Week ending 26th October by Mason Norton

There was a reduced programme in Everards Brewery Division One this weekend owing to the County Cup, but the games played saw some important moves in the division table. Leaders Lutterworth Athletic Reserves notched up an impressive 4-1 win at home to title rivals Hinckley LRFC Development, Dominic Ivens, Max Jones and a brace in the second period from Alex Rhodes getting on the scoresheet, Tom Brody replying for Hinckley. 


At the other end of the table, both of the bottom sides won. Sutton Bonington moved out of the relegation zone with a 4-1 win at home to Mountsorrel Amateurs, Alex Ford (2), Connor Martin and Jack Tormey for SB, Liam Turner for Mountsorrel, whilst Holwell Sports Reserves recorded their first League win since August with an 8-1 win at home to Barrow Town on Saturday, Tallen Burt and Max Fisher both scoring hat-tricks, Harry Worby and sub Alfie Saddington also scoring in a second half riot, Dean Hopewell for Barrow. Holwell stay bottom though on goal difference, with Dunton & Broughton United, who did not play on Saturday, dropping into the bottom two, one point behind Sutton but with a game in hand. Birstall United Reserves are back on the fringes of the basement battle, after losing 3-0 at home to Loughborough Dynamo, Jasper Clarke, Kieran Oakes and Piers Wheeler for the visitors. 


The other games in Div1 saw St Patricks turn it on in the second half to win 4-1 at Sileby Town Reserves, having been 1-1 at half-time, a brace of braces for Ash Day and Brady Doherty, Jack Wardle for Sileby, whilst Saffron Dynamo Development beat Heather St John Reserves 2-1, Tom Bailey and Sam Towe for Saffron, Freddie Beniston for Heather, all the goals coming in the first half. 


To Everards Brewery Division Two, and Brookside Athletic and Community Football Academy both stayed out in front at the top. Community recorded a comfortable 8-1 win at home to Friar Lane & Epworth Reserves, Jaseem Khamkar (2), Liam Taylor, Rafe Walton, Jack Wormleighton, Zak Yusuf, Usamah Zerroug and Kashar Raja for Community, Jasper Flude-Hackett for Friar Lane & Epworth Reserves. Brookside had a much closer encounter, eventually winning 3-2 at home to Magna 73 Reserves with late goals from subs Theo Baker and Muhammed Ebrahim adding to a first-half strike from Leo Lightbown for Brookside, Spencer Read and Matt Richmond for Magna. Six points behind those two are Whetstone Athletic, who won 3-0 at Rothley Imperial with Ryan Richmond (2) and Jacob Makepeace scoring, and Glen Villa a point behind in fourth after a 1-0 win at home to Loughborough FC, Ben Mason scoring in the first half. 


At the bottom, Leicester United lost again, this time 4-2 at Highfield Rangers Reserves, though Leicester United did take the lead on Saturday through Jayden Haines. However, Leicester United were then reduced to 10 men, and Highfield took advantage, although their scorers are not yet in, Jordan Brown scored another consolation for the visitors in the later stages. Apart from Glen Villa, the only other movers in Div2 this weekend were Leicester Nirvana Reserves, up two places to 7th after a 2-1 win at home to Barrow Town Reserves, Charvin Ambhire and Ciucalau Ianis for Nirvana, Shay Howard for Barrow.


That's it for this week on Ramble Round. There's a nearly-normal programme in the Premier Division next Saturday, but the County Cups reduce Div1 to just three games and Div2 to just one. So next week, the action from the three divisions will be condensed into one Ramble Round the Divisions. 


As a final bit of housekeeping, the clocks have now gone back, so from next Saturday, all fixtures will kick off at 2pm, unless advertised otherwise- that is to say, if the home team have floodlights, and are willing to use them, in which case kick-off will be at 3pm. This will remain the case until the end of February. See you next week.