Category: League Round Up

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South Devon’s groundstaff win the day over storm Goretti

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 10th JAN, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Ilsington Villa contributed by SDFL

With just a handful of weather-related postponements, the South Devon Football League were able to not only catch up with the delayed Herald Cup fixtures, but also get some much needed league games played.

There were several massive results across the divisions, and we can start at East Allington United, who moved into third place with a comprehensive three-nil win against the league leaders, with goals from Finn Bullen and Finn Billingham which will get the home team over the disappointment of their previous week’s result; the result leaves True Blues still at the summit but with a game more in the bank. Chudleigh Athletic had yet another great result. A 3-1 home win over Paignton Saints, with goals from Kia Stocker and a double from Gavin Lake, lets them leapfrog Ilsington Villa (pictured) and create a seven point gap between themselves and any danger. Kingsteignton Athletic also had a very important victory in a six-pointer at the wrong end of the table; a 2-1 win over Totnes and Dartington lets the Rams join Chudleigh and Ilsington on that seven point gap. The result leaves the visitors joint bottom with Buckfastleigh Rangers, who were on Herald cup duty. Lakeside Athletic finally got a league game played; after four postponements and two cup games, the last time they played in the league was 1st November. But it was worth the wait. A much needed three points, with a close 3-2 win over the reigning champions Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves, with goals from Carlton Allen, Adam Carter and Taylor Owen, puts them not where they want to be but six points behind the second placed team with no games in hand over them.

Two Premier Division teams played in the Herald Cup over lower league opposition, and whilst the results went to form, both teams took a different route. Ilsington Villa put 14 goals past Division Two side Newton Rovers, who never gave up at Bakers Park; Dan Langford was the star of the show with six goals on the day, and there were hat-tricks for brother Jack and James Kervella.

In the A38 derby game at Division Three outfit South Brent, a shock was, at several times, on the cards, but Buckfastleigh Rangers dug in and took the game to extra time after it ended 3-3. Fortunately, the visitors did not need a penalty shootout, as new signing Dylan Rangecroft popped up with a fine strike to give Buckfastleigh their first taste of victory since 18th October and a place in the hat for Round Three, which will be drawn on Monday 19th January.

Nerves must be setting in at the top of Division One with the strangest set of results in one day that I can remember. There are now eight teams that are in the mix for promotion after this week’s results. Barton Athletic put in a shift at Mount Gould, and a 1-1 draw was no less than they deserved, and to come away from Plymouth with points is a feat that not many will achieve. The result leaves the Torquay side eight points off the lead with two games in hand, and who would bet against them? Beesands Rovers came from behind twice to move joint top with a hard fought 3-2 win at Brixham Town, with goals from Joe Craig (2) and Jack Hopkiss. Beesands have now reached the halfway point with fixtures, and Town have now lost two on the bounce, but both are just one point short of Paignton Villa who drew 1-1 with Bovey Tracey Reserves at South Devon College in a game where the draw seemed to be a fair result and keeps Villa top of the division by just one point. The two teams that benefited the most from this week’s results were WBB (postponed) and Elburton Villa Reserves (cup duty); they remain eight points behind Villa in seventh place with four games in hand, in a very competitive competition.

The final Division One team in action was Buckland Athletic Reserves who hosted Galmpton United from Division Three, and it turned out to be a great game of football in front of a good attendance, and the underdogs from Galmpton had a great result by winning by four goals to one, which keeps their good restart to life in the SDFL on track.

In Division Two, Signal Box Oak Villa remain on track for their next station stop (Div 1) after a comfortable afternoon at Armada Park with a 9-1 win over Upton Athletic who will be glad to see the last of the Plymouth outfit having lost twice to them in the last month, and hopefully they can pick up some points from here on in. Babbacombe Corries’ unbeaten record is still intact, but they dropped a couple of points in their 2-2 draw with Paignton Villa Seconds; Alex Chamberlain and Joshua Easterbrook were on target for Corries who remain in second place, four points behind the leaders but with a game in hand. Drake FC also lost some ground on the leading pack, as they were held to a 3-3 draw at home against East Allington United Seconds, and both teams are now in mid-table. Drake’s two games in hand are now just a bit more valuable, but they have to win them first.

In the Herald Cup, Division Two side Ashburton made short work of Bere Alston United from Division Four with a four-nil win, and a big shout out to Watcombe Wanderers Seconds who nearly folded in December but managed to not only get a team on the pitch, they managed to beat in form Chudleigh Athletic Seconds in the Fred Hewings Cup; Jordan Peircy and Will Godfrey were on target with club legend Sean Finch helping out with a hat-trick.

Just the one league game in Division Three, and Liverton United Seconds won 8-1 versus Waldon Athletic Seconds thanks to goals from Kye Graham, Tom Roddy, Oliver West, George Stahlman, Steve Reilly and Harvey Kendall. The result leaves Livvy safe in mid-table and the Clarets joint bottom with Ipplepen Athletic Reserves and T&D Seconds. Interestingly, Stoke Gabriel TP Reserves are fourth from bottom with five games in hand, and if they won them, they would be a top three team.

At the top of Division Four, Teign Village moved within three points of the leaders Chudleigh Athletic with a six-nil victory over Paignton Saints Thirds; they also have a game in hand. Paignton Villa Thirds remain well-placed, and a 4-2 win at Broadhempston United puts them into fourth place and completes half of their fixtures for the season.

Two of the division’s sides were in cup action, and Kingsbridge and Kellaton United could not match Division Two side Ivybridge Town Reserves in the Herald Cup and had to endure a seven-nil defeat at Loddiswell, whilst Barton Athletic Seconds caused a shock by knocking out Division Two side Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds by five goals to two to give the club a good weekend of results.

Games to catch on Saturday 17th January:

There are three very interesting games that could shape the look of the division for January. In-form Chudleigh Athletic face a Lakeside Athletic team at Kate Brook with both teams desperate for a clean January. East Allington United are also looking for a bit more consistency but have, out of the blue, set up a third v second game at Poole Lane; a result against Windmill could set them up for the second half of the program. In Division One, there is a promotion six-pointer at JC park, where Brixham Town face Barton Athletic in what should be a great game. Division Two offers some watchable games with Ashburton paying a visit to Watcombe Wanderers Seconds, and the visitors will be hoping for a repeat of the home tie which ended 24-nil, but the Greens will be out for revenge and to show how far they have come since October. Ivybridge Town will not have their own way when Paignton Villa Seconds travel to Erme Valley looking to bring some points home, and in Division Three, there is a local derby at Broadpark where Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds host Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds, and with both teams on the cusp of a position challenge, this could be a cracker, and finally, in Division Four, unbeaten Waldon Athletic Thirds take their record to Bere Alston United, and the only thing they will be hoping to lose is their jet lag on route.

Enjoy your grassroots football.

Saints and Broads serve up a Christmas feast on fair play Friday

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 20th DEC, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Watts Blake Bearne contributed by SDFL

Was this really a game between two of the bottom three teams in Division Four? The pace and quality of the play had many of the 100 plus supporters scratching their heads for answers.

It took just two minutes for Saints to get the opening goal from Keiron Seatherton who went on to get the Man of the Match award, but they could only hold on to that lead for nine minutes until the other contender for Man of the Match, Dan Wells, equalised with a goal that would grace any fixture in any division. Saints were under a lot of pressure, and their full-backs were not up to speed with Broads’ Ben Muller, and just four minutes after, they drew level; Muller ran past three defenders and pulled the ball back to the edge of the box, where Dan Wells side-footed a curling shot into the top right-hand corner, and both sets of supporters could do nothing else but applaud the finish. With just 12 minutes on the clock, and the score already at 2-1, it was turning into a great game. With play end-to-end and and two more Saints goals from Keiron Seatherton and Darren Millea and, in first-half stoppage time, yet another equaliser from Stuart Hanney sent the supporters for a welcome hot chocolate, and at 3-3, all the talk in the clubhouse was about the quality of the goals, and it had the writer checking to see if his pre-match prediction of 6-6 was actually on his super six selection.

