Two huge wins in as many days saw Spalding Poachers 1st crowned East Women’s League Division 2NW champions at the weekend.
Goals from Katie Gray and Karen Timby earned Spalding’s top girls a crunch 2-1 win at chief championship rivals City of Peterborough (COP) 1st on Saturday, before they battered COP 2nd 5-0 some 24 hours later.
The goals at Glen Park came from Gray (2), Kelly Tuplin, Kelly Slater and Lily Dobbs – and moved the Poachers five points clear with just a home date with Pelicans left to play this Saturday (2pm).
Behind them, Long Sutton ladies’ 1st wrapped up third place with a dominant 5-2 win over COP 2nd on Saturday.
Player-of-the-match (POTM) Lisa Baker starred with a double for Sutton, while Robyn Gribble, Tania White and Leanne Woodhead were also on the mark at the Peele Leisure Centre.
Down a level to Division 3NW (N), Spalding Poachers 2nd got a 3-1 derby win over Long Sutton ladies’ 2nd. Isy Whitehead and POTM Kate Hardacre got the goals to move Spalding ten points clear in second place.
Their plight was helped by Spalding Poachers 3rd, who won 1-0 at third-placed Leadenham thanks to Rachel Perkins’ strike.
- Long Sutton men’s 1st picked up a potentially pivotal 7-1 success over hosts COP 3rd on Saturday to keep their hopes of Premier B survival very much alive.
Sutton led 2-0 at half time as Danny Sisson fired the first of a hat-trick and Will Cook finished off a top team move on the reverse.
They really found their form in the second period, though, with Sisson (2), Josh Fyson (2) and James Grant getting the goals to fire them out of the bottom four.
In Division One, promoted Spalding 1st remain on-course for the title after hammering ten-man Ford 6-0.
Stuart Cunnington and Mike Morris put hosts Spalding 2-0 ahead at the break. Morris went on to complete his hat-trick in the second period, with Cunnington and Will Baker also bagging.
A victory at already-relegated Crostyx on Saturday will wrap-up the title for Spalding.
In Division 3NW, Long Sutton 2nd handed Spalding 2nd a 3-2 defeat that may well end up relegating the latter.
Two short corners stroked in by Dave Burrell put Spalding into a 2-0 lead after only 15 minutes, but Ben Shore and Ross Gavaghan hit back from Sutton shorts to make it 2-2.
Another Shore strike from a short corner settled it after the break – leaving Sutton on the cusp of safety.
Meanwhile, Spalding 3rd notched up the biggest win of the weekend as they tonked basement boys St Neots 2nd 15-0 in Division 4NW.
Goals from Darren Grooby (3), Matt Day (3), Steve Rodgers (3), Pete Gray (2), Rob Tilbrook, Sam Sly and Tom Shinkins (2) all but secure third place for Spalding.
In Division 5NW, Spalding 4th’s 8-5 defeat at Horncastle 2nd leaves their hopes of a top three finish dangling by a thread.
Long Sutton 3rd, meanwhile, continued their improvement with a 2-1 success over Cambs South 4th. First-half goals from Will White and James Slator settled it.
Down in Division 6NW (N), Spalding 5th finished their season with an 8-2 victory over Bourne/Deeping 6th.Adrian Bettinson (2), Thomas Mayhew, Jack Martin (2) and Andy Barlow (3) got the goals.
Long Sutton 4th lost 5-1 to Louth 5th, with Ian White getting the consolation.
