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West Kent Sunday League Report – Sunday 15th January 2017
This report begins with the depressing news that yet another club has
folded. Those in charge of Blackham & Ashurst have given up the
struggle. That brings the number of teams that have folded since the
2016 AGM to six, of the forty-two that signed up. That represents a 14%
drop in numbers in seven months. At this rate, local councils will be
justified in selling off sports grounds for housing on the perfectly
obvious grounds that no-one is using them.
Winter weather finally arrived in the area, about half of the day's scheduled games were called off.
Kent Sunday Premier Cup
Tonbridge Origin's match at Quested was one that fell foul of the cold weather and has been re-arranged for next week.
Division One
Rusthall Rangers have returned to league action after being granted an interval without fixtures to resolve problems. They travelled to meet Armada,
but came away beaten 5-0. Among the scorers for Armada were Keith
McCormack (2), Jack Rusbridge and Dean Stockdale. In goal, James Larkin
had his and their second clean sheet of the season.
Simla moved to within one point of the amended table after beating Goudhurst United
6-0 at Five Oak Green. First half goals from Matt Coleman, top scorer
David Blundell and there were two for James Macgregor. Second half goals
from Bayley Cobran and Jonny Elwood sealed the win. Sixteen different
players have now scored for Simla this season!
Insulators kept up the pressure on the top two, recording a 5-0 home win over Dormansland Rockets.
It was quite an even contest in the first half, with both sides looking
dangerous on the break. Mike Potter scored from close range to give
Insulators a first half lead.
The second half started very competitively with Max Bridges making two
magnificent saves to preserve the home sides lead. Andy Tarling added a
second to give some breathing space, before Ben Manser made the game
safe half way through the second half. An own goal and one from Kane
Ramsell made for a comfortable win, although Dormansland lost two
players late on ending, with just nine men. A good competitive game in
which both sides played well.
The table below has been adjusted to take into account the demise of Blackham & Ashurst FC.
| Pos |
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
Pts |
| 1 |
Tonbridge Origin |
12 |
9 |
1 |
2 |
50 |
20 |
30 |
28 |
| 2 |
Simla # |
11 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
44 |
13 |
31 |
27 |
| 3 |
Artois United |
11 |
7 |
1 |
3 |
43 |
20 |
23 |
22 |
| 4 |
Insulators |
11 |
7 |
1 |
3 |
39 |
16 |
23 |
22 |
| 5 |
TW Foresters |
11 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
32 |
39 |
-7 |
13 |
| 6 |
Armada |
8 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
16 |
16 |
0 |
11 |
| 7 |
Dormansland Rockets |
7 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
18 |
28 |
-10 |
3 |
| 8 |
Goudhurst United + |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
10 |
67 |
-57 |
3 |
| 9 |
Rusthall Rangers |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
35 |
-33 |
0 |
This was the table before that news as it would have been after Sunday's
results. All of the top teams except Tonbridge Origin had played
Blackham & Ashurst and thus 'lose' points. Unfortunately for
Insulators, they had played and beaten them twice and now find
themselves six points adrift rather than two.
| Pos |
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
Pts |
| 1 |
Simla # |
12 |
11 |
0 |
1 |
53 |
14 |
39 |
30 |
| 2 |
Tonbridge Origin |
12 |
9 |
1 |
2 |
50 |
20 |
30 |
28 |
| 3 |
Insulators |
13 |
9 |
1 |
3 |
41 |
17 |
24 |
28 |
| 4 |
Artois United |
12 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
48 |
21 |
27 |
25 |
| 5 |
TW Foresters |
12 |
5 |
1 |
6 |
37 |
40 |
-3 |
16 |
| 6 |
Armada |
9 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
17 |
18 |
-1 |
11 |
| 7 |
Dormansland Rockets |
9 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
31 |
33 |
-2 |
7 |
| 8 |
Blackham & Ashurst |
10 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
17 |
41 |
-24 |
7 |
| 9 |
Goudhurst United + |
12 |
1 |
0 |
11 |
16 |
73 |
-57 |
6 |
| 10 |
Rusthall Rangers |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
35 |
-33 |
0 |
+ three points awarded # three points deducted
Division Two
John Donoghue of Langton Green
wrote in to say he had been injured since the end of October, hence his
long absence from the scorer's lists. He said he didn't want
people to think he was slacking! They obviously missed him, as they won
only once in the six WKSFL League and Cup games he missed. They will
miss him even more, as he told me he has played his last game!
Pembury Sunday maintained their lead at the top of Division Two with a comprehensive 6-1 win at Hawkenbury Sunday.
The Division's top scorer Steve Harper was bang on form, netting four
times. Mark Wyles and Alun Evans with a penalty made it six. James
Prentis scored for the Hawks.
It looks like a two horse race now. Paddock Wood lost what faint chance they had, crashing by the same 6-1 score at second-placed Gardener's Arms.