The dynamic of the game seem to change in the second half as Saints were clearly more used to playing on a 3g pitch, and the legs of the Broads players seemed to be getting heavy, and one or two challenges were either too early or too late depending on your speed. but the referee kept good control and did not need to show any cards to either of the two best teams on the discipline charts. Then came a managerial masterclass from Saints when Dylan Cousins was introduced from the bench and he not only upped the pace of the game for Saints, but went on to score two great goals to seal the win 5-3 for the home team in what was a night to remember for both outfits. The result puts Saints one of three teams on nine points, and whilst still third from bottom, they are the second highest goal scorers in the division. At the other end, they are the league’s highest conceders of goals having let in 58 which is 22 more than Broadhempston United who remain second from bottom, two points behind Saints but with four games in hand. Just one other stat is that Saints only have eight league games remaining to finish the season.

The only other league game played was in Division One where Watts Blake Bearne (pictured) climbed onto the top of the table for Christmas with a well-earned 4-nil win at Bovey Tracey Reserves; Jake Cuff, Cam Gill, Ashton Sowerby and Fraser Hossack were all on target for the Claymen who were good value for the win. Bovey lost their goalkeeper in the 51st minute with a red card following a moment of madness which gave them a mountain to climb. Bovey remain in fifth place. seven points off the lead but with three games in hand, and Wattsies leapfrog Brixham Town and Paignton Villa to lead the division by one point going into the Christmas break. This remains a very competitive division with eight teams still in the mix to gain promotion to the Premier Division

The second round of the Herald Cup has thrown up some great ties that will be fixtured for 3rd January with a 2pm kick off.

  • Newton Rovers (Div 2) v Ilsington Villa (Premier)
  • Ashburton (Div 2) v Bere Alston United (Div 4)
  • Paignton Saints (Premier) v Babbacombe Corries (Div 2)
  • WBB (Div 1) v Signal Box Oak Villa (Div 2)
  • Bovey Tracey Reserves (Div 1) v Paignton Villa (Div 1)
  • Kingsteignton Athletic (Premier) v East Allington United (Premier)
  • Buckland Athletic Reserves (Div 1) v Galmpton United (Div 3)
  • Kingsbridge/Kellaton (Div 4) v Ivybridge Town Reserves (Div 2)
  • Newton Abbot ’66 (Premier) v Chudleigh Athletic (Premier)
  • Broadhempston United (Div 4) v Windmill (Premier)
  • Barton Athletic (Div 1) v Lakeside Athletic (Premier)
  • Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves (Premier) v Teign Village (Div 4)
  • Ipplepen Athletic Reserves (Div 3) v Upton Athletic (Div 2)
  • Plymouth True Blues (Premier) v Stoke Gabriel TP (Div 3)
  • Harbertonford (Div 2) v Elburton Villa Reserves (Div 1)
  • South Brent (Div 3) v Buckfastleigh Rangers (Premier)

Enjoy your grassroots cup football.

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Signal Box score 17 in one of three games to survive the rain

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 6th DEC, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of The Windmill contributed by SDFL

Only three games survived another Friday downpour with the league issuing a wet weather protocol for the third time in six weeks.

In the Premier Division, Paignton Saints had a great result against East Allington United on the 3g at Coach Road (full report and photos available on Daves World) A 3-nil win, with goals from Cairo Broadway, Billy Reay and Brandon Kelly, moves Saints into fourth place and just three points off second place. A disappointing afternoon for the in form Pirates who remain in fifth place with the same points tally as Saints.

In Division Two, Upton Athletic travelled to the Manadon 3g to face an unforgiving Signal Box Oak Villa team looking to stay in pole position. The visitors travelled with the bare eleven and were reduced to ten early in the game through injury, and the home team went on to score every five minutes ending up with 17 on the score card. There were ten different scorers, but Callum Austin, Jordan Rickards and Finley Comerford scored hat tricks. The result puts Signal Box five points clear of Corries who have two games in hand. Upton remain bottom of the table, but fair play to them for travelling and doing their best in squalid conditions.

Division Four was able to offer Paignton Villa Thirds the chance to welcome Kingsbridge and Kellaton United to South Devon College in what was a game dominated by the wind. Villa secured their third win of the campaign with a fine 6-2 victory over the visitors from the South Hams; goals from Martin McHugh, two from Stuart McCauley and a hat-trick for Tom Bintcliffe leapfrogs Villa above the visitors into sixth place and just five points from second with a game in hand.

Another blank week will have many teams wondering when these games will be played and how many mid-week games will there be in April and May. Well, there are still 23 playing Saturdays until the end of the season, so if we look at the best and worst case scenario in each division to make it clearer: Premier – three teams have only played six games so have 16 still to play. If they do well in the cups, that could add another six games to the list, therefore it is possible that some may not need to rely on mid-week games. It also means that the division could probably take another five wet Saturdays until we need to have a closer look at the calendar. The best case are True Blues who are just one game short of playing half of their fixtures and have 12 league games to play in 23 weeks.

Division One is slightly worse off with three teams still having 17 fixtures to fit into 23 Saturdays. 2 of those teams, Bovey Tracey Reserves and Mount Gould, are likely to have seven or eight cup games as well to manage, so as we stand, those two are fairly sure to be playing mid-week or needing to find another pitch if theirs is not playable. The best placed team is Beesands Rovers who have 13 games left with 23 Saturdays to play them.

Division Two is the best division for games played. Half of the teams have either played half or are one short of playing half, so we don’t see any issues at the moment; only Watcombe Seconds have four more games but plenty of time to fit them into a Saturday.

Division Three is mostly looking fine at the moment with the top four teams having 11 or 12 games to fit in, and as they are the most likely to go further in the cups, they have no need at the moment to be thinking of mid-week games. Only Stoke Gabriel TP have five more games to fit in, but at the moment, this would take them up to 17 Saturdays and leave six free.

Division Four is also fine with seven of the 11 teams ahead of their fixtures, but Waldon Thirds have only played four games and have 16 still to play, and as they are one of two unbeaten teams, a cup run is not out of the question. They may need to switch some games to Windmill Hill to catch up. And whilst I realise that some folk will find this hard to believe, all of the above is subject to mother nature over which the SDFL has no control.

Games to catch (weather permitting) Saturday 13th December

There are some big games to look forward to this Saturday, and our Plymouth-based supporters will be spoilt for choice. Windmill (pictured) take on an Ilsington Villa side looking to get back amongst the front runners. This game is at Millennium Fields with a 2.30 KO, and just across the parkway, Lakeside Athletic meet Newton Abbot ’66 who have already taken three points in the home fixture, so Lakeside will be looking to win this game. True Blues are the other Plymouth based team facing decent opposition, in Kingsteignton Athletic, at Millbay Park also with a 2.30 KO. Whilst the Rams may be at the wrong end of the table, True Blues will know that they can beat any team on their day.

My pick of the day’s fixtures though is also in Plymouth, at Tothill Enclosure, where in Division One, Mount Gould welcome Bovey Tracey in what could well be a rehearsal for a Premier Division game next season. Both teams are going well and have plenty of games in hand to catch the front runners.

In Division Two, its third v fourth at Ivybridge Town Reserves, where Babbacombe Corries are the visitors just two weeks after winning the home game 8-1, so the Ivies will be looking for a better outcome at Erme Valley if the water stays in the river.

There is an attractive tie at Broadpark in Division Three, where Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds host a good footballing side in Galmpton United who could do with a few dry days to let them show their skills. but the current wet period could suit the home team.

The big game in Division Four is first v third at Kate Brook where Chudleigh Athletic Reserves face local rivals Teign Village in a no holds barred fixture, where a win for the home team could open up an 11 point gap at the top.

Enjoy your grassroots football.

