Tag: watts blake bearne

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.

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.

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.