SUNDAY FOOTBALL: County Cup action takes centre stage
Clive Milton looks at the best of the action
The Beds FA County Cup competitions were the centre of attraction this week.
The top teams in the Michael R Peters Sunday League produced the goods with four going through to the next round of the Sunday Cup.
Queensmen had a tough nut to crack at home to Stanbridge & Tilsworth, needing extra time to take the tie 4-3 against a previously unbeaten side. Danny Hollis scored a hat-trick for Queens with Chris King getting the other goal.
Lawson Park Rangers travelled and overcame Westoning, not now of our league, by five goals to two. Charlie Betts weighed in with two of Lawson's goals, with Aisa Garlick, Marcus Nelson and Daniel Jones bagging the others.
Caldecote Young Boys beat Silsoe Park Rangers 5-3, producing a stunning start to the game when Kai Griffiths-Shilton and Jack Gabbitas made it 2-0 in the first ten minutes. Silsoe got one back but after half-time Gabbitas got his second from the penalty spot.
However, instead of pushing on against ten men the Boys found Silsoe gaining in confidence and managing to draw level at three all. Nicky Webb restored sanity to the proceedings for Caldecote with number four and then Gabbitas completed his hat-trick to power the Boys through to the next round.
Meanwhile Sandy Sunday had a more comfortable win at home to Dunstable White Swan, the score there being 5-0. Esquires' hopes of finding some form in a cup run came to a swift end, losing 3-1 at Top Bell Leighton.
Inter Cople showed their annual dislike of County Cup games, being humiliated 11-0 at home to Celtic SC Luton. Bird in Hand also lost at home, Club Lewsey overwhelming them 6-2.
The League's Division One and Two teams did a little better in the Sunday Junior Cup. Meltis Mexicans did not disappoint, travelling to Stopsley Common, Luton and returning with a 7-3 win after extra time.
Extra-time must have been a cracker with the Mexicans really stuffing the net. Meltis were 1-0 down after ten minutes, but Simons equalised. It was 2-1 at half time to Stopsley. Jamie McLennan forced extra time with one of his tap-ins.
The Mexicans really came out firing on all cylinders in extra time with a goal apiece from Pilgrim and Simons again. Stopsley pulled one back but Scott Alleyne was then unleashed to fire in a hat-trick to settle the score.
There were also big wins for Oakley and Sharnbrook Casuals, who both enjoyed home wins. Oakley beat Toddington Rovers 7-1 whilst the Casuals went one better beating FC Sundon 8-1.
AFC Greyfriars had it easy when their opposition did not make the trip. Sharks and Constant & Co both came through their games by the narrowest of margins.
Sharks had a fine 2-1 away win at Woodstock Wanderers, whilst Constant made it a home win against Swan Northall with a narrow 5-4 result. Nev Allen went on a solo swan-upping jaunt by scoring all five Constant goals.
The Sunday Lower Junior Cup was not such a good competition for our clubs, with only four going through out of ten games. Black Tom Rangers played Salento in an all Bedford affair, the Rangers winning 5-4 after extra time.
Renhold likewise played another of our sides, Bell Sandy Reserves, and came out 2-1 winners.
New Inn Biggleswade and Sears Morgan were the other league teams to go through, Sears beating Peguform Icknield 4-0, and New Inn defeating Leighton Town Sunday 4-1 in an afternoon kick-off.
Paul Standen scored twice for The Inn, with Scott Lancaster and substitute Ben Barker getting the other two.
This result reversed the defeat New Inn experienced last year against the Stopsley outfit. Keeper Dan Hall earned his corn with two superb saves, and Ben Stocker excelled at the back marshalling New Inn's defence against a good side.
It was much better in the Sunday Centenary Cup where our Division Four and Five teams won all four games played.
Grafton Celtics maintained their excellent form to beat Wigmore Sports 3-0 on the road, Bedford Allsters likewise went away and beat AC Cadoza Reserves, this time by five goals to two. Gardeners Arms brought a 4-1 win home from AFC Oldhill and Rose Biggleswade beat FC Dynamo 3-1 at home.
There were just a handful of league matches played in the monsoon-like weather. In Division One, the only game played resulted in Houghton Conquest beating Bell Sandy 4-2 at Sandy.
In Division Two, Kempston Eagles bowed out of league football losing 5-1 to Bird in Hand Reserves. Best wishes to Eagles' Andy Stephenson and the lads who, it is hoped, will all find places somewhere else in the league.
Against Kempston Eagles, Bird scored another five goals, with Dave Carroll opening the scoring with a header from a Tommy Dymond corner.
Dymond made it two with a wind assisted outrageous lob from the next county, and then Carroll got his second before half-time tidying up a loose ball in the Eagles' box. An own goal made it four for Bird and then David Watts fired in a stunner to make it five.
The Eagles' last goal of their campaign came from the penalty spot near the end, comfortably buried by their keeper. Wootton Wanderers beat Ship Inn 4-2 away to close the gap on leaders Meltis Mexicans who were playing in the cup.
Wheatsheaf Flitwick also took their opportunity to close the gap at the top of Division Three by beating Marston Reds 4-0.
The Sheaf are now second, a point behind Sears Morgan who were also on cup duty. Cranfield Sunday and Harrold both got extremely wet just to record the score they started with, 0-0.
The only game in Division Four did not produce an earth-shattering impact on the divisional standings. Bedford Panthers drew with North End Astros two apiece. However, it was the Astros' first point of the season which is some kind of landmark.
Even with leaders Grafton Celtics not playing in the league this week, they still lead Division Five. Moor Lane Meltis beat Bedford Rovers 6-0 to move into second place, still two points behind Celtics having played the same number of games.
It was 15 before Meltis opened their goal tally but after that they took control in difficult weather conditions. Raynard Robinson and Greg Muir both scored twice with Jay Defeo and the other well known spelling mistake Daniel Wells grabbing the other two goals for Meltis.
Bedford Albion would have been level with Celtics had they not lost 4-1 to M & DH Clapham Sunday.
As a result of an excellent record in October, the Harrison & Rowley Manager of the month award goes to the manager of Mowsbury Athletic FC, David Carr.
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Weather for Biggleswade
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
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Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
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