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Scoring records smashed in another South Devon Football League jamboree

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 4th OCT, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Newton Abbot ’66 contributed by SDFL

Whilst there were 176 goals in total scored, and yes Ashburton did actually score 24 of them in one game, it’s True Blues that continue to be upwardly mobile at the top of the Premier Division.

Unbeaten Newton Abbot ’66 (pictured) surrendered that record in a 4-1 defeat at Millbay Park to a Plymouth True Blues side that are setting the pace. Louis Brace scored a brace, with Mike Storey and Joe Couttes hitting singles to keep the Gers one point ahead of Ilsington Villa, who brought Totnes and Dartington back down to earth with a 3-nil win at Foxhole; once again, Callum Noyce was on the scoresheet and seems to be enjoying his Saturdays again. Jamie Soper and Daniel Langford also found the back of the net to bring the points back to the Carps.

Windmill are also well placed just two points behind Villa but with a game in hand following a fine 5-1 win at Paignton Saints courtesy of strikes from Brodie Simpson, Miles Hunt, Cory Distin and Jack Biscoe. The recommended watch for the week was at Kingsteignton Athletic, and the game did not disappoint. The visitors Lakeside Athletic had lost two of their three opening games and another defeat this early in the season would not have helped the cause. The man in the middle certainly had a busy afternoon, and the crowd enjoyed a nine goal thriller, which the visitors just shaded by the odd goal late in the game. Last season’s champions Newton Abbot Spurs finally got their first win of the season beating Buckfastleigh Rangers by eight goals to nil. Jacob Wales scored a hat-trick, and there were singles for Aiden Blackie, Gav Collins, Kye Drinkwater and Freddie Heath.

In Division One, pre-season favourites Mount Gould have taken over at the top and are the only team in this section with a 100 % record. A fine 7-2 home win against a fancied Beesands Rovers side, looking to bounce straight back into the top division, was set up with four goals from Bentley Alcantara, who is looking well-placed to do well in the race for the golden boot. Brixham Town and WBB are both level on points with the Mounties having both lost on the same day. Town were beaten 3-2 by a decent Watcombe Wanderers team who should win more than they lose, and the Claymen lost 2-1 at home to Barton Athletic who despite being fifth from bottom, are just three points off the top. Elburton Villa Reserves moved into fourth place following a 3-2 win at Liverton United, with goals from Lucas Phillips and Finley Lyle. Both Bovey Tracey Reserves and Paignton Villa got back to winning ways with good wins. Bovey had a comfortable afternoon at Homers Heath, with a 6-nil win against Buckland Athletic Reserves, and Villa recorded a 4-1 win versus a Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds team playing only their second game of the season.

Division Two has had most stats people checking the records for 56 goals in one Saturday in one division; I think they are still looking. Ashburton may have stolen the headlines with their 24 goals, but credit must go to Watcombe Wanderers Seconds for never giving up and even at 17-nil changing the formation to try something different, so well done to them, and I am sure they enjoyed their Saturday night out. There is not enough space for all the scorers but a mention for a substitute James Martin who came on with 15 minutes to go and scored four times. Dan Steer also scored four and Lee Grimshaw hit six. Paignton Saints Seconds picked up their first win of the season, and what a way to win: an 11-2 result versus Upton Athletic will give Saints something to build on.

At the top, Ivybridge Town Reserves gave up their 100% start to the season by losing 2-nil to Harbertonford and are now one of four teams on 12 points; George Gordon and Isaac Phillips were the match-winners for the Fords who are just three points off the top. Signal Box Oak Villa lead the division on goal difference thanks to a 6-1 win at Paignton Villa Seconds. A hat-trick from Jordan Rickard and singles from Paul Thompson, Harley Mitchell and Karl White secured the points that were heading down the A38. Babbacombe Corries’ 100% record remains intact, and a 5-nil win against an East Allington United Second team that have not had the best start to a season keeps Corries well placed. Drake FC are the fourth team level at the top and seem to be worthy of a place in Division Two; a 5-nil win at Newton Rovers keeps the Plymouth-based team as early contenders for a third promotion having never finished in the top two.

Division Three is a more straightforward division. Kingskerswell have opened up a six point gap between first and third, and their 100% record looks to be in good hands. Kyle Doughty, Toby Ballard and Sean McArdle scored the goals in a 4-nil win over Totnes and Dartington Seconds. Galmpton United trail three points behind and look the most likely to dent ‘Kerswell’s record, and a 2-1 win over a good Kingsteignton Athletic Second team keeps them well placed for that challenge. Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds go about their business under the radar, and a 3-1 home win versus South Brent moves them into fourth place, four points behind Galmpton. Templer Way had a shock loss this week, an 8-1 reverse against Stoke Gabriel TP has given the Bishopsteignton-based team some catch up work to do in their second season in the competition. For SGTP, they have two games in hand that could see them in the top three if they can win them. Liverton United Seconds move into fourth place with a 2-1 win over Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds thanks to goals from Simon Ross and Kye Graham. Rangers remain pointless alongside Ipplepen Athletic Seconds and Totnes and Dartington Seconds, and all three teams have come close to picking up points so cant be far away from kick-starting the season.

Division Four has also opened up a tad, with Teign Village winning 4-1 at home against Paignton Villa Thirds to move three points clear of local rivals Chudleigh Athletic Seconds who were on County Cup duty on a non-County Cup weekend, and Brixham Town Seconds moved into third place with a great 6-nil win over Newton Rovers Seconds at Bakers Park. Kingsbridge and Kellaton United also had a great win in another nine goal thriller, 5-4 against a travelling Bere Alston United Reserves side is a good result in anybody’s book, but for a team that has endured more struggles than most, shows real character in the group of players that they have.

Games to catch on Saturday 11th October:

With no SDFL league games being played due to the County Cups taking place, It’s your opportunity to watch teams from other parts of Devon. This week’s pick of the bunch in the Premier Cup are Chudleigh Athletic at home to Step 7 club Ipplepen Athletic, Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves host North Molton and Ilsington Villa will welcome East Budleigh. Waldon Athletic are due back to playing duty and host Upottery at Windmill Hill.

In the Senior Cup, there are a number of South Devon v Exeter games: East Allington United Seconds v Newtown; Brixham Town v Exeter University Thirds; Beesands v Dawlish United; Barton Athletic v Central FC, and likewise in the Intermediate Cup: Kingsbridge and Kellaton United host Starcross Dons; Teign Village v Cheriton Fitzpayne. The draw has been kind to most South Devon-based teams which will cause the Referee Secretary a headache with so many playing at home, but spare a thought for Exmouth Albion who have to travel to Bere Alston United Seconds, a round trip of just 122 miles. All of these games start at 2pm.

Enjoy your grassroots football.

True Blues take over at the top

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 27th SEP, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Watts Blake Bearne contributed by SDFL

Sixes win the Newton Abbot derby, T & D win at Lakeside, Saints put five past Ilsington and True Blues who go top for the first time. But hey, its just another Saturday in the South Devon League.

Plymouth True Blues lead the way into October at the top of the Premier Division thanks to a very close game at Chudleigh Athletic. Just one goal separated the sides courtesy of a Bailey Williams strike, and for the second week in a row, Chudleigh will be kicking themselves to come away from a game pointless. In the Newton Abbot derby, it was ’66 that came out on top with a 2-1 win over near neighbours Spurs thanks to a Tom Lowe double strike. It is incredible that after just two games, Sixes are the only Premier team with a 100% record. Looks like its going to be a cracking season. And now for the eyebrow-raising results: Kingsteignton Athletic dropped their first points of the season with a 1-nil home defeat to East Allington United; a single goal from Ben Taylor was enough for the points to head back to the South Hams, and at Coach Road, Paignton Saints had a great result in upsetting Ilsington Villa in a nine goal thriller which included four goals from Jake Powell and a single from Brandon Kelly; Saints swept into a three goal lead within 13 minutes of KO, whilst Villa will be pleased that new signing Callum Noyce continues to bang in the goals, but his hat-trick, and the fact that they ended the game with less players than they started with, will no doubt leave a bittersweet taste. The penultimate report from the Premier Division is all about Totnes and Dartington who picked up their first points of the season with an acca killer result, bearing in mind that Lakeside Athletic, who had only lost two league games in three years, lost again to make it two defeats in three weeks in the Torbay Clearance Services top division. A fantastic 2-1 win for the visitors, with goals from Harri Hardy and Josh Squire, will no doubt help Jono Beardsmore sleep well this week. The final game in the Premier Division was at Millennium Fields, where Windmill put ten goals past a Buckfastleigh Rangers side that are not having the best of times but will hopefully overcome the challenges.

