserves played Watcombe Wanderers Reserves (left) in the Division Three Ronald Cup Final. The Greens of Watcombe were chasing yet another trophy having already collected the Devon Intermediate Cup. The game was end-to-end and SGTP probably had the best chances to take the lead, but it has to be said that Watcombe Wanderers are a team who do not leave anything on the pitch and they are real team of battlers for the club. It took them 33 minutes to break Stoke’s resolve, a lovely goal from Jamie Smith following a 6-man pass eased the Watcombe nerves and Stoke did not look as if they had what it was going to take to get back into the game. Early in the second half, Stoke’s Paul Christie was fortunate not to see a yellow card as he went over in the box in an attempt to gain something for nothing, and the ending result was a free kick to Watcombe which went straight through to Simon Ross who hit a twenty-yard bullet into the top of the Stoke goal, and the tremendous Watcombe supporters celebrated with the team. With the result being effectively over, Jamie Macintyre came on as a substitute and got the third and final goal of the game to set up a possible hat-trick of trophies for Watcombe Wanderers Reserves; what a season, what a team and just one point needed to be league champions and two games to get it. Gareth Kendall and Luke Reeby have certainly done very well with this group of players.

simon ross watcombe wanderers reserves ronald cup winners 2024
Simon Ross – Watcombe’s top scorer. Photo contributed by SDFL
paignton villa dartmouth cup runners-up 2024
Paignton Villa prepare for the final. Photo contributed by SDFL
buckland athletic reserves dartmouth cup winners 2024
Buckland Athletic Reserves line up pre-match. Photo contributed by SDFL
paignton villa under 8s dartmouth cup final 2024
Paignton Villa Under-8s enjoy the spotlight. Photo contributed by SDFL
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Buckland Athletic Reserves’ skipper collects the Dartmouth Cup from SDFL Chairman Phil Smith. Photo contributed by SDFL
ashley beetschen paignton villa dartmouth cup man of the match 2024
Phil Smith presents the Man of the Match award to Villa’s Ash Beetschen. Photo contributed by SDFL
buckland athletic reserves dartmouth cup victors 2024
Bucks celebrate their success. Photo contributed by SDFL

On to Friday, and the brave few people on the league management committee together with the volunteers at Stoke Gabriel gave up yet more time for yet another cup final, but boy, did they save the best ’til last. An attendance close to 400, assisted by the families of the team mascots, made for a great occasion and the under 8s and 9s of Buckland Athletic and Paignton Villa certainly enjoyed their warm up and the penalty shoot-out competition. There was a great moment before the game that hopefully will be remembered by the youngsters as they were led out with the teams for a Respect handshake; a representative of the South Devon Football League presented each mascot with a medal to commemorate the cup final.

The game got underway with both sets of supporters getting behind their team and it definitely added to the atmosphere, and when Owen Caldwell crossed an innocuous ball into the Villa box close to the back post on 7 minutes, the Villa defender went to clear it and somehow it either hit his leg or the post but the screams of the Buckland faithful seem to have helped it go over the line.

Villa seemed stirred but not shaken and went straight on the attack; a shot from the edge of the box by Stuart McCauley bounced off the Buckland keeper’s chest and Ashley Beetchen was in the right place at the right time to cooly slot home the equaliser on 12 minutes. Late arriving supporters were disappointed to be told that they had missed 2 goals but they need not have worried; in fact, they only had to wait 7 minutes; a goalmouth scramble in the Buckland penalty area following a Villa corner kick and once again Ashley Beetchen in the right place at the right time to put Villa 2 – 1 in front and surely the game would settle down; nope, straight from the kick off, Buckland pushed forward with Josh Houghton on the ball looking for a team-mate to pass it to, but nobody offered to help; he noticed the ‘keeper on the edge of the 6-yard box and shot from 20 yards into the top of the net; what a goal, 2 – 2. Now, late arrivals were being offered free entry if they could guess the score. The game remained level and continued end-to-end which I think affected the beer sales as you just could not take your eyes off the play. The crowd were then made to wait 12 minutes for Buckland to retake the lead; a lovely cross from Luca Stiniforth was met by Callum Whiteoak’s head and the ‘keeper had no chance: 3 – 2 to Buckland and 32 minutes played, by now the script for the game had been thrown away as Buckland looked as if they were taking control of the game; a slick passing display was well finished by Josh Houghton who put the Bucks 4 – 2 in front and claimed his first half hat-trick. Villa restarted with some extra resolve knowing they had a job on their hands to pull this game back, but within 2 minutes, they won a corner which was played into the front post and Ashley Beetchen got to the ball just before a defender to make it 4 – 3 to the yellows and to be the second player to claim a first half hat-trick. The game was now heading for the break and perhaps the smell of the barbecue got to the Buckland defenders as in the 43rd minute, a long ball from Sam Woodcock, who was having a great game, was left by the Bucks back four for the ‘keeper, but as it bounced, Stuart McCauley was there to head it over the outcoming ‘keeper to equalise 4 – 4 and it was game on again. What a first half.

