West Kent Sunday League News Report – Sunday 30th January 2022

Another good weekend with almost a full programme completed.

Division One / Two

Sunday's results mean that the top four are guaranteed their place in Division One after the split. To join them, AFC Valour need a point from their last game at Pembury next Sunday. If Paddock Wood are awarded the points for the unplayed game against TW Ridgewaye, they will also be there. That will leave one place to be decided. Charcott play Odukwe next Sunday, the winners would go into Division One. A draw would be enough for Charcott as their goal difference is vastly superior to AFC Borough. Borough will be in the second tier come what may. They have already finished their first phase fixtures and will be overtaken.

Turning to Sunday's games,  Artois United moved into second place on goal difference behind Simla. They ended AFC Tonbridge's brave existence among the top teams with a 15-0 win. Lucas Murrain scored his second hat trick of the season, which was the only one of the day. That's unusual, the first time with only one hat-trick on a full Sunday all season. The other scorers were Nathan Moseley 2, Regan Corke 2, Connor Morrow 2, Dave Cherry, Taylor Galvin, George Rogers and Peter Shaw. To keep AFC Tonbridge playing football, they will now play the rest of the season in Division Three, where they will meet the other teams once. The League commends their players and officials for fulfilling their fixtures, despite being clearly outclassed almost every week.

Green Lane are slightly behind with their  fixtures, but made up ground on  Pembury and  Simla waiting for their final game. The Lane had to work hard against Odukwe, coming off in the end 2 - 1 winners thanks to Jason Hill and the League's leading scorer Bal Maher.

Charcott were held to a 3 3- draw by visitors Dormansland Rockets, when a win would have certainly seen them above that grey line before their final game. Rockets came off the back of five successive league defeats, although they have been successful in the Surrey Lower Junior Cup.

The points were shared following a well contested game on a difficult pitch at Tonbridge Farm. Despite Charcott having the brighter start and forcing a few early corners, it was Dormansland who took the lead ten minutes in, Rich Wetton chesting and volleying home Rich Bishop’s cross on the turn. Charcott pressed hard for an immediate equaliser and found it through an unlikely route. Rockets skipper Ross Waghorn who had repelled numerous attacks inadvertently headed a great delivery past his own ´keeper. With the scores at 1-1 Charcott looked the more likely to take the lead, with the Rockets keeper making a great save one v one before a cracking strike from range thundered off the top of the bar and over. It would however be Dormansland who retook the lead. A after a good exchange down the left Dave Heaton was fouled inside the box and Rich Wetton calmly converted the resulting spot kick giving Rockets a 2-1 lead. Wetton had an opportunity to extend the lead after the Charcott keeper came out and missed the ball on the edge of his box. However the finish was rushed and sailed harmlessly past the post, 2-1 to Dormansland at H-T it would remain.

Again Charcott started the brighter of the two teams and soon found an equaliser through Jools Walker whose finish went through a defender's legs and in off the inside of the post, giving the keeper no chance. Charcott wasted a couple of good opportunities before taking the lead from the penalty spot after Callum Funnell was adjudged to have fouled  Walker. Whilst Rockets protested about the decision, Walker picked himself up off the floor and converted the penalty, firing it down the middle. Dormansland rallied after going behind and the game was to have one final twist. There didn’t look to be much on when Rich Wetton released Rich Bishop down the right hand side, but Bishop produced a superb finish, chipping the ball over the keeper into the far top corner from the right hand edge of the penalty error, it was enough to earn a point.

Tunbridge Wells Ridgewaye were unable to fulfil their fixture against Paddock Wood, citing lack of players.