In Division One, only Mount Gould have a 100% record, and today, they cruised passed Liverton United with a 6-1 scoreline thanks to Aaron and Ray Spear, Bentley Alcantara and Jack Trigger.

At the top, Brixham Town and Watts Blake Bearne (pictured above) are neck and neck after four outings, and both had to go the extra mile to pick up maximum points this week; Town won 3-2 against a good Barton Athletic side at JC Park to remain heading in the right direction.

And WBB looked to be sharing the points at home to Watcombe Wanderers who did more than enough to win the game until Cam Gill hit the winner 10 minutes from time to give Darren and Dexter a good start to the season and something to build on. Beesands Rovers got back to winning ways thanks to a tight 3-2 win against Paignton Villa; goals from Jack Eades, Joe Tucker and Ollie Mitchell were enough for the points to head back to the South Hams.

Elburton Villa Reserves also picked up their first win of the 25/26 season with a comfortable 5-1 win versus Buckland Athletic Reserves at Haye Road .Just to put this division into some context, Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds have only played one game due to postponements and free weeks, and they are the only team that have not won a game, so this is looking like a division where any team can beat any team; and apart from Mount Gould, they have.

Division Two is also shaping up for a good competition. After four games, only two have not won a game, and only Ivybridge Town Reserves and Babbacombe Corries have an unbeaten record. Ivies had a fairly comfortable afternoon in a game that was played without an official referee; a 4-1 win at Bakers Park, at the hands of Newton Rovers, was enough to take the points back down the A38. Goals from Joshua Hill and Daniel Jones made sure of another victory for Corries against Paignton Saints Seconds, but they had to work for the 3-2 win, and the two goals they conceded were the first of the season, so the Corries ‘keeper falls from grace in the golden glove race. Drake FC are one of four teams level on 9 points, and they had to work hard for their 4-3 win at East Allington United Seconds. As did Signal Box Oak Villa, who won at home to Ashburton by the odd goal in three. On target for the Plymouth side were Ryan Morgan and Paul Tompson. The final team on 9 points are Paignton Villa Seconds, who just edged a 1-nil win at Long Lane against a new look Watcombe Wanderers Second team to keep themselves well placed.

Division Three is going with the pre-season predictions that Kingskerswell and Galmpton United would be the two teams to beat, and both continue to be upwardly mobile. ‘Kerswell won 4-nil at Halford against an experienced Liverton United Reserves side, and Galmpton won the local derby versus Stoke Gabriel TP by 4 goals to 1. Harley Hooper scored a brace, with singles from Jack Rowell and Daniel White (full match report on Daves World). Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds and South Brent had a pleasant afternoon sharing a nil-nil draw, and Templer Way seem to have been reborn for this season; a 5-2 win at Totnes and Dartington Seconds puts them in the top four. Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds enjoyed another victory, this time a 3-1 success at Ipplepen Athletic Seconds puts them level on points with Templer and Liverton.

Division Four is also going with the pre-season predictions that Teign Village and Chudleigh Athletic Seconds would dominate and all eyes would be on the unknown in Bere Alston United under-18 side from last season. In a day of 75 year celebrations for the club, the Seconds delivered a 2-1 win over Kingsbridge and Kellaton United, and just up the road, Teign Village enjoyed a 5-1 win versus Newton Rovers Seconds. Both results keep the Clarets and Village clear at the top. Leading the chasing pack are Bere Alston United Seconds, who had an easy time of it at Broadhempston United where Adam and Steve Daymond scored five goals between them and Charlie Spry got a single strike to take the points down the A38 then up the A386! Brixham Town Seconds got their first win of the season, a 6-3 win at Paignton Saints Thirds was just what the Fishermen needed to get the season up and running.

Games to catch on Saturday 4th October:

The top division game to catch is at Millbay Park where True Blues welcome Newton Abbot ’66 for the first meeting between the teams. With True Blues in top spot and Sixes unbeaten, something has to give. Kingsteignton Athletic host what could be a nervous Lakeside team at Broadpark; the teams met in the Herald Cup last season, and only one goal separated them, so it should be a cracker. In Division One, there are a few games that will be worth a watch, but the reserve teams from Buckland Athletic versus Bovey Tracey meet at Homers Heath, and Watcombe Wanderers play Brixham Town at Long Lane in what will be a colourful event. The games of the day in Division Two are at White Rock, where Paignton Villa Seconds welcome Signal Box for the first time, and top of the table Ivybridge Town play Harbertonford in what is as close to a Plymouth derby for both sets of players. My pick of the bunch in Division Three is at Michaels Field, where Templer Way play a Stoke Gabriel TP side much in need of a promotion season, and Galmpton United have a tricky game versus a young Kingsteignton Athletic reserve side. Division Four also has a couple of games worthy of a watch. At White Rock, Paignton Villa Thirds play a Teign Village team in no mood to miss out on promotion this season, and down at Loddiswell, Kingsbridge and Kellaton United play Bere Alston United for the first time in both clubs’ history.

Enjoy your grassroots football.

newton abbot spurs reserves

Champions Spurs open their season with a point, while league offers support to boost referee numbers

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 20th SEP, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves contributed by SDFL

Referee shortage hits home again and it’s the clubs (and the Referee Secretary) that suffer.

It’s incredible to think about the games that have been played without a referee on the first two Saturdays. Firstly, well done and thank you to those volunteers that stepped forward to take charge of league fixtures, and the headache that the Referee Secretary is trying to manage is going to take more than paracetamol to solve. The brutal fact is that there are just not enough referees to start with, and when you add in the loss of officials that are taken to run lines in SWPL, Western League and now Southern League games, together with the early County Cup rounds, it is almost an impossible task to provide a referee for every game.

For any players out there thinking of taking up the whistle and moving over to the dark side, there are tremendous benefits to be had from being part of the SDFL referee group, and I know that a number of referees are still actively involved in football some 30 years after they stopped playing. But I hear you say it all costs money to do the referees course. Yes it does, but the SDFL have an assistance scheme to get you through without any initial outlay. There are referee courses coming up in Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey, and if you are interested, please phone the Referee Secretary Phil Smith on 07974672113 or Richard Mason on 01626332077 to become part of the South Devon football family.

Friday night football returned to the Premier Division courtesy of Newton Abbot Spurs Seconds who opened up their defence of the title with a 1-1 draw against East Allington United in front of a decent crowd at the Rec. A point on the board for both teams in their opening game is probably a good point.

That left three teams to play their opening game, and all three went ahead. The Windmill made the short trip from Leigham across town to Millbay Park where True Blues were waiting with a blue welcome. In an epic encounter that was a credit to the SDFL, the points were shared in a 2-2 draw. Ben Woodman scored both goals for the Gers, and Windmill replied courtesy of Louis Godwin and Alexander Photiou.

Chudleigh Athletic will be disappointed in coming away from Coach Road empty handed in their opening game versus Paignton Saints. A scrappy 1-nil, win thanks to a Harvey Veysey tap in when John Emery’s shot hit the post and ran along the line, gets Saints off the mark having lost their opener last time out. Waldon Athletic are struggling and their onfield woes continue, this time at the hands of Ilsington Villa who scored eight without reply to stay level at the top with Kingsteignton Athletic who won 5 – 2 at Totnes and Dartington, a win that gives them a better start than last season. Buckfastleigh Rangers have had a difficult start to the season, and they could not have been relishing the visit of pre-season favourites Lakeside Athletic following their defeat on opening day. The Plymouth team won 8-1 to restore some hope that they will be there or thereabouts come May.