The second half could not possibly live up to the first 45 minutes; it continued end-to-end and there were lots of chances; in fact, in the 55th minute, Ashley Beetchen found himself one on one with Robbie Terry in the Buckland goal but with a first half hat-trick, he had already used up all of his credits as the ball sailed over the bar. There were lots of stoppages for cramp-related injuries as most of the players had been at work or college during the day; it looked like both teams were going to struggle with extra-time; with the game going into the 90th minute, a wide pass from Buckland substitute Phil Farrar found Lee Grimshaw unmarked; he went around a Villa defender and hit the ball from the edge of the box which sailed into the roof of the net: 5 – 4 to Buckland and the players celebrated in the corner. With just 3 minutes of stoppage time, Buckland put an extra 2 players at the back and closed the door on another Villa comeback. What a game, what an event; Ashley Beetchen was awarded the man of the match but it could have gone to any player in what was the most entertaining cup final of the South Devon League’s end of season games and just completes the contribution that this season’s Division One teams have given to the competition.

On the final Saturday of the league season, there were a few games that would affect promotion and relegation. The last piece of the Premier Division jigsaw was completed at Chudleigh where the visitors [Morley Rangers] recorded a 6 – 2 win to claim the runners-up spot on goal difference from Buckfastleigh Rangers; a Corbin Macken hat-trick and singles from Ben Hall, Dean Jenkins and Ruben Kane rounded off a great season for the Plymstock-based team. Beesands Rovers held the league champions Ilsington Villa to a nil-nil draw and moved into fourth place which means that 3 of the top 4 came up from Division One last season. Elburton Villa Reserves continued their strong second half of the season with a good 4 – 2 win at Kingsteignton Athletic, and Newton Abbot ’66 won 3 – 1 at relegated Watts Blake Bearne who should be congratulated on getting their fixture backlog cleared which just 4 weeks ago looked impossible.

Division One has been a fantastic competition for a few seasons and this year did not disappoint. With two teams rejoining the league from step 7 football, they were always going to be favourites, and they have proved to be the teams to beat and some did. Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves are looking as if they will take the title with one game to play. A 15-nil victory against relegated Babbacombe Corries has put them in pole position just ahead of Paignton Saints and a goal difference of 14. Spurs’ final game is against Harbertonford and Saints face Brixham Town on Tuesday at the 3g at South Devon College with a 6.45 ko.

At the top of Division Three, Liverton United were denied an opportunity to score the goals needed to overtake Watcombe Wanderers Seconds at the top by their opposition who couldn’t raise a team, but it did give Livvy the points for the game which slips them into the runners-up spot and a place in Division Two next season. For Liverton to win the division, Watcombe would need to lose their final two games by 16 goals.

As promised in previous reports, Division Four will go to the wire; the top spot is between Liverton United Seconds, who have finished their season, and Elburton Villa Thirds, who have 3 games to play in 5 days. Livvy are 6 points clear so can be overtaken, but Villa have to play local rivals Drake FC twice, and the situation is that if Drake win twice, they will move into second place; so watch this space or, better still, watch the games. The game at Villa is on Tuesday with a 6.30 ko and the game at Drake is on Thursday also a 6.30 ko at Millbay Park.

newton abbot 66 herald cup winners 2024

Sixes Lift Herald Cup for First Time in 24 Years

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 11th MAY, report by Alastair Muirden

As the midweek games ramp up for most clubs, and some are having to play twice as well as Saturday to get their season complete, squads of players are sure to be used which can affect outcomes both positively and negatively.

In Division One Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves continue to turn their games in hand into points. A 10 -2 win versus Babbacombe Corries moves them into fourth place, 7 points behind with 3 games in hand; Kye Drinkwater, Joe Bushin and Jack Upshire got two goals each and there were singles from Ross Beer, Aiden Blackie, Callum Noyce and Jason Jones. The result also leaves Corries perilously close to the drop.

In Division Three Watcombe Wanderers Seconds had a great result at in form Totnes and Dartington Seconds; a 4 – 1 win puts them 9 points clear with 4 games to play, and depending on results this weekend, they could clinch the title next week. Casey Cooper, Keiron Dale, Jamie Smith and Kye Graham were on target for the Greens.

