2 Nov 2008 - League Cup - Read all about it as Laycocks and Stannington Village go through

Sam Read grabbed a treble as Laycock Sports saw off a very game challenge by Division Two Aston to go through 6-4, and Stannington Village join them in the next round after they also saw off Division Two opponents in The Park 6-2. FC Brimington's tie with Heeley Crown was postponed.

Aston shocked the Division one high flyers when Scott Hall gave them the lead midway through the first half, but soon after Tom Register crossed for Mick Plumtree to head home Laycock's leveller and they took the lead before the break when Sam Read went on a forty yard solo run and finish. Aston should have gone into the break level when they were awarded a penalty, but it was missed and Laycocks made them pay just after the break when Register doubled their lead.

It was then Laycock's turn to miss a penalty and Aston were right back in it when Scott McKenna scored a terrific individual goal, but Laycock's restored their two goal lead almost straight away when man of the match John Kilcoyne's showed how he could probably open a tin of beans with his cultured left foot by netting from thirty yards out. Read grabbed his second before Billy Evans pulled another back for Aston and even though Read then completed his hat-trick, Aston showed real spirit to have the final say with Ashley Baker's header.

The Park more than held their own in the first half at Stannington Village and went into the break level after Ben Lee's bullet volley had deservedly cancelled out Shane Toulson's left foot shot that had found the top corner. It was a different story after the break though as Josh Coulson followed up to score after the first shot had rebounded to him and Jamie Oxley's header made it 3-1. Shane Hinshelwood finished off a great move to tap in Village's fourth, before sub David Hague came on to take one touch before firing home and then score a second from the penalty spot. The Park still battled away though and gained a second consolation when Lee also scored from the spot.

Round Three games are due to be played on 7 Dec and all teams that are potentially at home on that day are reminded to reserve their pitches for these games. The full draw is:

Ecclesfield 147 or Handsworth v Woodhouse Angel; Fairbank-Rhodes or The Vine v Stannington Village; FC Brimington or Heeley Crown v Woodhouse West End or Loxley; Hemsworth Villa v Stocksbridge Park Steels; Laycock Sports v Bulls Head or Venue; Niagara v Red Lion or Stannington Sportsman; Ranch or Hollin Bush v Southey Social; Junior Blades or Civil Service v Pitsmoor Royal Oak

CBC Premier - West End show goes on, while Stocksbridge show their steel at last

Woodhouse West End increased their lead to four points with victory at Niagara, while Tom Gardiner grabbed a hat-trick as newly promoted Millhouses Abacrombie went second with victory at Pitsmoor Royal Oak, but the performance of the day went Stocksbridge Park Steels way as they grabbed their first win of the season at Redmires.

West End keeper John Badkin celebrated his Angel IT Solutions Peak Performer Award by keeping his fourth clean sheet of the season in their 3-0 victory at Niagara. Mark Barraclough opened the scoring before Jason Short maintained his record of a goal in every game to make it two before the break and although Niagara did their best to get back into the game, West End finished them off with an Ashleigh Atkins strike.

Pitsmoor Royal Oak drew first blood at home to Millhouses Abacrombie after just two minutes when Ben Johnson felled Scott Szpajer in the area and Leon Stocks fired home from the spot, but it lasted just two minutes as Tom Gardiner volleyed home Abacrombie's equaliser. Gardiner then put the visitors ahead when he picked up the pieces after Danny Turner's shot had been parried, but Oak went into half time level after Stocks knocked in his second. The second half belonged to Abacrombie and after Sam Bartram had volleyed them back into the lead, Gardiner finished off a long throw for his hat-trick and Danny Stewart added their fifth. Keeper Mark Davies made sure they stayed in control by producing a brilliant penalty save to deny Stocks his hat-trick.

Venue went joint third with a 3-1 victory at Handsworth WMC. Richard Hurst's shot was deflected past his own keeper by David Cawrey to Venue a first half lead, but they could easily have been behind as Matt Hodgett twice hit the woodwork and Kieran Gallagher fired wide after rounding the keeper. The second half saw both sides hit the woodwork and it wasn't until ten minutes from time that a mistake in the Handsworth defence allowed Scott Birch to score Venue's second. Handsworth didn't give up though and Gallagher made up for his earlier miss to pull one back, but almost straight from the kick off, Birch scored his second to make the points safe for Venue.

Stocksbridge Park Steels took the lead at Redmires when Andy Birks gave away a penalty and Adam Todd scored from the spot, but the home side levelled when John Mellor was floored in the area and Danny Lindley converted his spot kick. Just for once though that wasn't the signal for a Steels collapse and they re-took the lead when Mark Garrett headed home and they sealed their first win of the season to climb out of the drop zone with a Chris Kelly strike.

Division 1 - Service increase their lead at the top, while Angel, Sportsman and Loxley all on the up

Two Wes Bamford strikes were the cornerstone of Civil Service's 7-1 victory over Handsworth Old Boys that put them five points clear at the top, while Woodhouse Angel, Sportsman Stannington and Loxley all climbed the table with wins.