In Division One, there was a massive shock at Bovey Tracey Reserves who lost 5–3 to newly promoted Barton Athletic in a cracking game; strikes from Zach Norton, Eden Cresswell Cluer, Oakley Hunt and Liam Walton won the first points of the season for the Torquay side with a very strong lineup of goalscorers.

But it is Brixham Town who sit at the top after 3 games. A tight 2-1 win over Paignton Villa has Shaun wondering if this could be his season; as for Villa fans, all the photo shots of the league table from two weeks ago are a distant memory for now. WBB have also had a good start to the season; a 4-nil win against a young Buckland Athletic Reserves side sees the Claymen keeping pace with the Fishermen at the top. Beesands Rovers lost their first game of the season with a 4-3 loss at Watcombe Wanderers in a bruising affair; Sam Pyne, Jamie Orchard, Oliver Dowell and Frazer Rudge were the target men for the Greens.

Mount Gould finally got their league season off to a flyer with a 5-nil win against local rivals Elburton Villa Reserves in front of a decent crowd. Bentley Alcantara was on target, but it was a former True Blue, Ray Spear, who caught the eye with four goals.

In Division Two, Ivybridge Town Reserves are three points clear following a great 6-1 win at Erme Valley against an East Allington Second team who will win more than they lose. James Forrest and Oliver Tyson each scored twice, and there were singles for Caleb Talliss and Travis Newton. Paignton Villa Seconds have also had a good start to the new term, scoring 14 goals in three games; this time, it was a narrow 3-2 win over Newton Rovers who occupy bottom slot at the moment. I said last week that Ashburton’s credentials would be tested, and they rose to the visit of unbeaten Drake. A 7-2 win, with strikes from James Martin, Alex Hambly, Kameron Pouladdje, Derek Cartmill and a hat trick for Lee Grimshaw, was more than good enough to get the Ashes on the points board. Signal Box Oak Villa picked up their second win in three games, a 4-2 win at Manadon over Paignton Saints Seconds, who have yet to register any points, may seem like a formality, but Saints put up a fight and made the Plymouth side work for the points. Paul Thompson, Harley Mitchell and a double for super-sub Jordan Rickards keeps them well placed. Babbacombe Corries are also unbeaten and a 5-nil win at Harbertonford, Curtis Marshall, Jordan Bradshaw and a Jack Cousins hat-trick, gives Corries their best start for three seasons. Upton Athletic picked up their first points of the season in a 5-2 home win versus Watcombe Wanderers Seconds in what is going to be a tight division with only Saints and Rovers pointless.

Division Three is definitely taking shape; in line with the bookies’ favourites, Kingskerwell continue to win games, and a 4-nil win at South Brent puts them on maximum points from three games, and Galmpton United overcame a scare with a 5-4 win over a decent looking Totnes and Dartington Reserves side who have yet to register a point, Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds are keeping pace with the top two; a 7-nil win over Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds, with double strikes from Ashley Hayworth, Jasper King and Ashton Hogarth, sealed the deal for the young Rams. Liverton United Seconds lost for the first time in a 4-2 win for Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds at Osborne Park; goals for Russell Ellis, Daniel Martin, Cody Monk and Will Poundall gets Sixes on the points board for the new term. Templer Way finally found a way to win again with a 6-1 demolition of Ipplepen Athletic Seconds thanks to Chris Bennett, Toto Whittle and Reuben Mantara, and I am sure they will win more than they lose again this season.

Only three games went ahead in Division Four, and Teign Village join Chudleigh Ath Seconds at the top, both with a 100% record. Village had a comfortable 4-nil win at Barton Athletic Seconds, at Barton Downs, and Paignton Villa Thirds move into third place with a 2-nil win versus Newton Rovers Seconds. The final game in this division was at Broadhempston where the home team welcomed Paignton Saints Thirds, and Broads came out on top in an entertaining 5-4 victory; this was a game that went ahead without an official referee, so big thanks and well done to the volunteer who stepped up to take charge.

Games to catch on Saturday 27th September:

The Premier Division offers the first Newton Abbot derby of the season at Osborne park where ’66 meet Spurs, and just down the road at Broadpark, Kingsteignton Athletic face East Allington United in what is normally a cracking game, and Paignton Saints have an early opportunity to reply to their opening game defeat at Ilsington Villa when they meet for the second time in three weeks.

In Division One, Liverton United travel to Mount Gould where they were the only team to take all six points last season, and no doubt the Plymouth side will be looking to prevent a repeat of their previous meetings. Beesands Rovers and Paignton Villa have both had good starts to their seasons, and it should be a great game when they meet at Loddiswell.

Division Two has a couple of stand out fixtures. Ashburton face a Plymouth side for the second week running, and again they will be tested when they meet Signal Box at Manadon 3g, and East Allington United face a Drake FC team that will be looking to bounce back after defeat the last time out.

Division Three has two of the matches of the day. Galmpton United have a local derby versus Stoke Gabriel TP to look forward to, and Kingskerswell will get a stern test at Liverton United.

In Division Four, Broadhempston United will need to fuel up the charabang for their outing to Bere Alston United where the team gets a big support, and Teign Village will want to keep the momentum going when Newton Rovers take a trip up to the village.

Enjoy your grassroots football.

ilsington villa sdfl premier division 2025

Villa edge St Martins as five SDFL clubs make it to Round Two of the Premier Cup.

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 6th SEP, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Ilsington Villa contributed by SDFL

The opening day fixtures were reduced to just 16 games to allow the County Cups to start. The games that SDFL teams were involved in produced 143 goals, plenty of talking points and a few shock results.

There were some disappointed teams this week who received a bye in the county cups but were not able to arrange a league fixture on the opening day of the season due to a number of reasons. In fact, no Premier Division games were played at all, and only three Division One games went ahead, but each of them involved a team that was either promoted from Division Two or relegated from the top division.

Beesands Rovers, fresh out of the Premier Division, set out their stall on opening day with a 3-1 victory at WBB. A double strike from Jack Eades was enough for the Bees to take three points on the opening day back to the South Hams. But it’s Paignton Villa who top the table after week one with a 5-2 win at newly promoted Barton Athletic, with five goals from five different players: Tom Evans, Tom Meyer, Charlie Thomas, Suliman Yaha and Ashlie Salmon all found the back of the net and forced the Villa supporters to be taking screenshots of the league table. The team that came up with Barton from Division Two, Liverton United, had a more fruitful start to the season with a hard earned 5-4 victory, at Halford, versus Brixham Town. Jack Shelton set Livvy on their way, but a hat-trick for last season’s golden boot winner Jamie Passmore sealed the deal for the home team. Graham Mercieca also got on the score-sheet in what was an entertaining game.

In Division Two, all eyes were on Long Lane where Watcombe Wanderers Seconds were going to be the first team to face last season’s Plymouth and District champions, and they not only faced them, they beat them by 5 goals to 2 thanks to a single Cam Kelly strike and an impressive four goals for Jamie Orchard in what was a great way for the Greens to get their season off to a flyer. Harbertonford, who very nearly went out of business during the summer, also got their season off to a positive start with a 5-3 victory against East Allington Utd Seconds; single strikes from Billy Bright and Keiron Hanson were surpassed by a hat-trick from George Condon to give Fords their first opening day win for three seasons. Newly promoted Drake FC took the points on opening day from their fixture against Paignton Saints Seconds, at Coach Road; a narrow 2-1 win was enough for the Plymouth-based team to enjoy the journey home. The final victors in Division Two were Ivybridge Town Reserves who won 1-nil at White Rock against Paignton Villa Seconds; following two relegations in a row, no doubt they will be delighted to get their season off to a good start and have something to build on. Villa will be disappointed not to find a goal, especially as they were a new set of goalposts; perhaps Kevin will get the old ones back out next week.