Wednesday night in the Premier Division focused on the relegation battle. Chudleigh Athletic’s 3 – 1 win versus WBB guarantees the Clarets Premier Division football next season and confirms that both Brixham AFC Reserves and WBB will be playing in Division One next season. Brixham, who have a very young team, will no doubt benefit from winning more games next season and will no doubt return to the Premier Division as some at the club are keen on pyramid football for the reserves as the first team consolidate at step 5; as for WBB, it has been a nightmare season for manager Andy Moore who has worked miracles just to put a team out, and I am sure that once he takes a break and presses the reset button, they will be a force in a tough Division One.

Buckfastleigh Rangers moved into second place with just 2 games to play. A 2 – 1 win over Waldon Athletic means that 1 of 3 teams could clinch the runners-up spot which will go to the wire.

And now on to the big game of the week and the flagship fixture for the South Devon Football League calendar. The Herald Cup Final was played on Friday evening at Stoke Gabriel TP where the volunteers at the host club certainly know how to put on a show, and the 300 plus spectators and the teams and their officials were well looked after.

Newton Abbot ’66 went into the game as underdogs; a poor run of form in their league fixtures has caused them to be in the bottom half of the Premier Division. Whilst most teams have players out with injuries at this time of the season, ’66 seem to have suffered more than most, and it did not go unnoticed that long-serving ’66 player Marc Graham was named as a sub; for those of you who do not know Marc, in age years he is north of 49 and south of 51, but what an achievement to be good enough to be part of the team on the biggest game in the season. For Ilsington Villa, they came into the game full of confidence; only last Saturday they were crowned Premier League champions for the first time in their history having only been beaten once this term and have already got the better of their opponents tonight by 4-nil and 3-nil.

With 8 of the top 18 goalscorers in the Premier Division playing in this final, the stage was set for a goal-fest; the truth of the matter was that Newton Abbot ’66 did not read the script and the homework and tactics that were put into place by Ian and Kurt certainly played a part in the outcome. The game itself was by no means a classic but there were lots of thrilling moments at both ends although none were on target. It was noticeable that ’66 must have felt that the main threat was going to be Jack Langford so they put a man on him for the whole game, and he was simply not given any time on the few occasions that he got the ball. The first main talking point on the sidelines was when Ilsington Villa had to replace their goalkeeper Tom Watson through injury, and despite having a substitute ‘keeper named on the team sheet, they replaced him with top scorer Daniel Langford; you could see the disbelief and delight from the ’66 bench. It was not until the 67th minute that the breakthrough came but it was well worth the wait: an innocuous cross from Ashley Dove fell a bit short for the only ’66 forward in the penalty box and he was surrounded by 4 defenders, but as it was short, it allowed Tom Lowe to chest it away from the defenders and volley the ball into the top of the net to send the team into the corner to celebrate and the travelling ’66ers up on the patio to possibly spill their drinks during the celebration.

Within 20 seconds of the restart, Ilsington Villa had their best chance of the game when Jamie Beer really should have equalised, but Jack Callum in the ’66 goal made him shoot wide. In the last 20 minutes there were 7 substitutions made in an attempt to freshen things up for Villa and to slow things down for ’66, and for a team that have been here many times before and are becoming experts at closing down cup games when they are one goal in front, ’66 knew what they had to do against all odds to win the Herald Cup for the first time in 24 years, and I am told the celebrations continued until 4am. Big congratulations to Newton Abbot ’66.

Final score. Newton Abbot ’66 1 – 0 Ilsington Villa.

newton abbot 66 herald cup final 2024
The Newton ’66 skipper lifts the Herald Cup presented by Torbay Clearance Services
newton 66 herald cup final 2024
Sixes celebrate their victory
tom lowe newton abbot 66 herald cup final 2024
Goalscorere and Man of the Match Tom Lowe with sponsors Torbay Clearance Services

With the Premier Division title wrapped up, the race for the runners-up spot will go to the wire for 4 teams: Kingsteignton Athletic, who lost out to a resurgent Beesands Rovers by 3 goals to 1 but remain third; Buckfastleigh Rangers, who won 2 – 1 at home to Chudleigh Athletic, thanks to a brace from Steve Sutton, and remain in second place; Morley Rangers, who still have 4 games to fit in and remain fourth, although they have not played for a few weeks, and Elburton Villa who are in top form with enough games in hand to nick second place; they had the stand out result of the week in the league by winning at WBB by 11 goals to 6; I wonder if both teams forgot to take a ‘keeper!! So to sum up this division, Ilsington Villa are champions, second place will be Kingsteignton Athletic / Buckfastleigh Rangers / Morley Rangers or Elburton Villa. The 2 relegated teams are WBB and Brixham AFC Reserves.