Although Bamford gave Service the lead after twenty minutes and five minutes later Ben Brown doubled it, Handsworth should have been at least level by the interval, but they missed a string of sitters and suffered for it after the break. Bamford soon made it three for Service and although Kieran Fairchild did eventually find the net for Handsworth, any thoughts of a comeback were quickly dismissed when sub Baz Durrans scored with his left foot from twenty five yards. Andrew Bath then showed true class by chipping over the keeper, before Matt Meaney scored from the penalty spot after Martyn Kittridge had been brought down and Simon Hall amazed everyone by scoring with his right foot. Meaney should have made it eight, but, after rounding the keeper, he fell flat on his back with the goal at his mercy.

Sportsman Stannington climbed to joint third with a very impressive 5-0 victory over Red Lion. Jason Collier gave them the lead from the penalty spot and Chris King made it two when he slipped the ball under the keeper. Mark Gregory finished off the move of the game by hooking in their third, before both he and King both added their second.

One place below them is Woodhouse Angel after they kept their good run going with a 3-1 home win over Southey Social. A Kirk Briddon penalty was sandwiched between two Richard Newey strikes and with Luke Browse providing maximum protection to stand-in keeper Spencer Starkes and Gareth Simons bossing midfield they never looked likely to give their lead away even after Chris Roberts pulled one back for Southey.

Loxley completed an eight day double over Junior Blades, but despite the 4-0 scoreline, they were indebted to keeper Gareth Turner as the Blades battled to get something out of the game. Mick Smith gave Loxley a half time lead and the Blades suffered some bad luck when injury meant they were reduced to ten men, yet they should have levelled when they were awarded a penalty, but Burman hit the post and Loxley took full advantage. Smith doubled Loxley's lead from a tight angle before Richard Lester set Craig Crownshaw up for the third and Andy Challenger scored his first for the club to round off the scoring.

Division 2 - Doubles all round as Brinsworth get first win, while Anvil go third and Oughtibridge start to climb

Doubles for Jamie Radford, Ryan Nkomi and Gavin Jones helped Brinsworth Whitehill to their first win of the season against Fairbank-Rhodes, while Anvil climbed to third with victory in an eleven goal thriller at Anston Athletic and Oughtibridge Village climbed three places with victory at Colley.

After Brinsworth had raced into a four goal lead, Fairbank-Rhodes threatened a comeback when Joe Knight and Andy Baxter both found the net before the break, but the second half belonged to Brinsworth and after his team mates had completed their doubles, Bazil Nyoni added their seventh.

Although Luke Johnson drew first blood for Anston Athletic, Daniel Hurst linked up with his brother James to level for Anvil. Nathan Hanson added two more for Anvil before Alistair Mitchell headed their fourth, but Anston showed they weren't out of it as Adam Russell scored either side of half time. Matt Asher steadied Anvil's nerves with a double of his own and although Ryan Taff hit a fourth for the hosts, Dean Jepson completed the scoring with a seventh for Anvil.

Shaun Hammond's well struck free kick over the wall gave Oughtibridge Village a half time lead at Colley, but after several misses by Lee Campbell, Carl Lomas showed him how to do it to level for the home side. It looked as if they would share the points until sub Danny Hill produced an exquisite chip over keeper Paul Humphreys to win it for Oughtibridge.

2 Nov 2008 - Merit Awards - Ranch round up the first Award, while Badkin at his Peak

Plymouth Argyle's former Owls boss Paul Sturrock presented Ranch with this season's first CBC Computer Systems Merit Award of the season after their four wins and a draw from their first five games, while Plymouths Sheffield born full back Chris Barker handed the first Angel IT Solutions Peak Performer Award to Woodhouse West End keeper John Badkin after his 100th League appearance for the club has seen him concede just 98 goals in just over five years.

Pat Fitzmaurice and Mark Collier

The League was very saddened to hear of the deaths of former League President Pat Fitzmaurice and former Ecclesfield Regency star Mark Collier. Pat was one of the founders of the League and his work in it's early days cannot be underestimated. He twice played in goal for Simm FC in the League Cup Final and although not the tallest of goalkeepers he was one of the best, but it was with his work with Ecclesfield Regency and the League Management team that he came to the fore. He was instrumental in getting the league it's first sponsorship and the introduction of the League now famous Merit Awards, while he built one of the best teams the league has ever produced in Ecclesfield Regency (also known as Bass Regency, Bass Stones and Rising Sun). Pat also brought a legacy to the League as his son Andy Fitzmaurice also graced the League for many seasons and his grandson Adam Todd continues to play for CBC Premier side Stocksbridge Park Steels.

Mark Collier, one of the stars of Pat's team, was a striker of real quality and would easily be included in an all-time best team for the League. At just 37 he has left us far too early. All teams held a minutes silence for them both on 2 November. (see picture of Handsworth WMC's players observing the minute's silence)

9 Nov 2008 - League Cup - Fairbank tangled up by The Vine, while Bath cleans up for Service

Only two of the four League Cup ties survived the weather and the saw The Vine hit seven without reply at Fairbank-Rhodes, while two Andrew Bath goals helped Civil Service recover from being two down at half time and win 3-2 at Junior Blades.

In Round 2 of the League Cup just two matches were played. Junior Blades must have groaned when they saw the draw against leaders of Division One Civil Service having lost heavily in two recent league matches to them. However with a strengthened team the youngsters set about their task and shocked the maybe complacent Service by racing into a 2-0 half time lead via an own goal and a strike from Joe Grapes.

