PREMIER DIVISION

IN THE top-of-the-table South Devon Football League Premier Division game at Osborne Park, Newton Abbot Spurs won the town’s bragging rights as well as the three points against their closest neighbours Newton Abbot 66, who were playing their final game of the campaign, writes Alastair Muirden.

A 1-nil win was enough, courtesy of a Beck Hannah strike, to put Spurs just five points behind Ilsington Villa with two games in hand and four still to play. The defeat for Sixes guarantees them a respectable third place in the top division.

At the other end of the table, Chudleigh Athletic continued with their end-of-season upturn in results with a 3–1 win at Elburton Villa 2nds and condemned Villa to division one next term. Gavin Lake scored twice and Tom Corbin was also on target for Chudleigh who not only move five points clear of Beesands Rovers, who have two games in hand, but also drag Paignton Saints into the relegation pack.

Totnes and Dartington had a great result, with a 3–1 win against Herald Cup finalists Waldon Athletic who still have fifth place in their sights but only just, as they will need to win three of their final four games to get there.

DIVISION ONE

In Division One, True Blues secured promotion to next season’s Premier Division without kicking a ball. Not for the first time this season, a Watcombe Wanderers team failed to raise a side and gifted the opposition the points- the decision for Watcombe, who occupy sixth place in the division, could be a costly one. As it stands, if Paignton Villa win their final game of the season against Watcombe on May 17, then the Greens could be relegated to division two which in turn could affect their reserve team.

Brixham Town all but cemented their place for another season in Division One with a 5–2 win against Ivybridge Town at Modbury playing fields, the result confirms Ivies second relegation in two seasons.

Elsewhere in this division, Phoenix will join Windmill in the Dartmouth Cup final for what will be a first for the South Devon Football League, where two Plymouth-based teams will contest a cup final. A 3–1 win at South Devon College against Paignton Villa has come at a cost for the visitors, six yellow cards will no doubt attract a misconduct charge from the county FA but the hat-trick from David Moore was well received.

The Dartmouth Cup final is scheduled for May 9 at a venue to be confirmed.

South Devon Football League Premier Division. Newton Abbot 66 versus Newton Abbot Spurs 2nds. Near neighbours Spurs came top in this local derby with a 1-0 win over '66.
South Devon Football League Premier Division. Newton Abbot 66 versus Newton Abbot Spurs 2nds. Near neighbours Spurs came top in this local derby with a 1-0 win over '66. (Steve Pope/MDA)

LIDSTONE CUP FINAL

On the evening of Friday, April 25, Liverton United 1sts and Watcombe Wanderers 2nds went to battle with the Lidstone Cup on the line.

The end result of this well-supported cup final did not tell the whole story of the game. Whilst 7-nil is a big scoreline for any game never mind a cup final, it was all about taking chances which Liverton did and Watcome did not.

The game itself was end to end for 90 minutes and Watcombe, to their credit, never gave up, even when they found themselves 1-nil down to a Joshua Passmore Tarpey strike four minutes into the game.

He ended up with a cup-final hat-trick and was presented with the sponsor’s man of the match award by Coast and Country Estate Agents. Also on target for Liverton were Harry Atkinson (2). Jamie Passmore and Marco Lekkas.

DIVISION TWO

In Division Two, another team were gifted three points, Mount Gould as this week’s benefactors as Harbertonford failed to play them for the third time.

The gap at the top is now down to nine points and the Mounties have 6 games in hand. Fords are in mid table and are safe from the drop but again a costly decision was made.

A derby clash between Paignton Saints 2nds and Paignton Villa 2nds in mid-table had to be abandoned due to the Villa keeper Adam Taylor breaking his leg- all in the South Devon Football family wish him a speedy recovery.

East Allington Utd 2nds were the big scorers of the day as they enjoyed a 12-nil win over Upton Athletic, who are just about safe from the drop whilst the reserve Pirates chase a top-four place.

Bakers Park was the venue for the final Division Two game and Newton Rovers were beaten 6-nil by Babbacombe Corries, who will probably settle for third or fourth place, which will give them something to work on next season.

DIVISION THREE

In Division Three, Ashburton remain on course for the title, a 4-nil win at bottom team Brixham Town sees them move closer to a championship-winning season. Second-placed Drake FC have played all of their games and so Elburton Villa 3rds are the only other team that can possibly join them in Division Two next season.

They were playing in the divisional Ronald Cup against Stoke Gabriel TP and they won it 3–1 to set up what should be a great final against Ashburton on May 22.

Kingsteignton Athletic 2nds moved into third place with a 2–1 home win versus South Brent, Dan Rankin scored both goals for the Rams who have just two games left to complete a successful season.

Liverton Utd leapfrogged Brent with a 7–3 win against Paignton Saints 3rds- the result will keep them safe from the drop and having won the Fred Hewings Cup just a couple of weeks before their first team picked up the Lidstone Cup, the volunteers will be happy with the season that has been delivered at Liverton Utd.

PREVIEWS

Friday, May 2 brings the 100th anniversary of the Herald Cup, to be played at Newton Abbot Recreational Trust with a 7pm kick-off.

Congratulations to both Kingsteignton Athletic and Waldon Athletic on reaching this season’s Herald Cup Final. Both had to endure a gruelling experience in their semi-finals by having to win by a penalty shootout in front of a big attendance.

In the league, both teams have had a rollercoaster of a season by their own expectations but both should get a top-five finish. The fixtures that were played between them in the league ended up with Kingsteignton winning 2-nil at Broadpark whilst Waldon came out on top by three goals to one at Windmill Hill.

Kingsteignton go into the game as slight favourites, being the third highest goalscorers in the Premier League with 49 goals compared to Waldon’s 29 but at the other end, Waldon’s defence has the third best defensive record, having only conceded 29 goals compared to Kingsteignton’s 40.

A reminder that there is no spectator parking at The Rec and supporters should use the Cricketfield Road car park, which is a two-minute walk from the ground. The hosts will have a full bar and barbecue service available from 6pm.