West Kent Sunday League Division One / Two mix
including Sunday 30th January
Phase One - each team plays the others once
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Simla 12 11 0 1 94 12 82 33
2 Artois United 12 11 0 1 70 14 56 33
3 Pembury Sunday 12 10 1 1 47 7 40 31
4 Green Lane 11 8 2 1 45 13 32 26
5 AFC Valour 12 6 1 5 26 32 -6 19
6 Paddock Wood 11 6 0 5 46 27 19 18
7 AFC Borough 13 5 2 6 38 42 -4 17










8 Charcott 12 5 1 6 52 26 26 16
9 Odukwe FC 12 5 0 7 44 37 7 15
10 Goudhurst United 11 3 1 7 29 41 -12 10
11 Dormansland Rockets 11 3 1 7 25 40 -15 10
12 Insulators 13 2 3 8 34 60 -26 9
13 TW Ridgewaye 11 1 1 9 21 57 -36 4
14 AFC Tonbridge 13 0 1 12 6 169 -163 1

Division Three

Brenchley's second defeat in as many Sundays has opened up Division Three.  They fell 2- 0 to second placed Sedlescombe Rangers, whose top scorer Alvin Scott hit both. Henry Lankston kept the clean sheet.

Insulators Reserves stay third after losing 4-3 to Artois United Reserves, whose recent form has seen only one defeat in seven games. Artois Reserves´ Ollie Sugden is joint top of the Division Three scorers list and added two to his tally. Rhys Newton also scored twice.

Royal Oak's success (and some postponements!) in the Kent Sunday Junior Trophy meant they had not played in the League since 5th December. With four games in hand over two of the sides above them, there is ground that can be made up. They did their cause no harm with a 3-2 win at AFC Borough Reserves in which Ash Bell, Josh Harris and Jack Williams each scored.  Sean Munro and  Connor Edmunds scored for Borough.

TW Ridgewaye Reserves are now in good form. Sunday's 5-2 win against Tonbridge United made it five games since their last defeat. Scorers were Callum Seal with two, there was one each from Dan Thomas, Eden Northcote and Nathan Taylor. United have now suffered five consecutive defeats. Their scorers were Matt Funnell and Matt Finch.

Dunton Green met Speldhurst Rangers and came off 3-1  winners. Dunton Green's form is improving, while Speldhurst's is in decline, although to be fair three of their last five games have been against the top teams. Henry Smart scored twice for the Green, Jamie Vernem added the third. Speldhurst wasted a hatful of chances, in particular James Hughes. Ollie Crees hit the bar. Rumour has it Baldwin is still diving for the first goal. Dunton Green took their chances to be fair to them. Speldhurst had no complaints, they enjoyed the weather and the beers in the sun.

Ticehurst Village made it three wins in a row and are yet another team on the up. They continued winning ways with a somewhat cagey 2-0 away win over Westerham, Leon Fisher opened the scoring with a neat finish from 18 yards mid-way through the first half, whilst Ticehurst remained solid defensively throughout. In the 2nd half Ticehurst's Tom Allen (not your writer, who is far too past it to be playing football!) was brought down after a mazy run into the opposition box and allowed Fisher to convert from the spot for his second goal of the game. That was Fisher's third penalty success this season by my counting. Ticehurst keeper Sam Beaney picked up his first clean sheet of the season.

Note that in the table below AFC Tonbridge will start with a blank record. They will play the other teams in Division Three once to enable to them play a full season of matches..

West Kent Sunday League Division Three
including Sunday 30th January AFC Tonbridge added
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Brenchley 16 12 1 3 69 21 48 37
2 Sedlescombe Rangers 13 11 1 1 61 16 45 34
3 Insulators Reserves 16 11 0 5 40 27 13 33
4 Royal Oak 12 9 2 1 47 25 22 29
5 Artois United Reserves 16 7 5 4 60 31 29 26
6 AFC Borough Reserves 13 8 1 4 48 27 21 25
7 TW Ridgewaye Reserves 15 6 4 5 49 29 20 22
8 Dunton Green 17 6 1 10 32 52 -20 19
9 Ticehurst Village Club 15 5 2 8 46 48 -2 17
10 Speldhurst Rangers 15 5 2 8 30 46 -16 17
11 Westerham 14 4 2 8 24 44 -20 14
12 Riverside Colts 15 1 1 13 26 94 -68 4
13 Tonbridge United 17 0 2 15 19 91 -72 2
14 AFC Tonbridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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