This called for a change of tactics for Civil Service at half time, and it did the trick as a left footed strike by Andy Bath got them back into the game. They then  had a stroke of luck when the Blades keeper knocked the ball into his own goal from a corner to level the scores. Service then got a penalty and although the keeper parried the spot kick,  Bath followed up to blast the ball home to give Service a win they probably didn’t deserve.

In the other cup tie Division One The Vine hit seven past Division Two Fairbank- Rhodes. Lee Burgoyne scored his first two goals for the club and Andrew Marsh also grabbed two, while Danny Seaman, Jonathan Riley and Kevin Ford added the others as The Vine marched into the next round.

The postponed games will now be scheduled for 7 December along with the Round 3 ties that can be played, so the home teams will need to make sure their pitch is available. The revised draw is:

Ecclesfield 147 or Handsworth v Woodhouse Angel; The Vine v Stannington Village; FC Brimington or Heeley Crown v Woodhouse West End or Loxley; Hemsworth Villa v Stocksbridge Park Steels; Laycock Sports v Bulls Head or Venue; Niagara v Red Lion or Stannington Sportsman; Ranch or Hollin Bush v Southey Social; Civil Service v Pitsmoor Royal Oak

CBC Premier - Lindley double saves point for Redmires

After the clubs observed a minute's silence for Rememberence Sunday - see picture right - a Danny Lindley double saved a point for Redmires at high flying Millhouses Abacrombie in the only CBC Premier game played. Lindley is pictured left scoring his first from the penalty spot.

A week of rain took its toll on the fixtures with nearly half of the matches being  postponed and in the CBC Premier division only one game survived, but this proved to be an enthralling encounter at a windswept Dore between second placed Millhouses Abacrombie and Redmires.

It proved to be a game of two halves with Abacrombie having the best of the first half with the wind at their backs and Redmires piling the pressure on in the second half. Abacrombie took the lead in the first half  when a corner was flicked on at the near post by Tom Gardiner and Redmires keeper Karl Taylor off balance turned the ball into his own goal.

Despite this setback Redmires pressed hard and a James O’Connell left footed drive hit the crossbar .Shortly afterwards Danny Lindley was felled in the box and got up to slot the penalty home. After this Abacrombie were piling on the pressure, with Ali Berry’s long throws causing problems in the wind and following a foul on the edge of the box Danny Turner curled a free kick over the wall to put Abacrombie 2-1 up just before the interval.

In the second half it was Redmires who got on top with the pacy Lindley (pictured right) causing most problems and it was he who equalised for Redmires. He almost scored a hat trick when making a surging run past three players but hit his shot just wide. Abacrombie had a few half chances on the break but Redmires hit the bar twice.

Division 1 - Laycock's cut the gap at the top, while Crown win Heeley derby

Two Steve Morris strikes helped Laycock Sports to maintain their 100% record and cut the gap at the top to just two points, while Heeley Crown came from a goal down to win their Heeley derby at Red Lion.

Another windy affair brought together the two Heeley clubs and it was Heeley Crown who came out on top. Red Lion took the lead when Bradley Hawkins converted Joe Mothersole’s cross, but almost immediately this was cancelled out by Paddy O’Brien for Crown. After the break Crown began to assert themselves and a Ryan Smith header and a twenty five yard lob by Tom Gabbitas was enough to give Crown all three points.

High flying Laycock’s with veteran Andy Register again impressing was too strong in the end for Southey Social. An even first half saw the only goal coming early  from Laycock’s Luke Glaves, but in the second half Laycock’s began to get a real grip on the game and a tremendous solo run by Sam Read resulted in him putting Laycock’s two up. Steve Morris then put the finishing touches to the win with two quick goals twenty minutes from time to seal a fine win by Laycock’s.

Division 2 - Anvil hammered by Brinsworth, while Lee hits five as The Park in goal bonanza

The five Division Two games produced forty one goals as Brinsworth Whitehill's revival gathered pace with a stunning 8-3 victory at high flying Anvil, while Ben Lee scored five as The Park hit ten against Birley Moor News. The goals continued at Crookes & District as they beat Rivelin 4-2 and there was another six as Oughtibridge Village drew with Colley, while Bulls Head were surprisingly held by Anston Athletic.

In Division Two the shock result was second placed Bulls Head being held to a draw by lowly Anston Athletic and it could have been worse for the title contenders as Anston held the lead at half time thanks to a good finish by Ryan Taff. In an end to end game that could have gone either way it was left to Jordan Barton to save the day for Bulls Head and to maintain their unbeaten record.

The weather certainly had an effect on matches and fifteen goals were scored in the match between The Park and Birley Moor News with The Park scoring ten of them. Ben Lee led the way for Park notching five with Scott Sykes, Lee Walker, Tom Farrell Aaron Walker and Scott Micklethwaite adding the others. Birley who made an awful lot of defensive errors came back with five of their own via Rob Portman, Amando Manfredi, Ashley Hughes and two from Pete Sheldon. The Park dedicated this win to Lee Booker and good wishes are also sent from the league following his bad injury last week.