Division One is also going to the wire. Paignton Saints returned to pole position with a 9-nil win at Harbertonford. In the big game between the top two, Totnes and Dartington and Ivybridge Town Reserves shared the points in a thrilling 2 – 2 draw; the Ivies were 2-nil up at one point but let the visitors back into the game, a result which helps Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves who seem to be using all playing resources available to them as they continue to chip away at those games in hand. Callum Noyce, who is one of the top goalscorers in the football pyramid at step 6 and banged in 4 goals to add to the 3 he scored last week, has certainly helped their cause and leaves them 6 points behind with 3 games in hand but in fourth place. On the 23rd May, Ivybridge Town visit Newton Abbot Spurs in a game that will decide who goes up. At the bottom, Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds are already relegated and will be joined by Babbacombe Corries, who have 2 games to play, or Upton Athletic, who have finished their fixtures and will be watching Corries’ results to see if they can get the 1 point needed to survive the drop.

Division Two is almost complete with Bovey Tracey Reserves as champions and Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds runners up. Spurs cannot be promoted unless their Seconds win promotion out of Division One which they wont know for 2 weeks; Paignton Saints Reserves will finish a disappointing third but will be hoping Spurs Seconds in Division One slip up. At the bottom, Brixham Town Seconds will return to Division Three after volunteering to fill a vacancy last season and will be joined by Waldon Athletic Seconds unless Ipplepen Athletic Reserves concede more than 15 goals in their last 2 games in which case they will accompany Brixham Town into Division Three.

The promotion race in Division Three is now between 3 teams; Watcombe Wanderers Reserves, who won the Devon Intermediete Cup this week by beating Railway FC from Exeter by 3 goals to 2, remain at the top and need 4 points from 4 games to clinch the title. Should they not get the required number of points then Liverton United or Ashburton could win the division. South Brent are also in the race for second place but don’t have enough games for the points needed to top the division. At the bottom, Kingsbridge and Kellaton United will have a better season in Division Four and will be joined by either Paignton Saints Thirds or Teign Village who need 3 points from 2 remaining games to stay in this division and condemn Saints to Division Four. Unfortunately for them, they have Watcombe and Ashburton to play.

Division Four has also been a great competition this season and the top spot could go either to Liverton Utd Seconds or Elburton Villa Thirds; both had good wins on Saturday; Liverton won 4 – 1 at Kingsteignton Athletic Reserves who themselves have had a great season and will get a top 4 place; Villa, who won 5 – 1 at Newton Rovers Reserves, remain in second place 7 points behind with 3 games in hand, so they will need to win them all. Drake FC have also had a great season in their first venture into adult football; whilst they did not play on Saturday, they need 6 points from 3 remaining games to secure third place in what has been a very competitive competition.

Game to catch this week: Friday 17th May, with a 6.30pm kick off. The George Belli Cup Final at Foxhole Ground, Totnes and Dartington. This is the Premier Division league cup and features the in form team in the premier division, Elburton Villa, who will be looking to win their first silverware since joining the league three years ago, and Newton Abbot ’66, who will be hoping to add the Belli Cup to the Herald Cup which will allow Geeman to buy another shelf – all shelf-installers are asked to contact the club directly!!

ilsington villa 2024 sdfl premier division champions herald cup finalists

Ilsington Villa Win Premier League while May Day Derby Victory Sees Sixes Make Back to Back Herald Cup Finals

Double in their sights: Ilsington Villa have won their first ever Premier League title – but can they overcome Newton ’66 in Friday night’s Herald Cup final? Photo contributed by SDFL.

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 4th MAY, report by Alastair Muirden

The weather continued to play its part in this season’s South Devon League football fixtures with waterlogged pitches on Tuesday reported at Ashburton and South Brent causing the Fixtures Secretary to count the days left in May.

In the games that were played, Totnes and Dartington continue to surprise; a 2-nil home win versus Paignton Saints puts them into second place in Division One, and on this form they may be joining their opponents in the Premier Division next season. Also in this division, Buckland Athletic Reserves and Paignton Villa met in a pre-run of this season’s Dartmouth Cup final at Homers Heath. On this occasion, the home team won with a single strike from Charlie Shearer 10 minutes from the end.

At the top of Division Two, with Bovey Tracey Reserves already crowned champions, the race for second place will go down to the last game of the season. Both Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds and Paignton Saints Seconds won their penultimate games; Spurs scored 7 goals at relegated Brixham Town Seconds, and Saints scored 3 against Newton Rovers. Spurs have a 2 point advantage so will bag the second spot if they win their last game of the season at home to Waldon Athletic Seconds. But a reminder that promotion for the Thirds is dependant on their second team also getting promoted as two teams from the same club cannot play in the same division. No pressure for Spurs Seconds then!!

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Fading light after the Herald Cup semi-final derby between Newton ’66 and Newton Spurs Reserves went into extra-time. Photo contributed by SDFL.

