Tag: windmill

the windmill dartmouth cup winners 2025

17 games finally beat the weather with 11 going ahead on grass!

TORBAY CLEARANCE SERVICES, SOUTH DEVON FOOTBALL LEAGUE. WEEKLY MATCH REPORTS 14th FEB, report by Alastair Muirden. Photo of The Windmill contributed by SDFL

Only one Premier Division league game went ahead, and it was at Poole Lane where East Allington United moved into third place to disrupt the Plymouth dominance with a hard fought 4-2 win over fellow title contenders Newton Abbot ’66.

Ben Tapper scored a brace, there was an unfortunate own goal, and a special mention to Finn Bullen who also got on the scoresheet to notch up his 147th goal in his 150th appearance. The result was not a disaster for Sixes, as they remain within touching distance of second place if they win their five games in hand.

Two league games were played in Division One, with Brixham Town returning to pole position with a payback win against Beesands Rovers by four goals to one, and with just two points separating the top four teams, this, like other divisions, will go to the wire. Mount Gould also got a game played, and a 3-nil win versus bottom club Buckland Athletic Rerserves sees them into fifth place with four games in hand; Bentley Alcantara was a hat-trick hero, and the home team were full of praise for the way the visitors approached the game and stated that Buckland were one of the better teams they have played this season, and they could do with a win to give them some confidence for what’s left of the season.

In Division Two, every team bar Watcombe Wanderers played a game, and in the league, the top two fixture turned out to be a one-sided affair, with Signal Box Oak Villa running rampant against Babbacombe Corries with a 7-1 win to move ten points clear at the top. On target for Villa were Joseph Haslem and Jake Cribb (two apiece), with singles from Bobby Stone, Coy Breirley and Keiron Roberts. Corries remain in second with a game in hand and will be hoping that Ashburton, in eighth place, can use their five games in hand to inflict a defeat on the leaders to open it up again. Drake FC got back to winning ways with a close 2-nil win over Paignton Villa Seconds and remain as contenders with two games in hand and just seven points from Corries. Ivybridge Town Reserves hold on to third place, thanks to a bruising 8-nil win over Newton Rovers at Erme Valley, and are two points behind Corries having played two more games. Paignton Saints Reserves had a good result on the day. A 4-1 win at Coach Road versus East Allington United Reserves moves Saints into the bottom of a mid-table group of teams that can beat any team on their day, and I am sure there are more rollercoaster results to come in this division.

In Division Three, just two league games went ahead, and perennial underachievers Stoke Gabriel TP Reserves moved away from the bottom three with a comfortable 6-nil win versus Buckfastleigh Rangers Seconds. The result leaves Stoke with five games in hand and within touching distance of second place if they can win them. Rangers remain in seventh place in a division that seems to be split in two halves. Kingsteignton Athletic Reserves moved into fourth place with a 3-nil win over bottom team Waldon Athletic Reserves. Goals from squad players Tom Reeves, Kelsey Leach and Ashley Hayworth keeps the Rams in contention in a division where somebody needs to beat the two runaway leaders to open it up.

At the top of Division Four, Chudleigh Athletic Seconds extended their lead to six points as a result of beating Broadhempston United by eight goals to one. They were also assisted by Paignton Villa Thirds who beat Teign Village by two goals to one, in a scrappy affair, and move within one point of Village into third place. Another contender at the moment are Bere Alston Reserves who had a walkover as Paignton Saints Thirds could not raise a team for the fixture; that leaves Alston just two points from Village, but Brixham Town Seconds, Barton Athletic Seconds and Waldon Athletic Thirds, who are still unbeaten, all have games in hand to have a final say in where this division’s honours will end up.

There were seven cup ties that either survived the rain or were played on an artificial pitch, and they all went with the form book.

In the Torbay Clearance Services-sponsored Herald Cup, the biggest scoreline of the day belonged to Ipplepen Athletic Seconds who put 13 goals past Upton Athletic and end this season’s cup hopes for the Torquay side, and Elburton Villa Reserves saw off the challenge from Harbertonford by six goals to nil in a game that was played at Plymstock School. There were two other fixtures that paired teams from different divisions, and Galmpton United (Division Three) gave Windmill (Premier, pictured) a real fright, but the Plymouth-based team got over the line with a 3-2 victory and a reason to celebrate their place in the quarter-final. WBB (Division One) switched their tie against Ashburton (Division Two) to the Ashmoor 3g at South Dartmoor School, and they needed an 85th minute penalty to seal the game. Ashes gave up a 2-nil lead, but a second-half hat-trick from substitute Jake Cuff sees the Claymen into their second cup quarter-final this season.