Bottom club Crookes and District were given a boost with a fine win against draw specialists Rivelin. Crookes had a great first half with Chris Cottyn pulling the strings and Matt Hartley scoring early on with a well placed free kick. Jonny Mellor put Crookes two up by shooting under the diving keeper and goal machine Ainsley Crawley scored twice to put them four up at half time. Rivelin began to show some fight in the second half and a penalty from Paul Nasim and a Danny Robinson strike gave them some hope, but  the youngsters of Crookes held on for a welcome win.

Another high scoring game saw Brinsworth Whitehill come out victors against third placed Anvil. Brinsworth played some good football and were 4-1 up at half time. Anvil with players missing  were not at their best and goals by Jamie Radford 4 Chris Helliwell 2 Carl Fleming and Basil Nyoni were more than enough for Brinsworth . Anvil’s replies were from Andy Hill, Matt Asher and James Wetherall.

A very hard fought game resulting in a 3-3 draw was the order of the day as Oughtibridge Village entertained Colley Club. Colley took the lead with a Carl Lomas penalty which was equalised by a Paul Hawksworth strike and he put Village 2-1 up at half time. After the break Ridah Miladi equalised for Colley but Nick Smith made it 3-2 for Village only for Mark Searle to get the equaliser in the last fifteen minutes to seal a point for Colley.

16 Nov 2008 - Sunday Senior Cup - Stannington Lord it over Earl, while West End are Taylor made

Sean Flynn (pictured left) hit the winner as Stannington Village came from two down to beat the Meadowhall League Champions Royal Earl after extra time and they are joined in the next round by Woodhouse West End who thrashed Rotherham Premier side Brinsworth Whitehill 5-1, but a weakened Ecclesfield 147 and Pitsmoor Royal Oak both went out.

After putting out the Meadowhall Premier leaders Arbourthorne EA in the previous round, Stannington Village went one better by knocking out the reigning Meadowhall Premier champions Royal Earl and they did it the hard way after finding themselves two down with over an hour gone, but once Jack Mylnek bundled the ball home to put them back into the game Stannington never looked back. David Hague was the provider for Josh Coulson to crash home the equaliser and in extra time Flynn, who's hat-trick had been crucial in the victory over Arbourthorne, was again the match winner as he curled the ball home with his left foot.

Woodhouse West End's passage through was more straightforward at Brinsworth. After Spencer Taylor and Ashleigh Atkins had given them a two goal half time lead, Taylor grabbed his second early in the second half to make it safe. Despite Brinsworth pulling one back they never really threatened to get back into it and Mark Barraclough added West End's fourth before Jason Short kept up his remarkable record of a goal in every game this season with their fifth.

Ecclesfield 147's preparations were shattered when six players couldn't play due to injury and although Paul Bashforth made the most of a rare start by giving them the lead at White Swan, their hosts hit back to take the game into extra time and eventually win it 3-1. Pitsmoor Royal Oak couldn't contain Goldthorpe Comrades and three goals in each half saw the visitors 6-0 in front, but with just a few minutes remaining the referee abandoned the game after a Goldthorpe player sustained a broken leg.

Sunday Junior Cup - Heeley take the Crown as all but one go through

Paddy O'Brien and Ryan Smith trebles saw Heeley Crown come from three down to beat Treeton Cricket Club 8-3 in extra time and they are joined in the next round by Sportsman Stannington, The Vine, FC Brimington and Woodhouse Angel. Only Bulls Head went out and their brave run was only came to an end after a penalty shoot out.

When Heeley Crown found themselves three down to Treeton Cricket Club at half time they must have thought that it was the end of their cup run, but they came storming out after the break and a Paddy O'Brien double and one from Ryan Smith had them level by full time. Their visitors confidence was clearly sapped by this stage and both O'Brien and Smith went on to complete hat-tricks, while Mick Eaton and Shaun Higginbottom completed what had turned into a rout.

Much more straightforward was Sportsman Stannington's 5-1 victory at Maltby Brooklands. They even had to play striker Chris Greenwood in goal, but it didn't stop them looking lethal in front of goal and Chris King, Mark Gregory, Jon Davis and Joe Lillyman all found the net along with an own goal.

FC Brimington also looked in control as they went through 3-0 at Doncaster's Toll Bar. Andrew Crossland rounded the keeper before slotting home their opener and he turned provider as his cross was headed home by Florent Fadiga for their second. Sub Elliott Christie made the game safe with a twenty five yard free kick.

Woodhouse Angel took the game to their visitors Middlewood, but a rare Middlewood attack produced a penalty to put the visitors ahead just before half time. After the break Angel continued to press and once Spencer Starkes had hit the equaliser there was only ever going to be one winner and Kirk Briddon put them through by converting two penalties.

The Vine also fell behind to Lucorum and they looked to be going out until Joe France grabbed a last gasp equaliser. Both sides had chances to win it after that but none were taken and it went to a penalty shoot out. Craig Daughtry, Chris Shirtcliffe and France all converted their's and keeper James Marshall pulled off two terrific saves to put The Vine through.

Our last remaining Division Two side Bulls Head weren't so fortunate in their penalty shoot out at African Dream Team and it was their hosts that went through. Bulls Head will be kicking themselves though as Nick Ash and Jordan Barton goals had given them a two goal lead and even after they had been pegged back by the home side, two more goals from Barton and Ash should have won it, but their hosts again battled back to take the game to extra time and penalties.