Wednesday evening produced the biggest talking point of the week when the Torbay Clearance Services Herald Cup semi-final went to extra-time and, due to the fading light, could not have gone on any longer. The referee, who had a busy night on the pitch, deserves a lot of praise for managing to get the game completed in a safe manner. This was not a classic cup game by any stretch of the imagination, but it is one that will be remembered by the 200 plus people that were there. Spurs were the better team for large parts of the game and when Joe Bushin put them in front on 33 minutes, it did look as if the Division One outfit were heading for the final. But ’66 have been here many times before, and they just dug in and made it difficult for Spurs to get a second and seal the tie. Then a big tackle on the edge of the box by Joe Bushin was not to the referee’s liking and he saw yellow for the second time in the game, and Spurs had not only lost their captain but their talisman; this lifted ’66, but it took them until the 75th minute to find a breakthrough with a fine strike from Ashley Dove. With extra-time looming, Spurs seemed to get their second wind and again were the team more likely to win it, but then a moment of madness and spurs found themselves down to 9 players and going into extra-time. Rather than go straight into extra-time to beat the light, the Spurs team disappeared into the changing room for a break, but the referee was having none of it; he blew his whistle to get them back out and get extra-time underway. In fact, it only took ’66 five minutes to score through Stijn Brussen, and now all they had to do was hold on to the lead and hope the light held out. Even in the second half of extra time, Spurs were the better team for large parts but in the end, ’66 did hold on as did the light – just.

Newton Abbot ’66 now progress to their second final in two years to meet fellow Premier Division side Ilsington Villa on Friday 10th May under the lights at Stoke Gabriel, and Newton Abbot Spurs have a county cup final to look forward to and 8 more league games to play, and if they win all 8, they will be crowned Division One champions or 6 wins may be enough to get promoted to the Premier League.

Also on Wednesday, in the Premier League, Brixham AFC Reserves remain in a relegation place despite beating Waldon Athletic 2 – 1. A Dalton Sanders double brought home 3 points that will worry both Chudleigh and East Allington who, despite the later winning 7 – 1 at WBB, remain only 5 points clear with Brixham having only 2 games left to play.

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Bovey Tracey Reserves captain Ryan Stanbridge gets presented the Lidstone cup by sponsors Bettesworth. Photo contributed by SDFL.

On Friday evening, it was the turn of Bovey Tracey Seconds and Paignton Saints Seconds to compete for the Division Two Lidstone Cup. Once again, Liverton United was the venue as the South Devon League committee continue to support member clubs in giving them an end of season boost to their finances. The game was an absolute credit to the strength of competition in Division Two of the Torbay Clearance Services League. It was end-to-end action for 90 minutes and played in a very good spirit, and the referee only had to intervene on a couple of occasions; Saints took a first half lead through Jason Dingley on the half hour, and it was not until the 75th minute when Bovey could finally find an equaliser thanks to Matt Churchill who was in the right place at the right time. Extra-time came and went with a number of stoppages for cramp, and it was down to the dreaded penalty shootout; there is normally only ever one hero in a shootout: it’s either the last scorer or the ‘keeper. That honour this time goes to the Bovey ‘keeper Jack Smith who saved the last 2 Saints spot-kicks to give Bovey Tracey the league and cup double and complete what has been an amazing season.

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Bovey ‘keeper Jack Smith saved two spot-kicks. Photo contributed by SDFL.

Ilsington Villa have been crowned Torbay Clearance Services South Devon Premier League champions for the first time in the league’s long history. A 4-nil home win against Beesands Rovers, thanks to a Daniel Langford hat-trick and a single from Jamie Beer, did the trick and considering they only finished third in Division One last season, is testament to the whole team at the village club as to just how much progress has been made in the past 12 months. A big well done to Tony Lacey and his team of volunteers for what they have achieved this season. As it transpired, they would not have needed to win as Kingsteignton Athletic surprisingly slipped up to Brixham AFC Reserves who beat them 5 – 1 and if they had shown their current form earlier in the season, who knows where they would have finished.

Division One continues to produce shocks and spills and now has new leaders in Totnes and Dartington thanks to a hard fought 3 – 1 win at Watcombe Wanderers, but the standout result in the division was the 7 – 1 demolition by Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves on Paignton Saints; this not only knocked Saints off top place but puts the Herald Cup disappointment to bed. It leaves Spurs with 7 games still to play, and they can afford 1 defeat and still win the league. Saints, Ivybridge Town Reserves and Totnes and Dartington must win their remaining games, and on 23rd May, Spurs host Ivybridge.