Kane Joseph contributed a hat-trick, his second of the season. Jack
Moore scored two and Karl Smith the sixth. I do not have the Paddock
wood scorer.
There was another hat-trick at Green Lane, where Tom Welch scored three for the hosts in their 4-1 win against Cassidy's Phoenix.
James Donaldson also scored for the Lane, it was their third successive
win in the League. Ollie Muggeridge's goal for Phoenix ensured they
doidn't go home completely empty handed.
| Pos |
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
Pts |
| 1 |
Pembury Sunday |
11 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
37 |
7 |
30 |
29 |
| 2 |
Gardener's Arms |
10 |
8 |
2 |
0 |
39 |
9 |
30 |
26 |
| 3 |
Paddock Wood |
13 |
6 |
1 |
6 |
29 |
39 |
-10 |
19 |
| 4 |
Green Lane |
10 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
27 |
20 |
7 |
17 |
| 5 |
Brenchley |
11 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
23 |
37 |
-14 |
11 |
| 6 |
Cassidy's Phoenix |
12 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
20 |
34 |
-14 |
11 |
| 7 |
Langton Green |
10 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
27 |
32 |
-5 |
8 |
| 8 |
Hawkenbury Sunday |
10 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
19 |
28 |
-9 |
8 |
| 9 |
SE Spitfires |
9 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
14 |
29 |
-15 |
7 |
Division Three
Division Three was hardest hit by the weather, with three of the four scheduled matches postponed. Ticehurst Villlage were unable to raise a side to face Crowborough Town.
As as a result Town's lead is extended to four points but, as the table
below shows, Bricklayer's Arms have played three fewer games.
It seems quite ridiculous to be able to say, especially in view of
recent seasons, that here we are in mid January and Crowborough Town
have only two league games left! The second of those, on 29th January,
is the critical one against the Bricks.
| Pos |
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
Pts |
| 1 |
Crowborough Town |
14 |
10 |
1 |
3 |
46 |
24 |
22 |
31 |
| 2 |
Bricklayers Arms |
11 |
9 |
0 |
2 |
44 |
15 |
29 |
27 |
| 3 |
Tonbridge Invicta |
12 |
7 |
1 |
4 |
42 |
19 |
23 |
22 |
| 4 |
Green St Blues |
10 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
26 |
19 |
7 |
16 |
| 5 |
Paddock Wood Reserves |
12 |
5 |
1 |
6 |
20 |
31 |
-11 |
16 |
| 6 |
Rusthall Club Athletic |
7 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
24 |
15 |
9 |
13 |
| 7 |
St John's Yard |
13 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
24 |
55 |
-31 |
13 |
| 8 |
Ticehurst Village |
13 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
25 |
40 |
-15 |
11 |
| 9 |
Speldhurst Rangers |
12 |
0 |
2 |
10 |
19 |
52 |
-33 |
2 |
Division Four - corrected 20th January
Two of the four games took place, with the synthetic grass at Hayesbrook
School again proving its worth. The scoring record involving AFC Six in One was maintained, eight being scored in their game against Tonbridge Casuals.
After four successive defeats, at last Six in One scored more than the
other team in a 5-3 win. A hat-trick from Ben Boodle was no doubt
instrumental. The League's top scorer Ryan Smith added two more to his
impressive tally. But with only three games left to play, will he be
sitting watching while others catch up? I feel an executive decision
approaching as to whether to include Spring Cup matches in the overall
count.
Casuals, who also have only three games left, thanked Mark Whorlow for his two goals and Hayden Jarvis for the third.
Eight goals were also scored in the game between Tonbridge United and TW Foresters Reserves,
but Foresters scored all eight of them. Billy Dunn scored four, his
first goals and first hat-trick of the season, Simon Hammond also hit
the back of the
net three times and James Culmer added the eighth. Brad Collins kept
the
clean sheet in goal, his fourth of the season.
| Pos |
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
Pts |
| 1 |
TW Foresters Reserves |
12 |
11 |
0 |
1 |
63 |
21 |
42 |
33 |
| 2 |
FC Hayward |
11 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
41 |
18 |
23 |
23 |
| 3 |
Insulators Reserves |
12 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
35 |
35 |
0 |
18 |
| 4 |
AFC Six in One |
13 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
61 |
49 |
12 |
17 |
| 5 |
FC Grinstead |
9 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
30 |
25 |
5 |
15 |
| 6 |
Tonbridge Origin Reserves |
10 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
33 |
32 |
1 |
15 |
| 7 |
TW Youth (Ridgewaye) |
12 |
3 |
1 |
8 |
35 |
63 |
-28 |
10 |
| 8 |
Tonbridge Casuals |
13 |
1 |
5 |
7 |
24 |
46 |
-22 |
8 |
| 9 |
Tonbridge United |
10 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
6 |
39 |
-33 |
4 |
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