CBC Premier - Kelly's eye lifts Steels and it's Holmes sweet Holmes for Villa

Chris Kelly put Stocksbridge Park Steels on their way to victory at Handsworth WMC, and Ian Holmes did the same for Hemsworth Villa as they triumphed at Niagara, while Blue Ball and Millhouses Abacrombie, and Redmires and Venue shared the spoils.

Handsworth WMC produced the early pressure and twice almost snatched the lead when Kieran Gallagher hit the bar and Matt Sykes had one cleared off the line, but the Stocksbridge Park Steels defence held firm and Chris Kelly gave them the lead just before the break. The second half saw Handsworth pile on the pressure and they finally got their reward when Andy Stevens played Gallagher in for the equaliser, but Steels had always looked dangerous on the break and they won it with a John McSeveney strike to move clear of the relegation zone.

Hemsworth Villa moved up to third with a 2-1 win at Niagara. Matt Day and nick Owen combined to provide the cross for Ian Holmes to head the opener and Owen was again the provider as his cross was volleyed home by David Tollerfield to give Villa a two goal half time lead. Niagara did their best to get back into the game after the break and Craig Foster did pull one back, but Villa rarely looked like conceding another.

The two other games both ended in 2-2 draws with the home sides coming from behind to claim their point. James Wainwright's great run paved the way for Mark England-Woodcock (pictured left celebrating his first goal) to give Venue the lead at Redmires after just two minutes and when Tom Nelson paved the way for England-Woodcock to net his second eight minutes later, Venue looked likely to extend their perfect away record. Redmires had other ideas though and in the second half Dale White was felled in the area and John Mellor stepped up to reduce the arrears and with virtually the last kick of the game Andy Birks forced home the equaliser (Redmires - in yellow - go close - picture right).

Millhouses Ababcrombie missed their chance to go level with the leaders when they twice let a lead slip at Blue Ball. Danny Turner put them ahead from the penalty spot after Mark Allen had been brought down, but it was cancelled out by Ben Cook's first ever goal - not a classic, but he savoured the moment as he scrambled the ball home from a corner. Mark Davies then had to make two great saves to stop Ball going in front, but Millhouses also went close when Rob Gardiner hit the bar. The second half saw Millhouses again take the lead with another Turner penalty and if Tom Gardiner's shot had gone in off the bar instead of coming out they would probably have gone on to win it, but Ball kept plugging away and they finally won a point when Eric Sami's terrific free kick flew into the net.

Division 1 - Smith treble keeps Loxley rising, but no change at the top as both Service and Laycocks win

A Mick Smith treble helped Loxley's recent improvement going with a 5-2 victory over Red Lion and leaders Civil Service and second place Laycock Sports also both won. After Craig Crownshaw had given Loxley the lead at home to Red Lion, it was their visitors that looked likely to claim the points when first Tom Griffin levelled and then Bradley Hawkins beat two defenders to put them ahead, but the second half was turned into the Mick Smith show as his treble turned the game Loxley's way. Smith's first came when John Denton flicked on for him to round the keeper and score and after Denton had put Loxley back in front Smith made it four before completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Scott Parkin had been brought down.

Laycock Sports made it five clean sheets out of six games as they thrashed Handsworth Old Boys 5-0. Sam Read met man-of-the-match Matt Kent's cross to open the scoring before Tom Register set John Kilcoyne up to double their lead by half time. Fifteen minutes into the second half Read tapped home his second to put the result beyond doubt and as the Handsworth defence wilted, veteran Mick Plumtree added a fourth before Register completed the scoring.

It didn't close the gap at the top though as leaders Civil Service scraped home for a 2-1 win over Hollin Bush. Neither side threatened in a tepid first half and when Service did take the lead it was a scrappy affair poked home by the ever alert Jake Ford. Service's lead was extended when Alan Pickard's inswinging corner was finished off by Matt Meaney, but they relaxed too much and after Shaun Ward marked his Bush debut with a goal, Service hung on grimly for a win they hardly deserved.

Southey Social bounced back from the previous weekend's defeat with a 5-3 victory over Junior Blades, but the bottom side gave them a real scare and both sides admitted that a draw would have been a fair result. Ricky Green gave Southey the lead, but Adam Caywood's header cancelled out and although Matt Hatton restored Southey's lead, Ollie Berman beat the Southey offside trap to produce a neat finish to again cancel it out by half time. The second half saw Joe Grape's crisp finish deservedly put the Blades ahead, but they couldn't hold on to it as Gavin Pitt levelled and sub Nicky Danks came on to hit two late winners for Southey.

Division 2 - Bell rings for Aston, but Ranch go eight points clear

A Josh Bell double helped Aston to victory over Rivelin, but Ranch continued their title charge with victory over Crookes & District to go eight points clear. Oughtibridge Village climbed to third with victory at Birley Moor News, while there was also wins for Brinsworth Whitehill, The Park and Anston Athletic.

Although Ranch are looking more and more like potential champions after this latest win, Crookes made them work hard for it and had two good chances to take the lead in the first half. It wasn't until the second half that Oliver Whittaker finally headed Ranch into the lead and victory was assured after Ian Buckley volleyed a second and Adam Hadfield poached a third after Ben Hartley's corner had been parried by the keeper.

