The first season for the Ladies Premier Division of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League was to prove to be a problematical one. The season started with ten sides but was to finish with just eight teams with Durrington and then FC Chippenham pulling out of the league. In addition, Calne Town did not fulfil their final two league fixtures with the games having to be awarded. The season was also blighted by a high number of postponements due to sides being unable to field a side.

The last season of the Wiltshire County Women & Girls League had seen Corsham Town win the league with the league table showing that they “won” all 22 league fixtures but, in reality, they only won 12 of those games on the pitch, with the other ten games being awarded to them. Going into the season the league knew there could be issues with teams thinking they didn’t have to play their games, but it was hoped that the fines and two-point deductions that the league in such cases would bring an end to teams not playing their fixtures. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case although at least this season the teams that have been promoted to the South West Regional Women’s League did play all 14 of their league fixtures.

Right from the start it was clear that Bemerton Heath Harlequins had assembled a strong side and two 13-0 wins in their first three fixtures against Westbury United and Swindon Supermarine showed they would be the clear favourites for the title. The other fixture in those three games was away at AFC Brislington who they beat 4-0 but it would be AFC Brislington who would turn out to be one of two sides battling with them for honours come the end of the season.

Bemerton’s next three fixtures saw them record more big wins scoring 29 goals in the three games including a 9-1 win over Highworth Town who would be the other side involved in the battle for honours come the end of the season. One of those wins, the 12-1 victory over FC Chippenham would ultimately be removed from the record books when FC Chippenham withdrew from the league. Bemerton would play just one more league game before the end of the calendar year, securing a 5-1 away win against Swindon Supermarine. The other three games they played in 2024 were all in cup competitions. In the League Cup they were up against the then leaders of the Development Division Trowbridge Wanderers and it was to prove to be a comfortable Sunday afternoon as they scored ten unanswered goals to progress to the next round. The other two cup fixtures were in the Wiltshire County FA County Cup. The first saw them up against higher league opposition in the shape of South West Regional North Division side Corsham Town, the side who had won the league in the last season of the Wiltshire County Women & Girls League and who had also defeated Bemerton in the league’s cup final last season. Bemerton were to avenge that defeat with a 4-2 win and a cup upset that saw them progress to Round 2. Their opponents in the next round were Marlborough Town who were unbeaten in the Development Division at the time, although had gone out of the League Cup on penalties against Premier Division opponents Melksham Town having held them to a 1-1 draw. On this occasion the Premier Division side was to win in normal time with Bemerton registering a 5-1 win to make it through to the quarter final where their opponents would be cup holders and favourites, Swindon Town who played three steps higher in the Women’s football pyramid. 

The bad weather that hit the county meant that the cup quarter final would be the next game that Bemerton played, five weeks after that victory over Marlborough. Whilst the game against Swindon went the way of the favourites, Bemerton gave a good showing against their higher league opponents eventually going down 4-0. Next up was a quarter final tie in the League Cup against fellow Premier Division side Calne Town and it was to prove a much more successful afternoon as Bemerton ran out 7-0 winners to reach the semi-final where they would meet AFC Brislington.

Before that they played two more league games securing maximum points against Melksham Town and Westbury Youth without conceding a goal to maintain their 100% winning record in the league. When Bemerton and AFC Brislington had met in the second week of the season at Brislington in the league, Bemerton had returned with all three points following a 4-0 win, but it was to be a much closer affair in the cup semi-final. Indeed, it needed penalties to settle matters as the two sides couldn’t be separated at the end of 90 minutes, both sides scoring three times in an entertaining 3-3 draw. AFC Brislington led 3-2 going into the final minute of the game but conceded a penalty to give Bemerton the chance of sending the tie itself to penalties. The spot kick was duly put away to level matters up and hence the need for the shootout. In the penalty shootout it was Bemerton who held their nerve to win 5-4 in the spot kick contest to reach the final.

Bemerton's opponents in the final would be Highworth Town, the team who sat second in the table, who had overcame Melksham Town in their semi-final at the Oakfield Stadium. In a first half of limited chances, the two sides turned around at the break with the game still awaiting its first goal. It was Highworth who got themselves in front early in the second half from a free kick to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Highworth them doubled their lead to book their place in the final after what had been a tight contest between the two Premier Division sides.

Before the cup final Bemerton were to play Calne Town twice in the league maintaining their perfect record, also registering two more clean sheets as they won 5-0 away and then 12-0 at home. That second win took their goal tally from 11 league fixtures to an impressive 99 and the other impressive record was that they had conceded just three times in those 11 fixtures. Highworth had also continued to win and remained six points behind Bemerton, with AFC Brislington five points adrift of Highworth but with a game in hand.

Sunday 23^rd March saw the inaugural Ladies League Cup Final under the administration of the Wiltshire Senior League. The final took place at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground, home of Royal Wootton Bassett Town FC. The healthy crowd of 118 were to witness an excellent sporting contest between the two sides who, at the time occupied the top two positions of the Premier Division. The two teams turned around at the break with Bemerton leading by just the one goal, but they upped their game in the second half scoring four more times without reply to run out 5-0 winners. The two sides met again in the league a fortnight later and once again Bemerton got the better of things, winning 4-0 to maintain that perfect league record with three games to go.

Highworth Town Ladies who made the League Cup Final & also finished 3rd in the Premier Division

After 16 victories in 16 competitive league and cup games in the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League Bemerton Heath Harlequins were finally beaten the following week as AFC Brislington became the first team to defeat the league leaders to keep the title race alive for another week at least. A 2-0 win for AFC Brislington that saw them move above Highworth and close the gap at the top of the table to Bemerton to five points. Highworth were one point behind AFC Brislington with the two sides set to meet on the final Sunday of the season. Given their vastly superior goal difference Bemerton only effectively needed one point from their final two games against Kingsdown and Melksham Town to claim the title.