Division Three is tipped to be anybody’s division, and newly promoted Templer Way came a cropper at home against Liverton United Seconds who won 6-2 with goals from Oliver West and Simon Ross before Kye Graham helped himself to four goals. Chris Bennett and Brad Breslan were on target for the Bishopsteignton-based team who will reset and probably win more than they lose during the course of the season. Kingskerswell have not forgotten how to win: a 3-2 victory versus a young Kingsteignton Athletic Second side who made the more experienced team work for the points, and it may just be ‘Kerswell who have to call on some reinforcements to continue their rise. Stoke Gabriel TP just got the better of a Newton Abbot ’66 Second team that don’t lose many games during the course of a season; Daniel Triseze, Adam Blackburn and Elliot Osman were on target for the Bees in a 3-2 win that sets them off and running in what will be a tough campaign. South Brent were the other team that made a positive start to their season: a 1-nil home win against a young Ipplepen Athletic Second team, thanks to a single strike by Taylor Kasitz, was a tonic for Brent who, for the past few seasons, have got behind with fixtures and, like a lot of clubs, have worked hard behind the scenes to keep a team in the town going, so well done to all at South Brent. The other game that was played in this division was fortunate to have an experienced referee in charge. Galmpton United, playing their first game back in the SDFL for three seasons, drew the game against Waldon Athletic Seconds 2-2, but they finished the game with ten players, and Waldon Athletic, who had 4 yellow cards, have come close to a county misconduct charge, so an expensive first day of the season for both clubs who have a point each on the league table.

Bere Alston United Seconds, the new boys in Division Four, got off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory over a stubborn Newton Rovers reserve team; goals from Adam Daymond and Joshua Hewes did the trick for the team that were playing in an under-16 league last season. Chudleigh Athletic Seconds top the division following a 9-1 thumping of Paignton Saints Thirds, and they will be looking to go one better this season after just losing out on promotion last term. Teign Village, who finished in third place last season, have also set out their stall for the new season with a 6-3 victory over Kingsbridge and Kellaton United. Whilst the visitors went home empty handed, they will be pleased to get one of their longest trips out of the way on the opening day. Elliot Glasser scored a brace in the final game to be played in Division Four at Cricketfield Road, where Waldon Athletic Thirds and Barton Athletic Seconds fought out an entertaining 2-2 draw in front of a decent crowd that preferred grassroots to Plainmoor and saved themselves £20 in the process.

The County Cups got underway this week, and there are high expectations for some of the SDFL teams to go all the way in all three adult competitions. Safely through to Round Two in the Premier Cup are Ilsington Villa, who beat St Martins (Exeter) 3-2; Newton Abbot ’66, who won on penalties versus Budleigh Salterton (Step 7); Chudleigh Athletic, who won 2-1 at Torridgeside Reserves (North Devon) and Paignton Saints, 5-1 winners at Totnes & Dartington.

In the Senior Cup, Elburton Villa Reserves and Mount Gould progressed comfortably, but Bovey Tracey Reserves made the long trip to Merton and scored 12 goals without reply.

In the Intermediate Cup, Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds also made it into the hat with a 3-1 win over Paignton Villa Thirds. The remainder of the first round ties are being played over the next two weeks, although there have been a large number of byes.

Games to catch on Saturday 13th September:

The standout fixture in the top division will be at Osborne Park where Newton Abbot ’66 face Lakeside Athletic in what will be a Premier Division christening for the Plymouth-based team against a Sixes side that are difficult to beat. In Division One, Elburton Villa Reserves welcome Beesands Rovers to Haye Road for a fixture that last season was played as a Premier Division game, and one of the pre-season favorites Bovey Tracey open with a home game versus Watcombe Wanderers. In Division Two, all eyes will be on Manadon Sports Centre where new boys Signal Box will be looking for an immediate improvement after losing their opening game. They are at home to Newton Rovers, and Ashburton, who enjoyed a promotion season last time out, face an East Allington United Second team who came very close to promotion themselves last season but lost on the opening day; this should be a good game to watch. Game of the day in Division Three is at Michael’s Field where Templer Way welcome Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds who will be no pushovers, and both will be looking to get points on the board after suffering defeat last week. Last season’s Division Four champions, with a 100% record, Kingskerswell travel to relegated Ipplepen Athletic Reserves who have made some interesting signings during the summer and, depending on when they are due at university, they could have a bearing on the outcome and that record. If you are looking for a game in Torquay, then look no further than Cricketfield Road where a very young Bere Alston United team will face Waldon Athletic Thirds in the game of the day in Division Four.

All fixtures are available on the league’s full time website, and they all KO at 2.30pm. With Torquay United and Argyle playing away from home, get out and support your grassroots football team!

the windmill dartmouth cup winners 2025

All Plymouth Final Sees Windmill Victorious

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 10th MAY, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Dartmouth Cup winners, The Windmill FC contributed by SDFL

For the first time in the long history of the South Devon Football League, two Plymouth based teams reached the final of the Division One Dartmouth Cup. Plymouth Phoenix versus The Windmill, two teams that have enjoyed an extraordinary season in the league and county cup competitions, met at Buckfastleigh Rangers FC on Friday 9th May in what promised to be a treat for South Devon League followers. But I have to say they made the crowd wait for their treats.

The game started brightly enough with both teams having early moments in front of goal. Just 4 minutes in and David Moore had a header cleared off the line for Phoenix and, at the other end, Jack Briscoe was causing all sorts of problems for the Phoenix defence. But having two teams that are not used to losing had an effect on the game as they both cancelled each other out for a long period of time; Sam Doyle picked up an early yellow card for a poor challenge and in the 42nd minute, the Windmill supporters felt that Carlton Allen was fortunate to stay on the pitch following a challenge on Sam Wells in the Windmill goal, but the referee spoke to his assistant and they both agreed that it was worthy of a yellow card.

The second half was more competitive with both teams opening up for a win, and a few substitutions were made and a few more yellow cards were issued for poor challenges, but what was more noticeable was that Windmill were having the better chances and Phoenix could not deal with Jack Briscoe whilst at the back, Chey Hammond seemed to be covering a lot of ground to keep any Phoenix attacks under control; in the 67th minute, Briscoe had a header hit the underside of the bar and bounce on the line and just 2 minutes later, he had a blistering shot that went just over the bar, and Windmill were definitely knocking at the door. On 71 minutes, another Windmill attack came to nothing but as the Phoenix skipper tried to control the ball, it bounced up and hit his arm that was outstretched and the referee pointed to the spot. Up stepped Louis Godwin who put the ball straight down the middle, and the Phoenix ‘keeper could do nothing to stop it. 1-nil Windmill. At this point, Phoenix threw everything at the game; Ashley White hit the bar from a free-kick, Jamie Grindrod got himself sent off for throwing the ball at somebody in the dug out, out of frustration, and at the other end with time running out, Jack Biscoe got his reward when he chipped the ‘keeper from close range to make it 2-nil to Windmill and ensure that it would be Glynn, Kevin and Cora that were taking the Dartmouth Cup back down the A38.

chey hammond the windmill dartmouth cup winners 2025

The sponsors for the Dartmouth Cup are Francis Clark Accountants, and they judged that the Windmill skipper Chey Hammond (pictured) was the man of the match and presented him with a commemorative glass.

In the Premier Division midweek games, Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves once again called on their resources, as did their opponents Waldon Athletic, but the Torquay side were off the pace and still suffering a Herald Cup hangover as Spurs took another step towards being crowned champions. Toby Pullman scored 4 of the 9 goals that puts Spurs 5 points behind Ilsington Villa with 2 games in hand.