Aston's second home win of the season came at Rivelin's expense after Billy Evans had opened the scoring in off a post and Josh Bell met Stephen Jeffries cross to extend their lead. Paul Nasim pulled one back for Rivelin in the second half, but Aston made the points safe with a bullet header as bell met Ryan Hall's pinpoint cross.

Colley blew their chance to go second as The Park continued their improvement with a 5-2 victory over them. Ben Lee's double was the cornerstone of The Park's win and others from Matt Hill, Shannon Morsland and Lee Bridges had them five up before Colley replied through Paul Smith and Mark Searle. Colley's misery was completed as they also missed a penalty.

Oughtibridge Village climed above Colley into third with a hard earned win at Birley Moor News. Shaun Hammond gave Village the lead, but two Dwayne Neavin strikes soon after half time put Birley in front. Then some inspired substitutions turned the game Village's way as Stuart Kennedy beat the offside trap to level before Paul Hawksworth rattled in their winner.

After being stuck at the foot of the table, Brinsworth Whitehill made it three wins on the trot after completing an eight day double over Anvil. There had been eleven goals in the clash the week before, but this time a single Jamie Radford strike proved to be enough as Anvil proceeded to miss a host of chances.

Anston Athletic climbed out of the bottom three thanks to their first away win of the season at Fairbank-Rhodes. A flowing move saw left back Adam Smith volley Ryan Taff's cross home to give Anston the lead, but Fairbank drew level when Richard Tidy forced the ball home before the break. Danny Hague and Callum Lynch were doing their best to force a winner for Fairbank, but with their leading scorer Joe Knight shackled by the outstanding Adam Russell, it was Anston that claimed all three points with a John Hunt strike.

23 Nov 2008 - CBC Premier - Turner Prize for Abacrombie and Ecclesfield goal rush

Danny Turner (pictured right) took his season's tally to seventeen by hitting four goals as Millhouses Abacrombie beat Blue Ball 5-1, while both Jayson Reeves and Craig Senior hit trebles as Ecclesfield 147 thrashed Handsworth WMC 7-2, but Woodhouse West End maintained their lead with a 4-1 victory over Pitsmoor Royal Oak.

After bundling in Abacrombie's first, Turner quickly nodded a second that went in off a post, but Blue Ball weren't out of it and after having one effort brilliantly saved by the Abacrombie keeper Bradley Hardy marked his debut with a goal to reduce the arrears. before half time. Any thoughts Ball had of getting something out of the game were quickly squashed soon after the break as Turner headed home his third from a Joe Keating cross, before turning and shooting past the keeper for his fourth. Tom Gardiner added a fifth at the near post late on as Abacrombie cemented themselves in second place.

The early stages of Handsworth WMC's visit to Ecclesfield 147 looked likely to produce an away win as Kieran Gallagher shot just over, before Handsworth had two other efforts cleared off the line. They were then awarded a penalty, but after Gallagher's first attempt was ruled out because of encroachment, he put his second attempt wide, but Handsworth's dominance finally paid off when David Cawrey put them in front.

That finally stirred 147 into action and Craig Senior (pictured left) headed them level before half time and soon after the break a mistake in the Handsworth defence allowed Jayson Reeves to put them ahead. Senior then netted his one hundredth goal in just seventy five appearances for 147 to extend their lead, but a stunning thirty five yard effor by Andy Stevens reduced the arrears. They weren't back in it for long though as Matt Sykes gave away a penalty for Senior to complete his hat-trick and after that 147 overran them and Reeves completed his hat-trick before Gavin Hunter added a seventh.

Woodhouse West End maintained their lead at the top though with a 4-1 home win over Pitsmoor Royal Oak. West End took the lead when Mark Barraclough had a free header from a corner, but Oak fought back and levelled before the break when Gavin Davis raced away to round the keeper and score. West End regained the lead early in the second half when Dave Kippax's effort was deflected over the keeper and soon after Jason Short maintained his run of goals in every game with their fourth. The final goal deservedly went to man-of-the-match Danny Hooper.

Division 1 - It's an away day as top teams all win

Their were five away wins and one draw as the top teams all took maximum points. Leaders Civil Service won at Woodhouse Angel and, despite conceding their second goal of the season, Laycock Sports won at Red Lion, while there were also wins for Heeley Crown, Sportsman Stannington and Loxley.

After missing a guilt edged chance in the first thirty seconds, Woodhouse Angel soon found themselves behind as leaders Civil Service stamped their authority on the game with two Andrew Bath strikes and after that they never really looked like getting back into a game wrapped up by Wes Bamford's second half goal for Service.

Despite conceding their second goal of the season, Laycock Sports maintained their perfect record to win 3-1 at Red Lion and Laycock's John Kilcoyne (left in the picture left) took the bragging rights over his brother, Red Lion's Paul. Lion took the lead when Adrian Von Wurbach hit his first of the season with a terrific twenty five yard volley, but Laycocks drew level just before the interval when man of the match Sam Read found the net. Read was again on target to put Laycock's in front and they wrapped the victory up when Steve Morris followed up to score after seeing the keeper initially save his penalty kick.

Up to third are in form Loxley after they secured their fourth successive victory at The Vine. Geoff Mayfield put them ahead only to see it cancelled out by Danny Seaman before the break. Loxley took control again in the second half after Craig Crownshaw restored their lead and Mick Smith made the points safe from the penalty spot. Both sides were very complimentary towards referee Brent Marsh (pictured right) for his handling of the game in difficult conditions.