The Fred Hewings Cup is also at the quarter-final stage, and the highest-ranked reserve team left in the competition, Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds, are safely through with a 5-nil win over Brixham Town Seconds thanks to goals from Zak Carnell, Oliver Bellotti, Nik Garrett and Frank Oyrnik. Joining them are Totnes and Dartington Seconds who enjoyed a 5-nil win over Newton Rovers Seconds. There was a hat-trick for Owen Osman, with singles from Jake Osman and Jordan Baxter. The teams won’t have long to wait for the quarter-finals, as they are fixtured for 21st February.

Games to catch on Saturday 21st February:

Match of the day is at Lewthorne Cross, where Ilsington Villa will be looking to close the gap on visitors Windmill in what should be a great advert for the league. Elsewhere, Chudleigh Athletic face Newton Abbot ’66 who will be looking to get back to winning ways, and in the Herald Cup, Kingsteignton Athletic and East Allington United will have some deja vu when they meet at 2pm. There will also be more of that at Long Lane, when Babbacombe Corries meet Signal Box for the second week running and will be looking to put up a better show than last week. In Division Four, Bere Alston United host Chudleigh Athletic Seconds, and Teign Village face Brixham Town Seconds in what should be two great games.

Finally, the SDFL have a number of teams looking to progress in county cups, and all are at the quarter-final stage. WBB travel to Tiverton to play Elmore Seconds, Mount Gould face South Zeal, and in the same competition, Elburton Villa travel to Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds in an all-SDFL tie. In the Intermediate Cup, Kingskerswell travel up the North Devon link road to face Bampton, and in the same cup, South Brent welcome Alphington Thirds to Palstone Park. Good luck to all of the SDFL teams in the county cups.

League games start at 2.30pm. Cup games start 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.

herald cup final 2022 windmill v kingsteignton

Summer Update

WE’RE BACK! The Windmill F.C., who reached the Herald Cup final in 2022, are rejoining the SDFL for the new season. Main photo ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR

Report by Alastair Muirden

The South Devon Football League continues to buck the trend in adult Saturday football. At the annual general meeting held at Buckland Athletic football club, 6 new teams were voted into the growing competition by the current member clubs.

Plymouth Pheonix, last season’s champions from the green city, have decided to test themselves against stronger opposition and the teams that finished in second and third behind them have also switched allegiance. The Windmill rejoin the South Devon League after a 2 year stint in the football pyramid and Plymouth True Blues, who are a branch of the Glasgow Rangers supporters club and have a fantastic support, are sure to add to the colour and occasion of a Division One football game.

Also joining them, but in Division Two are Mount Gould FC who disbanded their Devon League team after a mass player exodus to Ivybridge Town who will be playing in the Western League this coming season; the club have had to press the reset button and start from scratch in Division Two.

Kingskerswell FC have also reformed an adult team after a two year absence, and Sunday league outfit Templar Way will try their skills in Saturday football; both will play in Division Four.

The league will operate with 60 teams, which is an increase of 11 from two years ago, and cements its place as the second largest football competition in the county. It has also become an England FA accredited league during the last 12 months which is a credit to the league management committee who oversee the competition.

In addition to the five divisions, the league will have 7 cup competitions, one for each division and one for all reserve teams plus the Herald Cup which is the league’s flagship knockout competition. The league will have 2200 registered players that will be chasing trophies, and the first trophy they will be interested in is the traditional season opener, the Torbay Clearance Services Charity Shield; this seasons invitees are Herald Cup winners Newton Abbot ’66 who will face Premier Division champions Ilsington Villa at Buckland Athletic F.C. on Friday 16th August with a 7pm kick off. This will be a repeat of last season’s Herald Cup final which ’66 just edged, so the Moorlanders will be looking for revenge, and both teams will want to get their hands on some silverware to boost their hopes for the season ahead.

Most other teams will need to wait for the official first weekend of fixtures on Saturday 31st August.

ilsington villa torbay clearance services sdfl premier division winners 2023 2024
23/24 Premier Division winners – Ilsington Villa. Photo contributed by SDFL.
newton abbot spurs torbay clearance services sdfl division one winners 2023 2024
23/24 Division One winners – Newton Spurs Reserves. Photo contributed by SDFL.

The league also had their presentation evening at Dainton Golf Club where an array of trophies were handed out by sponsors to league winners Ilsington Villa, Newton Abbot Spurs, Bovey Tracey, Watcombe Wanderers and Elburton Villa. Sporting trophies were won by Buckfastleigh Rangers, Harbertonford, Paignton Villa, Newton Abbot ’66 and Newton Rovers.