Premier Division

Once again wet weather hit the fixtures in the Premier Division of the Corsham Print Wiltshire Senior League despite the hard work of the groundsman at all eight of the Premier Division grounds trying to beat yet another week of heavy downpours. In the end, one game was switched to the club’s 3G pitch to enable it to be played and four other games on grass got the go ahead with, in the end, just three games lost.

Both of the top two, Shrewton United and Larkhall Athletic Development, saw their games get the go ahead and both were to have successful afternoons. League leaders Shrewton United were home to Devizes Town Reserves. When the two sides had met at the beginning of October it had been a close encounter with Shrewton edging it by the odd goal in five. Once again the young Devizes side were to push the leaders all the way. The home side went in front on 13 minutes, Justin Bennett getting on the end of a Sanjay Samuda cross to head home to give Shrewton a 1-0 lead. It remained just the one goal in it at the break despite chances at both ends. Just after the hour mark Devizes were reduced to ten men after they had a player sent off but Shrewton were unable to take advantage of the extra man until the final minute of the game, with Samuda once again involved in the build up play, finding Jake Hardy who beat a defender before firing home for a second for Shrewton to make sure of all three points and maintain their seven point lead at the top of the table.

Second in the table Larkhall Athletic Development were away at Letcombe, which on paper with Letcombe’s home record looked a be a tricky away fixture. Letcombe had worked hard to get the game on and the pitch was in good condition ahead of the game despite heavy rainfall at the back end of last week. Unfortunately for them they met a Larkhall Athletic Development side who found the pitch to their liking, producing one of their best performances of the season. The visitors got themselves in front on ten minutes, Ben Wickens beating his full back and delivering a perfect cross for James Horrocks to head home for 1-0 to Larkhall. Two minutes later Larkhall doubled their lead, Arlo Stone released Horrocks who chipped the advancing keeper Harry Whitehead for his second of the game. Letcombe went close to pulling one back on the half hour mark. Oscar Griffiths being denied by a fine save from Kit Bond in the Larkhall goal. There was to be one more goal before the break and it went the way of visitors Larkhall, Wickens getting on the end of a swirling cross from Tobias Little five minutes before half-time to poke the ball home for 3-0. The game was effectively ended as a contest ten minutes into the second half when Stone saw his shot come back of the post and Horrocks was on hand to tap in the rebound for his hat-trick goal to make it 4-0. Further goals from Angus Williamson and Fenton Davey completed a resounding win for Larkhall, their biggest win in the league so far this season to keep their title and promotion hopes alive. Larkhall Athletic Development are one of four sides from the league who have applied for promotion to Step 6, the others being league leaders Shrewton United, third placed Swindon Supermarine Development and Melksham Town Reserves.

James Horrocks who scored a hat-trick in the 6-0 win away at Letcombe and Ben Wickens who set up Horrocks for the opener before scoring one of his own

Third placed Swindon Supermarine Development saw their game away at Park United postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Corsham but will hopefully see some action this coming Wednesday when they host Marlborough Town in their much postponed Second Round Fountain Trophies Cup tie, the two teams making the fifth attempt to stage the game.

Fourth placed Shrivenham entertained Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development who started the day three points and two places below them in the table. The two sides were meeting for the third time this season having met twice in October, once in the league and once in the Fountain Trophies Cup. Both games had been tight affairs, Shrivenham edging the cup encounter by the odd goal in a 3-2 win and the league meeting at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground at the end of October finishing 1-1. It was once again to be a tight affair and a somewhat feisty encounter, with both teams finishing the game with just ten men and their leading striker sent off. Shrivenham had much the better of things in the first half and had a shout for a penalty when Brad Hirst went down in the box but luckily for the visitors the appeals were turned away. Shrivenham were to get themselves in front,  capitalising on an error from Royal Wootton Bassett keeper Adam House whose attempted clearance when straight to Brad Hirst who passed it inside to his brother James with House stranded way out of his area, Hirst chipped both him and the recovering defender to put Shrivenham 1-0 up. The game then boiled over when Royal Wootton Bassett Town’s leading scorer Prince Nyongolo reacted badly to being held by two Shrivenham players and, after consulting his assistant, Nyongolo saw red leaving the visitors to play the rest of the game with just ten men. Having seen one penalty turned away at one end, the same then happened at the other end when a Royal Wootton Bassett Town player went down in the box but once again the appeals were turned away. Shrivenham continued to have the better of things and Brad Hirst should really have doubled their lead when he rounded House but credit to the keeper who continued to hound the Shrivenham striker and did enough to force him wide and his eventual shot went wide of the post. The teams turned around at the break with just the one goal between them.