The Division Two runners-up spot was secured by Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds with their final game of the campaign. A 4 – 2 home win against Waldon Athletic Seconds who ended the game with 8 players thanks to 3 red cards. Deven Webb and Owen Green were on target for Spurs who must now wait for their second team to secure promotion for them to be playing in Division One next season. Paignton Saints Seconds need 4 points from 2 games to guarantee third place and a possible promotion berth should it not happen for Spurs.

The Division Three title race looks like it’s going to the wire with 5 teams still in the race for silverware. Watcombe Wanderers Seconds remain 3 points clear after a 6 – 1 win over South Brent; Simon Ross scored 4 goals with Kye Walker bagging 2 to keep the Greens on course for the title. Meanwhile, Ashburton slipped up in a 13 goal thriller at Stoke Gabriel TP; 8 – 5 was the final score. Marc Hagland also scored 4 with Russell Cooper, Daniel Treseze and Max Prestwood keeping Stoke in mid table.

Division Four is also going to the wire this season; Liverton Utd Seconds remain in pole position following a 3 – 2 win over Drake FC who drop to third and will be glad to see the back of Liverton this season after 3 defeats in 5 weeks. Elburton Villa Thirrds move into second place with their 4 – 3 win at Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds who are now fourth and must be favourites to win this division as they have a game in hand and a relatively easy run in; up next for Kingsteignton is Liverton United on 11th May.

Game to catch this week in the South Devon Football League…well it has to be the Herald Cup Final on Friday 10th May under the lights at Stoke Gabriel with a 7pm kick off. Ilsington Villa, Premier League new boys and newly-crowned champions will be playing in the final for the first time since 1981 and only the second time in the club’s history where they will face Newton Abbot ’66 who are playing in their second successive final, and they last won the cup in 2000. Although there is plenty of parking available, supporters are advised to arrive early as this is a well-attended event in the South Devon League calendar; gates will open at 5.30pm and the host club will have a full bar and food service available.

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Champions Increase Pressure on Top Two with 4-0 Victory

EYES ON THE PRIZES: The Division Four race for silverware is hotting up with Liverton United Reserves beating leaders Drake FC in their quest for a league and cup double. Photo contributed by SDFL

With almost a full program of fixtures for the first time in many weeks, the Torbay Clearance Services South Devon Football League returned to the business part of the season where teams that have worked hard since last August make their moves for silverware or the points that are needed to keep the status they currently hold.

Before I get on to the results I do have some sympathy for Premier Division Morley Rangers who have somehow managed to hold on to the runners-up spot despite suffering their sixth weather-related postponement in the last seven weeks; in fact, if they had played every week, they would have finished their season last weekend; hopefully they will play some games in April.

In the Torbay Clearance Services Premier League, Kingsteignton Athletic had a massive 4-nil victory at Buckfastleigh Rangers and are now just 2 points behind Morley Rangers in third with a game in hand. Tom Reeves and Luke Manuell were on target for the Rams. The other two games played in the Premier Division were in the Belli League Cup where Newton Abbot ’66 progressed to the semi-final with a 4 – 2 win at East Allington United; Aiden Corcoran and Daniel Joyce scored for the South Hams outfit, but ’66, who are also in the quarter-finals of the Herald Cup, continued their good cup form with goals from Tom Lowe, Joe Clarke Farley, Jacon Cockram and Carl Foskett. Brixham AFC Reserves also bowed out of the league cup at the hands of Elburton Villa Resurves; the 6 – 1 scoreline did not do justice to the hard-working youngsters at Brixham who now have 6 league games left and are 8 points from safety; they will be hoping for a spring revival in their remaining games.

Division One has proved to be as exciting and competitive as everybody thought at the start of the season, and there are still 5 teams in the mix and no runaway leaders as some thought. Ivybridge Town Reserves have been knocked off top spot; a 3 – 2 defeat at Buckland Athletic Reserves has let Paignton Saints move into pole position albeit on goal difference. The Ivies scored through Daniel Hodgson and Matt Hill, but they were sent packing back down the A38 empty-handed following strikes from Lee Grimshaw, Gordon Stevenson and Luca Staniforth. Paignton Saints, who are enjoying life in the South Devon League following a spell in the football pyramid, had a comfortable 5 – 1 home win against local rivals Paignton Villa at Coach Road. Also in the same situation, Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves seem to be enjoying their football again and are still in the mix; just 9 points off the top with 3 games in hand, they ran out 7 – 1 victors over bottom club Buckfastleigh Rangers Reserves, and Brixham Town, who may be outsiders but are level on points with Spurs, had a great 3 – 2 win against a strong Watcombe Wanderers team.

The big game at the bottom of the table went the way of Upton Athletic; they beat Harbertonford by a single goal on the slope at Steps Cross and have moved 3 points clear of the drop zone.