Just behind Loxley is another in-form side Sportsman Stannington after their seventh successive League and Cup win at Hollin Bush. Chris King's looping header put them ahead before half time and he smashed in a real stunner from twenty five yards for their second. Dale Furness reduced the arrears for the home side, but Jonny Davis made the points safe with Sportsman's third.

Heeley Crown found themselves behind to James Leesley's header for Handsworth Old Boys midway through the first half, but Crown levelled before the break through Shaun Higginbotham's free kick. Crown took control in the second half with further goals from Steve Cousins and Tom Gabbitas, and even though Handsworth gave themselves a chance when Kieran Fairchild pulled one back, it was Crown that had the final say with Cousin's second.

Southey Social looked like making it a clean sweep for the away sides after Nicky Danks netted his tenth of the season at Junior Blades, but injuries to both Lee Clayton and keeper Anthony Danks saw Southey lose the initiative and with just five minutes remaining Andy Brookfield celebrated his return from a spell of coaching in the USA with the Blades's equaliser.

Division 2 - Matt leaves Birley Moor News in Ashers, while Ranch extend their lead at the top

For just about the first time this season, Anvil had virtually their full squad to chose from and Birley Moor News were the unfortunate souls to suffer and the goals rained in. Matt Asher led the way with five, Alistair Mitchell three and Dean Jepson hit a brace.

Ranch stayed well in front of the rest though after they came from behind to beat Fairbank-Rhodes 2-1. Mark Drayton volleyed Fairbank into the lead midway through the first half, but right on the stroke of half time, Ranch levelled when Jordan Stead pounced to head home. After the break Fairbank looked certain to regain their lead, but were denied by two terrific saves by Christian Bark and his work paid dividends when Richard Berry was felled in the area and player-manager Carl Pierce (pictured left) stepped up to hit Ranch's winner from the penalty spot.

Back up to third are Colley after they ended their lean spell with a 5-2 victory at Crookes & District. Ian Sharland and Lee Campbell gave them a two goal lead until Ainsley Cawley toe poked home from Hartley's free kick. The second half saw Cawley beat the offside trap to level for Crookes, but Colley's experience began to pay off after that and two more from Campbell and one from Mark Searle saw them run out comfortable winners.

One of the biggest thanks for Aston's 2-1 victory at Rivelin goes to referee Alan Streets (pictured left) after he took the game after having two other games postponed. Nev Capel gave Rivelin the lead, but Scott McKenna levelled before the break with a quickly taken free kick and straight from the second half kick off, Billy Evans solo run took him through the Rivelin defence to set Steven Jeffries up for what turned out to be the winner.

Another referee to get praise was Andy Hoole (pictured right) after he also took charge at The Park after his original game was called off. The Park took the lead after just ten minutes when Lee Bridges out-muscled the Brinsworth Whitehill defence and only the woodwork  and some terrific defending stopped them doubling their advantage before the break. After the break, Brinsworth had to defend in numbers again and at times rode their luck, but they continued their revival when a foul on Ricky Kitchen enabled Thomas Kirby to gain them a point from the penalty spot.

23 Nov 2008 - Merit Awards - Angel flying for Smith and Ash in good Nick

Reading boss Steve Coppell presented Woodhouse Angel with the October CBC Computer Systems Merit Award after their four wins, including a League cup victory over CBC Premier Millhouses Abacrombie, and a hatful of goals. Angel dedicated their Award to their late manager Andy Smith.

Steve Coppell also handed the Angel IT Solutions Peak Performer Award to Bulls Head striker Nick Ash after he maintained his record of goals in every game with nine in October.

30 Nov 2008 - CBC Premier - Goals galore as 147 pip Stannington & Ball pip Oak

The three CBC Premier games to survive the freeze produced no fewer than 18 goals, including a nine goal thriller at Stannington Village just won by Ecclesfield 147. Blue Ball pipped Pitsmoor Royal Oak 2-1 and two Scott Moat (pictured left) strikes helped Hemsworth Villa share six goals with Redmires.

Ecclesfield 147 took the lead when the smallest man on the pitch Glen Bell outjumped the Stannington keeper to head Paul Bashforth's cross home, but their lead didn't last long as first David Hague levelled before Sean Flynn tapped the ball home to put Stannington in front. Ecclesfield hit back to level before the break when Danny Touhey found the net and they took the lead early in the second half when leading scorer Craig Senior scored. Man-of-the-match Jayson Reeves then extended Ecclesfield's lead before Wayne Bird pulled one back for Stannington. Senior then headed a fifth for Ecclesfield and although Stannington again hit back when Hague netted his second from the penalty spot they couldn't find an equaliser.

Pitsmoor Royal Oak slipped to their seventh consecutive defeat at a Blue Ball that found themselves reduced to ten men after just five minutes when a player was injured. Ben Hardy scored his second in as many games to put Ball in front, but a strong second half by Pitsmoor saw Glynn Holmes hit the bar before Gavin Davis finally headed home their equaliser. Ball were hanging on at this stage, but when Ben Cook took the entire Oak defence on single handed he ended the run by firing into the bottom corner to grab an unlikely win for Ball.

