Around the Grounds - 05/10/24

All the results from around the grounds on the fifth weekend of the League season.

Premier Division

Just three games on the Premier Division fixture schedule this week, the pick of the bunch being Sandon Royals’ 5-2 win at home to Harold Wood, which extended their lead at the top of the table to three points. Premier Division top scorer Ben Allen continued his early-season purple patch, grabbing his sixth goal in as many games this term.

Haver Town re-established themselves in the early title race with a 3-0 home win against Fleet FC, moving to within one point of their opponents and four points of league-leaders Sandon Royals - with a game in hand on both.

Elsewhere, Rayleigh FC travelled to Baddow Athletic and got their first points on the board courtesy of a 2-0 win, lifting themselves off the bottom of the table.

Division One

Plenty of action to digest in Division One this weekend.

Hutton Development progressed to the Second Round of the Essex Saturday Junior Trophy with a thumping 16-1 win against Broomfield Development at Hannakins Farm Community Centre, with Cooper Heazel, Tommy Hickling and Riley Hyams notching a hat-trick each.

Broomfield Reserves and Witham Town Reserves secured their places in the next round of the Division One Cup with home wins against Great Baddow and Old Chelmsfordians A, respectively.

Turning attention to the League, Social Club Birchanger saw off Springfield Development with an impressive 11-0 home win, helped by a Jack Hartshorn hat-trick and a brace each from Calum Pinto and Lewis Tremmil.

Despite the result up in Birchanger, Mayland Village held on to top spot courtesy of a 1-1 home draw against Brentwood Athletic; Freddie Woollard was the scorer for the home side.

Elsewhere, Beacon Hill Rovers Reserves travelled to Emerson & Upminster Reserves and notched their first win of the season, 1-0.

Division Two

In the Division Two Cup, Benfleet U23 beat Sandon Royals Reserves 2-0, and Harold Hill Development beat Shenfield Association A 4-0 to book their respective places in the next round.

In the League, Epping Town Reserves were back on home soil and back to winning ways courtesy of a 3-0 win against Eversley Athletic. Johnny Smith Pryor’s first half goal gave the homesters the lead at the break, before Albie Price and Maxwell Chinn bagged in the second half to secure all three points.

Elsewhere, there was nothing to separate Springfield A and Beaulieu Park as they played out an entertaining 3-3 draw in an all-Chelmsford affair at Springfield Hall Park.

There was another six-goal game at Lodge Road Playing Field, where Woodham Radars missed the opportunity to go top as they were defeated 4-2 by Rayleigh FC Reserves - all six of the goals coming in a topsy-turvy first half.

Division Three

Heading into the weekend, Harold Wood Athletic B vs Old Chelmsfordians B was postponed, which left four Cup games and one League fixture for the Division Three schedule.

In the Essex Saturday Junior Trophy, Broomfield Development went out after a thumping 16-1 defeat at Hannakins Farm Community Centre against an in-form Hutton Development side two divisions above. AS Rawreth were also sent out of the Competition on the road after suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Olympian side Leigh Town Reserves.

Emerson & Upminster A booked their place in the next round of the Division Three Cup with a comfortable 4-1 win against Springfield B - the historians were checking their record books after Billy Arter netted just six seconds into the game to get the home side off to a dream start at Hall Lane.

Elsewhere in the Division Three Cup, South Cestos and Writtle FC played out an entertaining game where chances were at a premium - despite both sides hitting the woodwork in the first half, neither were able to make the breakthrough. The full-time score being 0-0, the game went to penalties where South Cestos emerged 5-4 winners.

In the only League fixture of the weekend, Rayleigh FC A hosted Witham Town A at Chichester Playing Fields. The home side were good value for their 1-0 lead at half-time, but the visitors staged a remarkable second half turnaround - buoyed by a barmy period of the game which saw them score three goals in six minutes - and eventually ran out 4-2 winners.