In Division Two of the Torbay Clearance Services League, pre-season favourites Paignton Saints Reserves slipped up away at Barton Athletic losing by 3 goals to 2; they are now 7 points off the lead with only 2 games in hand; the only other game in this division was at Ipplepen Athletic Reserves who moved up 4 places with a 4-nil win over bottom club Brixham Town Seconds.

In Division Three, Stoke Gabriel TP cemented a mid table position with a 2 – 1 win over Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds at Osborne Park; Adam Blackburn and Garry Drew got on the scoresheet for the visitors and with some games in hand, ’66 still have some work to do. The league cup for this division saw favourites Ashburton lose the A38 derby game by 1 goal to nil to South Brent who are 7 places below them in the league; it took an extra time strike from Jono Ellis to put Brent into the semi-final. Joining them will be Watcombe Wanderers Seconds who were taken all the way by Teign Village but ran out 2 – 1 victors in the end; goals from Simon Ross and Mike Fieldhouse were just enough for the Greens.

The Division Four title race was blown wide open by an experienced Liverton United Reserves team who travelled to league leaders Drake FC, and it was the visitors who took the lead 2 minutes before the break when Aaron Underhill broke free and slotted the ball past the advancing ‘keeper. Prior to that, the home team simply did not take their chances and when in the second half Liverton were awarded a free-kick some 30 yards from goal and the speculative cross took a deflection…you know where it ended up. The visitors sat back and soaked up the pressure and again Drake spurned their chances; they did get a consolation goal 3 minutes from the end but the visitors took the points back to Halford. This division also has 5 teams in with a shout for honours: Liverton are now 1 point behind Drake with a game in hand; Kingsteignton Athletic Reserves are fourth, 8 points behind with 3 games in hand and Elburton Villa Thirds are 10 points behind with 5 games in hand. Outsiders Chudleigh Athletic Seconds remain in third place but only have 3 games in total to play.

Games to catch on 6th April (or earlier if you need a football fix as teams start playing midweek to catch up on their postponed games): South Brent still have 13 games to play in Division Three; they sit third from bottom but are in fact promotion candidates with games in hand; they play Teign Village who are 1 place below them and need the points to stay up KO is 6.15pm on Wednesday.

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TAKE TWO: Division Four leaders Drake FC will once again welcome Liverton Reserves to Millbay Park as they battle for a place in the Les Bishop Cup final.

WBB will attempt for the sixth time to host Morley Rangers in the Belli Cup, and Beesands Rovers will be looking to get their season back on track at home to Kingsteignton Athletic. Totnes and Dartington host Newton Abbot Spurs in a Division One game at Dartington Hall and in Division Two, Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds host Paignton Saints Reserves who are both chasing a promotion place. There are a couple of promotion clashes in Division Three: Liverton United host runaway leaders Watcombe Wanderers Reserves and South Brent play Ashburton in an A38 derby game. In the Division Four league cup, Drake FC will lock horns with Liverton United reserves for the second time in two weeks, and there is a wooden spoon fixture at White Rock where Paignton Villa Thirds welcome South Brent Reserves, and may the best team on the day win. Just also a reminder that the first South Devon League cup final kicks off on Friday 12th April at Buckfastleigh when Paignton Saints Reserves face Watcombe Wanderers Reserves in the Fred Hewings Cup which is the knockout competition for reserve teams; kick off is 7pm and it should be a cracker.

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Weekly Match Reports 23rd March

ON ANOTHER CUP RUN: 2023 Herald Cup runners-up Newton Abbot ’66 are into the last eight. Photo contributed by SDFL

Farewell to a Brixham Legend

I start this weeks report with the sad news that Brixham football stalwart Bill Harris has passed away. Bill was secretary of the Brixham Villa club for over 50 years and was the driving force in the merger with Brixham Utd in 2012 to create the Brixham AFC that we have today. And what a merger it turned out to be with the first team now playing football in the Western League, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Buckland Athletic, Clevedon and Falmouth to name a few, and the second team playing in the South Devon Premier League where both Villa and United used to play. Bill also received a services to football award from the FA for the work he had done for football in the county; as a player, he won the Herald Cup and the South Devon Premier Division with Brixham Villa. Bill will also be remembered for setting up the Brixham AFC lottery which funds the club to this day. The current secretary of the club Mark Buley, who provided the above information, described Bill as an absolute legend and a man that has done so much for football, and he will be sorely missed. Bill’s funeral is at All Saints Church, Brixham at 10.30am on Thursday 28th March.

South Brent’s Herald Cup Run Ends –

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JOURNEY’S OVER: Division Three side South Brent were dispatched from the Herald Cup.