Redmires came out of the traps the quickest at home to Hemsworth Villa and deservedly took the lead through Shaun Downing, but it didn't last too long as Scott Moat beat the offside trap to sidefoot Villa's equaliser. Redmires didn't let their heads drop though and they went back in front when Mark Hopkinson brought Danny Lindley down in the area and Lindley picked himself up to score from the spot. Villa still went into the break level though as Moat took Keith Cronin's pass in his stride before lobbing the keeper for his second and after the break it was their turn to take the lead when Paul Jenkinson broke up a Redmires attack and linked up with Cronin to give Nick Owen a chance he rarely misses. Redmires, and man-of-the-match Chris Cotterill in particular, refused to give up though and they grabbed a deserved point when James Kirkham (pictured right) netted his second of the season.

Division 1 - A bad day for Laycocks, but FC Brimington and Southey Social both win

Just three Division One games survived and they saw Laycock Sports lose their perfect record and the chance to go top with a 2-2 draw at home to The Vine, but worse still for Laycock's was the loss of Tom Register with a broken leg. An Elliott Christie double helped FC Brimington to a 3-0 victory over Red Lion, while a single Shaun Wilcockson goal gave Southey Social victory at home to Woodhouse Angel.

Laycock's were visibly shaken by the injury to Tom Register and Simon Blackburn and Craig Woolley both went close for The Vine, so it was no surprise when Ricky Davidson hit his first league goal of the season to put the visitors ahead. Laycock's found their way back into the game when Steve Morris scored and it looked as if they would win it when Matt Kent put them in front, but Davidson grabbed his second of the game to give The Vine a share of the points.

FC Brimington wanted to get their title track back on track at home to Red Lion and they got a good start when Elliott Christie (pictured left) put them ahead, but they struggle to impose themselves in the first half and Lion might well have levelled a couple of times. Brimington looked more like themselves in the second half though and Michael Gartlan cut the ball back for Andrew Crossland to volley home and after Matt Collier sent Christie through, he eventually made the points safe when he scored the rebound after the keeper saved his first attempt.

Southey Social's 3g pitch in Concord Park made sure their game against Woodhouse Angel was never in doubt and Southey took full advantage to dominate against an Angel side with several first choice players missing. Angel's keeper had made a number of good saves and seen two shots cleared off his line by defenders before he was finally beaten by Shaun Wilcockson's winner for Southey. Despite their defeat, after the appointed referee failed to show, Angel were quick to praise the standards achieved by his stand-in, the Southey manager Mark Guest.

Division 2 - Baxter leaves Bulls Head in the soup, and Kitchen too hot for Crookes as Brinsworth rise

Only three Division Two games survived as Bulls Head lost their unbeaten record when two Andy Baxter goals gave Fairbank-Rhodes victory over them, and Nicky Kitchen's goal gave Brinsworth Whitehill a second successive 1-0 home win, this one over Crookes & District, and after starting the month at the foot of the table they are now second, while Birley Moor News stopped their rot by sharing six goals with Aston.

Brinsworth Whitehill's climb up the table continued at Crookes & District's expense, but for a long time it was Crookes that looked the more likely to win the game, so it was particularly cruel on them when a collision between their keeper and centre back left the ball clear for Nicky Kitchen to put the ball into the empty net for Brinsworth's winner.

It looked good for Bulls Head when Matt Law put them in front, but Fairbank-Rhodes put an end to Bulls Head's home record when man-of-the-match Andy Baxter scored his first from close range before netting a second from the penalty spot. It also ended Fairbank's run of three consecutive defeats.

Birley Moor News had conceded twenty six goals in four consecutive defeats, so they must have feared the worst when Steven Jeffries volleyed in form Aston took in front, but Birley levelled before half time when Pete Sheldon smashed home an unstoppable shot and he gave them the lead early in the second half. Billy Evans header from a corner brought Aston level and Birley's defence was breached again when Scott Hall stooped to head Aston back in front, but Aston missed their chance to go second when they allowed Birley's leading scorer Dwayne Neavin to earn his side a point.

League Cup - West End show too good for Loxley

Although Loxley have provided a shock or two in the League Cup in the past, their was no giantkilling this time as League Champions Woodhouse West End eventually proved too strong for them. On a bright but cold morning both sides lined up eager to kick off their pursuit of reaching Bramall Lane. A tight first half saw West End always hold the upper hand but didn't convert the possession and territorial advantage more than one from Jason Short that kept his goal in every game record in tact. West End had other chances but didn't take any of them but they did have their excellent defence and goalkeeper to thank for restricting Loxley to very few attacks by winning and clearing everything that they faced in open play and from corners.

The second half, with Nick Hague (pictured right)  outstanding, saw West End finally make their dominance count, with the West End defence continuing to keep any Loxley attack to a minimum. An excellent run and strike from big Dave Kippax followed by further good strikes from subs Damon Blakemore and Ashleigh Atkins wrapped the game up. West End's fifth and final goal came from an OG as a Loxley defender on the goal line tried to prevent Ashleigh Atkins effort going in. Overall a very good game by two good footballing sides. Referee Matt Walsh had his usual good game but the game wasn't difficult as it was played in such a good atmosphere on a pitch which manager Bill Fuller and co had rolled the day before to ensure the game went ahead.