Bemerton secured the title and promotion to the South West Regional Women’s League in their penultimate game of the season with a 3-0 away win against Kingsdown and then rounded off a highly successful season with a 7-1 home win over Melksham Town in their final fixture to finish the season on 39 points from 14 games with just that one defeat against AFC Brislington.

The battle for second place went to the final game of the season when Highworth Town entertained AFC Brislington. AFC Brislington went into the game a point clear knowing that a draw would be sufficient to give them that runners-up spot. The first half saw two evenly matched sides cancel each other out and create little by way of any clear-cut chances, and the two sides turned around at half time with the game still looking for its first goal. The game came to life early in the second half though, AFC Brislington going in front early on. However, the lead would not last long though, as Highworth Town hit back almost immediately. Whilst there were chances at both ends, Highworth who needed the win, didn't really test the visiting keeper and there were to be no further goals as AFC Brislington secured that runners-up spot behind Bemerton and Highworth had to settle for third spot. AFC Brislington are expected to join Bemerton in being promoted to the South West Regional Women’s League.



Kingsdown had lost 21 of their 22 games the previous season, with the one they “won” having been awarded to them. They were to have a vastly improved season in 2024-25, winning as many games as they lost to finish in fourth place in the table, three points ahead of near neighbours Swindon Supermarine. Melksham finished in sixth spot with Westbury Youth and Calne Town occupying the bottom two positions after the table had been adjusted for the withdrawals of both Durrington and FC Chippenham. With Calne postponing a number of fixtures due to being unable to raise a side, the six-point deduction they suffered saw them finish below Westbury in the final table.

AFC Brislington Premier Division Runners-up Season 2024-25

Ladies Development Division Champions Season 2024-25, Marlborough Town

All games in this division were played by the 4th May deadline agreed at the AGM with, in contrast to the Ladies Premier Division, no games being awarded in the division, nor any points deductions suffered. In contrast to the Ladies Premier Division the attitude to playing league games in this division was spot on. The division also produced an exciting race for honours but in the end two teams, Marlborough Town and Trowbridge Wanderers were to finish clear of the other sides in the division.

Indeed, Marlborough Town would remain unbeaten throughout their league campaign, winning 12 of their 16 league fixtures and drawing the other four. Those four draws included the two games against their nearest rivals Trowbridge Wanderers. Marlborough had opened their season with a comfortable 12-0 win over Blunsdon in what was Blunsdon’s first ever game. The fact that one of Marlborough’s other draws was in the return game against Blunsdon, where it finished 0-0, shows the vast improvement that was made by the Blunsdon side over the season. Marlborough’s other draw was against Malmesbury Vics where it finished 3-3.



In the end Marlborough Town were to finish four points clear of Trowbridge Wanderers with the title won in the second game between the two sides in what was the penultimate game of the season for both teams. Marlborough needed to avoid defeat to secure the league title, and it was mission accomplished for Lee Curtis’ side but there were a few nervous moments at the end. Marlborough had taken the lead just before the half hour mark and it remained that way until four minutes from time when Trowbridge scored a late equaliser. Trowbridge then pushed for a winner which would have kept their title hopes alive, but Marlborough’s young side survived a few nervous moments at the end to secure the point they needed for the title. Both sides then ended their seasons on a winning note with 3-0 victories the following week, with Trowbridge Wanderers finishing eight points clear of South Newton & Barford Hornets who finished in third spot.

The battle for that third spot had also involved Salisbury and Malmesbury Victoria and in the end a single point was to separate the three sides after each had completed their 16 league fixtures. Come the final Sunday of the season there was just one outstanding fixture, and it involved South Newton & Barford and a trip to Blunsdon. The original game had been abandoned with Blunsdon leading at the time of the abandonment. Given the time still to play when the game was abandoned, the League Discipline Committee had ordered the game to be re-staged, a decision upheld by the Wiltshire FA on appeal. Ahead of the game Salisbury, who had completed their fixtures, sat above South Newton & Barford on goal difference with Malmesbury also on 27 points having also completed their fixtures and two goals worse off than South Newton & Barford.  In the re-staged game, it started well for the home side Blunsdon as two first half goals saw them lead 2-0 at the break. However, South Newton & Barford turned things around in the second half, scoring two goals of their own and the resulting point from the 2-2 draw was enough to see them secure third spot, South Newton & Barford finishing just that one point above both Salisbury and Malmesbury Victoria in what had been a great battle for third spot.

Blunsdon finished in sixth place, 11 points behind Salisbury and Malmesbury, but had made great strides over the season, culminating in that excellent point against champions Marlborough Town having lost so heavily in that opening fixture of the season.

Staverton Rangers finished two points behind Blunsdon but were another side who improved tremendously as the season progressed. They had lost heavily to both Marlborough Town (0-8) and Trowbridge Wanderers (0-5) in the first meetings of the season but ran the top two much closer in the return games losing only 2-1 to Marlborough Town and 2-0 to Trowbridge.

Kingsdown Development finished second from bottom with three wins from their 16 fixtures, the highlight for them being a 5-1 away win over eventual runners-up Trowbridge Wanderers. They also picked up a point in their games against Salisbury and Staverton Rangers and were another side who improved as the season progressed.

Newly formed Ferndale Rodbourne may have finished bottom of the table but did secure a 4-1 away win over Staverton Rangers and also drew with 0-0 against Blunson and seemed to enjoy their first season of football.

Ladies Development Division Runners-up Season 2024-25, Trowbridge Wanderers

4 June 2025