In the games played on Saturday, there was no fairytale ending for South Brent in the Herald Cup Third Round against Premier Division Newton Abbot ’66. The home team ran out 9 – 1 winners, but it was not plain sailing in the first half. ’66 scored in the first minute and added a second with a penalty, but it was not until manager Ian Clennehan made sweeping substitutions that ’66 started to click. Three goals in a two minute period put the game beyond the Division Three side who did manage a consolation goal with the last kick of the game to prevent a clean sheet. Tom Lowe and Jamie Groves scored two each after coming on as subs, and there were singles for Callum Foskett, Joe Clark Farley, Ashley Dove and Liam Ashwell.

In the Torbay Clearance Services Premier Division, Ilsington Villa remain two points clear at the top after a 5 – 2 home win against bottom club WBB. Daniel Langford notched up a hat-trick with Jack Langford and Jack Dixon adding singles. Just behind them are Plymouth based Morley Rangers who played a home game in Newton Abbot versus Brixham AFC just to guarantee the game would be on, and the move proved profitable as they ran out 3-nil victors. Matt David, JJ Honeywell and James Melluish were the target men for Rangers. Buckfastleigh Rangers opened up a gap into fourth place with a 6 – 4 home win against Beesands Rovers whose season has stalled since December. East Allington United slipped to third from bottom despite holding Kingsteignton Athletic to a nil-nil draw at Broadpark, and that’s because Chudleigh Athletic had a great result, running out 4 – 1 winners over Waldon Athletic at Kate Brook. They are now eight points clear of the drop zone. Joe Potter scored two with Gavin Hammon and Jack Edward Salmons adding singles that could keep the Maroons safe from the drop.

In Division One, it was the quarter finals of the Dartmouth Cup, and Buckland Athletic Reserves booked a semi final slot with a 2 – 1 home win versus Brixham Town, and there was a real heavyweight tussle at South Devon College where Paignton Saints knocked out top of the table Ivybridge Town Reserves by 4 goals to 1; Jamie Micklewright scored twice with Ben Clarke and Jake Powell adding singles. There was also a big result for Watcombe Wanderers who defeated Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves by 2 goals to nil, and Spurs finished the game with 10 players, a result that may be costly for Spurs come the end of May. Totnes and Dartington have now moved into third place, four points clear of Spurs in fourth. Jack Whitby scored in each half for the Tots to secure the points. Paignton Villa moved into the safety zone with a 3-nil win at Upton Athletic who remain at the wrong end of the table and in desperate need of a win; they wont need to wait long for that opportunity as on Easter Saturday they play fellow relegation candidates Harbertonford at Steps Cross.

In Division Two, the top four all won and it remains very tight as we move into the business end of the season. Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds stay top with a 5 – 2 win over Paignton Villa Seconds; East Allington United stay in second place after a 4 – 1 win at home to Newton Rovers and in third place, Bovey Tracey Reserves had a comfortable 7-nil home win against Waldon Athletic Seconds. Pre-season favourites Paignton Saints Seconds remain in fourth place, three points off second and seven points off the top following their 4 – 1 victory at bottom side Brixham Town Seconds. Billy Reay, George Keats and Syzmon Brzezinski were the heroes for the Saints. There are three points separating four of the bottom five, and Ipplepen Athletic, Paignton Villa Seconds, Newton Rovers and Waldon Athletic Seconds could all do with winning a game.

In Division Three, Watcombe Wanderers Seconds beat third placed Totnes and Dartington Seconds by 2 goals to nil to remain three points ahead of Ashburton who had a comfortable afternoon by inflicting an 8-nil on Kingsbridge and Kellaton United, and Stoke Gabriel TP moved into the safety zone with a 7 – 1 win at Teign Village; Adam Blackburn, Max Prestwood, Paul Christie and Ian Sloman were all on target for Stoke.

Elburton Villa Thirds continue to improve and make inroads into their games in hand on their rivals; a 5 – 3 win at Broadhempston United puts them into fifth place but only eight points off the top with two games in hand. Their neighbours Drake FC were given a walkover as Watcombe Wanderers Thirds could not raise a team.

Games to catch on Easter Saturday in the South Devon Football League include the Premier Division clash at Buckfastleigh where Kingsteignton are the visitors; there is a relegation battle for Brixham AFC who host Elburton Villa Reserves. Who does not like a local derby? At Coach Road, Paignton Saints entertain Paignton Villa and there’s a relegation six-pointer at Steps Cross where Upton Athletic play Harbertonford. In Division Two, there is a promotion six-pointer when Bovey Tracey Reserves welcome East Allington United Seconds. In Division Three, there are two big cup quarter finals at Ashburton who host South Brent in an A38 derby and at Totnes and Dartington Seconds who play Liverton United. The big game in Division Four is first versus third in the form of Drake FC versus Liverton United Seconds which could have a big say in who is in the top two come May.

Thank you for supporting grassroots football in South Devon.