Shrivenham started the second half where they left off at the end of the first half, Kieran Sutton going close to extending their lead but seeing his shot go wide of the right-hand post. At the other end the visitors had another shout for a penalty when a shot into the box struck the arm of a Shrivenham defender but once again the appeals were waved away. The two Hirst boys continued to be the most likely to add to the afternoon’s goals, first Brad shot wide from the edge of the box and then James was denied by a good save from House with his feet to keep his side in the game. Brad Hirst then again went close again and probably should have done better when through on goal. The visitors grew more and more into the game and started to put the home defence under some pressure. They went close to getting back on level terms with an effort which forced a reflex save from Lewis Fox in the Shrivenham goal. They then went close again with an effort from distance from Alfie Cook that tested Fox that the keeper did well to keep out. It was to then prove to be afternoon to forget for another of the two team’s leading scorers, shortly having been booked for a tackle, Brad Hirst was shown a second yellow card for a push on an opposition player as Shrivenham joined the visitors in playing out the closing stages with just ten men. Royal Wootton Bassett Town continued to push for an equaliser and that equalising goal finally game in the last minute and, as with the Shrivenham goal, it involved a defensive error as a Shrivenham player headed a Toby Parker corner into his own net to level matters up at 1-1. Shrivenham had just enough time to take the kick-off before the whistle went for full time and the two teams once again had to share the points. Shrivenham remain in fourth spot, closing the gap to third placed Swindon Supermarine to seven points, whilst Royal Wootton Bassett Town climbed one place as a result of the draw to fifth spot, moving above Letcombe on goal difference.  Your Sport Swindon were at the game with their cameras and subscribers can view highlights of the game by clicking on the Your Sport Swindon logo below.

Melksham Town Reserves kept their outside hopes of securing promotion alive with a 3-1 win away at Purton Kingsdown on a game switched to the 3G at Kingsdown School with the pitch at the Red House not passed fit to be play on. Whilst Purton Kingsdown are up with their fixtures, Melksham, even after playing this game, still have a minimum of 12 games still to play in all competitions, hence the switch to the 3G at Kingsdown School by Purton Kingsdown at the expense of their Reserve team fixture was extremely helpful. Goals from Ollie Farrell, Liam Brooks and Jack Smith, the latter scoring his first for his new club, following his transfer from Calne Town Reserves secured the win for Melksham which saw them move to within a point of both Letcombe and Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development. The solitary Purton Kingsdown goal was scored by Louis O’Shea, the player-manager scoring for the second week running.  

There was a big game at the bottom end of the table where Down Ampney entertained Bemerton Heath Harlequins Reserves  with both sides looking for vital points to avoid being in that potential relegation zone come the end of the season. Down Ampney had not won at home in the league since October but on a heavy and difficult pitch they once again tasted victory on home soil winning 6-2 against a Bemerton side who were playing their first game of the new calendar year. Charlie McCuish led the way for Down Ampney scoring twice with the other Down Ampney goals coming through Jonah Beer, Harvey Coster, George Bailey and Harry Sealey, Josh Skelly and Will Harries with the Bemerton goals. The win for Down Ampney saw them move above their beaten opponents and out of the relegation zone, with Bemerton Heath Harlequins now occupying that last potential relegation position for the time being.

Charlie McCuish, with two, and George Bailey on the ball in the second photo who both found the net in Down Ampney's 6-2 win over Bemerton Heath Harlequins Res

Division One

Whilst the Premier Division was relatively unscathed in terms of postponed games this weekend, unfortunately that was not the case in Division One where two games were lost to waterlogged pitches, one game was postponed to facilitate Purton Kingsdown's first team game being played on a 3G pitch and the other was lost when Faringdon Town Dev were unable to raise a side for their trip to Bradford Town Reserves.

One of the two games that got the go ahead was the top of the table clash between Fairford Town Reserves  and Marlborough Town  at Elcot Lane. Fairford went into the game seven points clear of Marlborough at the top of the table, having played one game more, and knew that a win would put them in a commanding position at the top of the table in terms of the title race. Fairford led 2-1 at the break, although Marlborough had plenty of chances in that first half to have led themselves at the interval.  The second half saw Fairford demonstrate their title credentials by adding three more goals to just two for Marlborough to run out 5-3 winners on the day and open up a ten point lead at the top of the table. Ollie Bradbury led the way for Fairford scoring twice with Miles Arnold, Kieran Curtis and Patrick Otoo Mensah getting one apiece. In reply for Marlborough there were goals from Riley Bailey, Dan Burke and Andrew Neale. Your Sport Swindon were also at this game with their cameras and subscribers can view highlights of the game by clicking on the Your Sport Swindon logo below.

The only other game to be played was at Pewsey Vale and it saw Pewsey Vale Development cause something of an upset, damaging Bishops Cannings’ quest for honours in the process by defeating the fourth placed side 3-2 thanks to goals from Luke Williams, Connor Marsden and a third of the season from Lewis Hancox, William Cook and Oliver Barnes getting the Bishops Cannings goals. The defeat sees Bishops Cannings remain two points behind third placed Malmesbury Vics, but they have now played one more game, and they remain six points behind second placed Marlborough Town still with two games in hand on the side currently occupying that runners-up position.

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