Move forward to Friday 9th May and Newton Abbot Spurs are back in action again, this time against relegation threatened Chudleigh Athletic who were no match for the now favourites to become the SDFL champions for the first time in the history of the club’s 2nd team; a 5 – 1 victory, thanks to goals from Toby Pullman, Callum Noyce and Jack Upshire, leaves them with 2 games to win against Waldon Athletic and Totnes and Dartington. Meanwhile, Chudleigh only have 1 game to play, also against Waldon, where they need a win to give themselves a chance of retaining Premier Division status.

Ilsington Villa remain in pole position after their final game of the season, but Beesands Rovers will be mightily proud of holding the Moorlanders to a 2-2 draw at Loddiswell in the sunshine; Ilsington led twice but could not hold on to either lead; Jack Eades equalized from the spot in the first half and Adam Winkworth scored in the dying seconds to earn a point for the Bees. It looks like Beesands are still going to need a win from playing East Allington or Kingsteignton; that is depending on the outcome of the Waldon v Chudleigh game.

East Allington United must be wishing they could go back to the future with their their end of season form having only lost one of their last eight games; this week’s 4-1 victory over Totnes and Dartington sees the Pirates up to fifth place and a top four place is a possibility for this team who at Easter were 2 points off a relegation spot; there must be something in the water, or it’s Geraldine’s after game biscuits that has helped the team.

In Division One, the games are coming thick and fast for Phoenix who made the long trek to Brixham Town on Tuesday and came away with a 7-1 win thanks to 4 more goals for David Moore’s season tally of 36 so far. Phoenix are 6 points behind True Blues with 3 games in hand. In fact, Phoenix still have 5 games to play in the last two weeks of the season, and 2 of them are against True Blues.

Brixham Town closed out their season with a trip to face Bovey Tracey Reserves, and it ended with a disappointing 4-1 defeat for the Fishermen; on the flip side, Bovey are cemented in fourth place and could nick third if The Windmill slip up, and they both meet on the last day of the season. On target for Bovey were Ben Moyle, Ryan Stanbridge, and a worldy from Christian Fleet was the highlight of the afternoon.

The gap at the top of Division Two that Mount Gould have been working away at over the past few weeks is now down to 3 points; their midweek outing at Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds resulted in a 7-nil win helped by a Joshua Bance hat trick, and they are looking go joint top with a win at Watcombe Wanderers Seconds at the weekend which is exactly what happened; the 7-nil scoreline, thanks to 4 goals from Nathen Lang and a couple from Jack Trigger, was enough to put the Mounties top on goal difference, a point away from the formality of being crowned Division Two champions on their journey back to the football pyramid. The only other game in this division was at Halford where Liverton United had another good win; a 5-3 scoreline leaves them needing just two points to guarantee that spot; only East Allington Seconds, Paignton Saints Seconds and Watcombe Seconds can also finish third in what has been a great competition, but congratulations are due to Mount Gould and Barton Athletic who will be playing in Division One next term.

The top of the table game in Division Three was at Ashburton where they welcomed the only team that can beat them to the title in Elburton Villa Thirds. In a game that was a credit to this division, the visitors ran out 4-2 winners and the Ashes will have to wait another week until they visit Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds to get the win that is needed to clinch the division title. Elburton return to Plymouth with the points that take them to within one point of the runners-up spot should Ashes win at ’66. Should that not happen, then Villa can take the title with a win at South Brent and Paignton Saints Thirds. Now is probably not a good moment to mention that a league officer was at the Ashburton game with the Division Three trophy for presentation; perhaps he will stay away from the ’66 game!! Three other games were played in this division, and Liverton United Seconds made the trip to Brixham Town Seconds, and came away with a 3-1 victory; South Brent, who still have five games to play in the next 14 days, will have been disappointed to lose 1-nil at home to Stoke Gabriel TP, and Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds, who have had a really good season, beat Paignton Saints Thirds by 4 goals to 1; Macualey Kerr, Alfie Luscombe and Russell Ellis were on target for Sixes.

With just two weeks of the grassroots season left, it should be noted that only one of the South Devon Football League’s five divisions has a confirmed champion and runner-up, That is, of course, Division Four where Kingskerswell won the title with an unbeaten season and Templer Way finished second in their first season in Saturday football.

The Premier Division will be won by Newton Abbot Spurs Seconds or Ilsington Villa; the relegation spots will be Elburton Villa Reserves plus Beesands Rovers or Chudleigh Athletic.

Division One will be won by Phoenix or True Blues; runners-up will be either of them plus Windmill. The relegation spots will be Ivybridge Town Reserves plus Watcombe Wanderers, Paignton Villa or Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds.

Division Two will be won by Mount Gould, unless they concede 27 goals in their last three games, and runners-up will be Barton Athletic. The relegation spots will be Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds and Ipplepen Athletic Seconds.

Division Three will be won by Ashburton or Elburton Villa Thirds. Drake FC could get runners-up if Elburton lose their last two games. The relegation spots will be Brixham Town Seconds and Paignton Saints Thirds.

I can tell you that the league management committee are delighted with how good the competition has been this season, and to have only one confirmed champion with 14 days of the season left would have been on all of their wish lists.

Games to catch this week:

The Premier Division George Belli Cup Final between Totnes and Dartington and Newton Abbot Spurs Seconds will be played on Thursday 15th May at Liverton United with a 7pm KO.

Spurs are still in the hunt for a league and cup double and start the game as favourites as they won their only league encounter 5-nil; they still have to play again in the league at the Rec. But Tots have had some good scorelines in their promotion season and having knocked out Waldon and Paignton Saints en route to the final, plus knowing that Spurs cannot use squad players, will boost their confidence of crowning off a good season. There is plenty of parking at Dartington and a full bar and food service will be available alongside Pauline’s famous pasties.

Enjoy your final two weeks of grassroots football.

newton abbot spurs reserves

Ilsington’s Title Push Continues with 7th Straight League Win

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 3rd MAY, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves contributed by SDFL

At the top of the Premier Division, Ilsington Villa stretched their lead with a midweek win at new Herald Cup holders Waldon Athletic. The 8-1 scoreline was achieved with hat-tricks for Dan Langford and James Karvalla and may have flattered the Moorlanders but for the fielding of several second team players by the hosts in preparation for their big day out. Villa’s lead at the top is 8 points and Spurs have 3 games in hand; Villa have one game to play which is at Beesands Rovers on 10th May.

Saturday’s fixtures were all about the relegation places. Whilst Elburton Villa Seconds have already claimed one spot in Division One next season, the other spot has for some time been between Chudleigh Athletic and Beesands Rovers, but an upturn in form for both teams has made it interesting. Chudleigh Athletic lost 1-nil at East Allington United to a late header by Ben Tapper who puts the Pirates up to the heady heights of sixth place after flirting with the bottom two places as recently as Easter. The prospects for Chudleigh Athletic surviving may actually lie in the hands of East Allington United who have to play Beesands Rovers twice this month. Should Beesands win one of those games, then Chudleigh will need to beat Waldon or Newton Spurs Reserves (pictured above) in their final two games. Beesands Rovers on the other hand had a great win at home to Paignton Saints by 4 goals to 3 thanks to a Louis Brace hat trick and a Jack Eades single; it leaves Rovers second from bottom with 4 games to play and just 2 points behind Chudleigh. It was Saints’ last game so they will have to watch this space to find out if Rovers can make up the 6 point gap to send Saints back to Division One after one season.

Division One has caused the league officers some problems this season; from what was a very strong league at the start of the season it has become clear that not all clubs can win the support of players when times get tough or the sun shines. Watcombe Wanderers could not raise a team from 84 registered players to travel to Bovey Tracey Reserves, so the home team pick up the points and will probably finish their season in fourth place; what gets lost is the time and effort spent by the hosts to prepare the pitch and the ground to welcome the public, not to mention the food purchase and preparation only to be let down on a Saturday morning.

Buckland Athletic Seconds finished their season with a 2-nil home win against Brixham Town and should be pleased with a top six season. Town were already safe from the drop, but the pending points deductions heading Watcombe’s way will allow them to enjoy their final two fixtures versus Phoenix and Bovey. WBB also had a good result, a 4-nil win against already relegated Ivybridge Town Reserves sends them into mid table in what has been a difficult season for the Claymen.

The top of the table game was played on Friday evening under lights at Parkway Social Club and what a game it was; whilst it may not affect the end result of this division, it certainly shook some feathers; Windmill moved to within 2 points of Phoenix with a fine 4-1 win and became the first team this season to beat the favourites; not only was it the first time Phoenix have lost in the SDFL, it was the first time they had lost in any league competition for 2 years, and the two teams meet on Friday 9th May at Buckfastleigh in the Dartmouth Cup at 7pm. Windmill will also be hoping that their neighbours True Blues can help them by taking points from Phoenix in their upcoming league fixtures.

In Division Two, Mount Gould must be wondering if they made the correct decision to join the South Devon League; this week, they were let down for the fourth time in the league and pick up the points for Upton Athletic not travelling to play; they have also had two cup games where the opposition have failed to honour a fixture; the gap at the top is 6 points as Barton Athletic won their final game 2-nil at Paignton Villa Seconds thanks to an own goal and a Zach Norton strike that has secured at least the runners-up place and a place in Division One next season; Liverton United needed Barton to drop points to catch them, so as a result of Barton’s win, they can get to third place if they win four of their final six games. At the bottom, both of the reserve teams from Ipplepen Athletic and Buckfastleigh Rangers will go into Division Three next term.

Game to catch Friday 9th May: At Buckfastleigh Rangers FC is the Division One Dartmouth Cup Final between Plymouth Phoenix and The Windmill with a 7pm KO.

This is a first for the South Devon Football League as two Plymouth-based teams will contest a cup final. The two teams met in the league last week and as reported above, Windmill won by 4 goals to 1 and have no doubt put a dent in the ambitions of the Phoenix club. This is predicted to be a great game with two quality teams that could and should be playing at a higher level of football.

Game to catch Saturday 10th May: The Division Three title could be won or lost at Ashburton where third placed Elburton Villa Thirds are the visitors. A win or draw for Ashes gives them the title. A win for Villa and they could catch them.

Enjoy your grass roots football.

liverton united south devon football league division two

Liverton Take Their Chances to Lift Lidstone Cup

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

Friday 25th April: Division Two Lidstone Cup Final

Liverton Utd 1st Versus Watcombe Wanderers 2nds

The end result of this well-supported cup final did not tell the whole story of the game; whilst 7-nil is a big scoreline for any game, never mind a cup final, it was all about taking chances which Liverton United did and Watcome Wanderers did not. The game itself was end to end for 90 minutes, and Watcombe, to their credit, never gave up even when they found themselves 1-nil down to a Joshua Passmore-Tarpey strike 4 minutes into the game. The same player ended up with a cup final hat-trick and was presented with the sponsor’s man of the match by Coast and Country Estate Agents. Liverton’s other scorers on the night were Harry Atkinson, who got two, and there were singles for Jamie Passmore and Marco Lekkas.

Saturday 26th April

In the top of the table Premier League game at Osborne Park, Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves won the town’s bragging rights, as well as the 3 points, against their closest neighbours Newton Abbot ’66 who were playing their final game of the campaign. A 1-nil win, courtesy of a Beck Hannah strike, was enough to put Spurs just 5 points behind Ilsington Villa with 2 games in hand and 4 to play; the defeat for Sixes guarantees them a respectable third place in the top division. At the other end of the table, Chudleigh Athletic continued with their end of season upturn in results with a 3 – 1 win at Elburton Villa Seconds and this condemns Villa to Division One next term; Gavin Lake, who scored twice, and Tom Corbin were on target for Chudleigh who not only move 5 points clear of Beesands, who have 2 games in hand, but also drag Paignton Saints into the relegation pack, and they only have one game to play and that is against Beesands who may be able to catch them. Totnes and Dartington had a great result with a 3-1 win against Herald Cup finalists Waldon Athletic who still have fifth place in their sights but only just, as they will need to win 3 of their final 4 games to get there.

In Division One, True Blues secured promotion to next season’s Premier Division without kicking a ball; not for the first time this season, a Watcombe Wanderers team failed to raise a side and gifted the opposition the points; the decision for Watcombe, who occupy sixth place in the division, could be a costly one; as it stands, if Paignton Villa win their final game of the season against Watcombe on 17/05, then the Greens could be relegated to Division Two which, in turn, could affect their reserve team. Brixham Town all but cemented their place for another season in Division One with a 5-2 win against Ivybridge Town Reserves at Modbury Playing Fields; the result confirms Ivies’ second relegation in two seasons; on target for the Fisherman were Macca Dallow, with a hat trick, Hugo Griffiths and Jack Thompson. Elsewhere in Division One, Phoenix will join Windmill in the Dartmouth Cup final for what will be a first for the South Devon Football League where two Plymouth based teams will contest a cup final; a 3-1 win at South Devon College against Paignton Villa has come at a cost for the visitors: 6 yellow cards will no doubt attract a misconduct charge from the county FA, but the hat-trick from David Moore was well received. The Dartmouth Cup Final is scheduled for 9th May at a venue to be confirmed.

In Division Two, another team were gifted 3 points: Mount Gould were this week’s benefactors as Harbertonford failed to play them for the third time. The gap at the top is now down to 9 points and the Mounties have 6 games in hand. Fords are in mid-table and are safe from the drop, but again a costly decision was made. The mid-table game between Paignton Saints Seconds and Paignton Villa Seconds had to be abandoned due to the Villa ‘keeper Adam Taylor breaking his leg; all in the South Devon Football Family wish him a speady recovery. The big scorers of the day were East Allington Utd Seconds: they enjoyed a 12-nil win over Upton Athletic who are just about safe from the drop, whilst the reserve Pirates chase a top four place. The final game in Division Two was at Bakers Park where Newton Rovers were beaten 6-nil by Babbacombe Corries who will probably settle for third or fourth place which will give them something to work on next season.

In Division Three, Ashburton remain on course for the title; a 4-nil win at bottom team Brixham Town Reserves sees them move closer to a championship winning season. As second placed Drake FC have played all of their games, Elburton Villa Thirds are the only other team that can possibly join them in Division Two next season. They were playing in the divisional Ronald Cup against Stoke Gabriel TP and they won it 3-1 to set up what should be a great final against Ashburton on 22nd May. Kingsteignton Athletic Seconds moved into third place with a 2-1 home win versus South Brent; Dan Rankin scored both goals for the Rams who have just 2 games left to complete a successful season. Liverton United Reserves leapfrogged Brent with a 7-3 win against Paignton Saints Thirds; the result will keep them safe from the drop and having won the Fred Hewings Cup just a couple of weeks before their first team picked up the Lidstone Cup, the volunteers will be happy with the season that has been delivered at Liverton Utd.

Game coming up

Friday 2nd May: The Herald Cup Final 100 years anniversary. Kick Off is 7pm at Newton Abbot Recreational Trust between Kingsteignton Athletic and Waldon Athletic

Congratulations to both teams on reaching this season’s Herald Cup Final. Both had to endure a gruelling experience in their semi-finals by having to win by a penalty shootout in front of a big attendance. In the league, both teams have had a rollercoaster of a season by their own expectations but both should get a top five finish. The fixtures that were played between them in the league ended up with Kingsteignton winning 2-nil at Broadpark whilst Waldon came out on top by 3 goals to 1 at Windmill Hill. Kingsteignton go into the game as slight favourites being the third highest goalscorers in the premier league with 49 goals compared to Waldon’s 29, but at the other end, Waldon’s defence has the third best defensive record having only conceded 29 goals compared to Kingsteigntons 40.

A reminder that there is no spectator parking at the Rec, and supporters should use the Cricketfield Road car park which is a two minute walk from the ground. The hosts will have a full bar and barbecue service available from 6pm.

Enjoy your grassroots football.