WITH two different cup competitions taking place last weekend, not many league matches were played in the Rochdale and District Sunday League.
The Lancashire County FA Cup resulted in disappointment all round for the local teams, with the two remaining Rochdale & District clubs going out of the competition in round four.
Copperpot were beaten 5-2 by Quilligans, with Davey Luker and Lance Ogunyode scoring the goals for the losing side. Littleborough bowed out of the LFA losing 3-2 to Ossy United. Lee Kershaw and Danny McWilliams were the scorers for Littleborough.
DC United scored an impressive eight goals as they went through to the second round of the Norden & Bamford Financial Services League Cup. Highfield Reserves only managed two in reply, both of those goals coming from Oliver Sproates. Phil Keefe and Mark Longshaw both grabbed hat-tricks for United as Danny Adams and M Price finished the scoring.
Another side going into the second round unscathed were Italia who knocked five past The Star and kept a clean sheet. Dean Ashton, Kieran Mitton, Jordan Scholes and Paul Nelson getting the goals.
Gardeners Arms provided the first surprise result of the cup when they beat Red Lion, who are a division above them. The game ended 4-2, and it was Mike Weatherilt who shone for Gardeners scoring three goals. Steven Delnon got the fourth with Greg Ginnever replying for Lions.
The two remaining games in the League Cup finished 3-1, with Bridge Inn and Pleasant Inn getting maximum points from them. Tom Seed (two) and James Vennard were successful for Bridge against Crown & Shuttle who managed a goal through Chris Dunne.
Helping Pleasant Inn to victory were J Costello and Chris O’Connor, as A Simpson got one back for Old Bricklayers.
The second round of the cup has been drawn and fixtures will take place on Sunday 6th December.
In the Newbold Tyres Premier Division, one game went ahead between Turks Head and Highfield. Joint bottom of the table and with no points, Turks Head lost their seventh league fixture 9-2. Craig Wood (three), Andrew Williams (three), L Hemmings, Steve Taylor and Scott Jones secured the win for Highfield, while Turks’ Andy Eastwood and Conway managed one each.
Red Lion’s fortunes were reversed in their Physio Clinic First Division fixture against Dog & Partridge. Lion this time ran out 4-2 winners through goals from Oliver Marshall, Ross Doherty, Andrew McDowell and M Varty. Andrew Foster put two past Lion for D & P who remained in second place, though Lion have closed the gap to just two points.
Two games went ahead and 17 goals were scored in the www.poorlypuppy.com Second Division. Rochdale Nomads racked up nine goals and conceded just one against Falconers. Chris Rowley (four), Glen Howson, Ben Duzgun, Chris Porter, Jay McDermott and Craig Irvine got the ball in the back of the net for Nomads, with Robert Brierley scoring a penalty for Falconers.
Bottom of the table Newtown pushed Asia all the way and were unlucky not to get a point in an exciting game that finished 4-3.
Successful for Newtown were Chris Hampson, Gary McArdle and Matt Lloyd, while Ahmed Maqsood (pen), Shefat Yousaf, Rizwan Masood and Shamas Ahmed helped their side to victory.
The highlight of the weekend’s games, however, came in the Cowell & Norford Third Division. Woodhouse United put an incredible 16 goals past Wellington who managed to get a consolation goal through T Uttley.
The result leaves Wellington rooted to the bottom of the table on minus one point, and helped Woodhouse get ever closer to the top spot.
Joe Whitham grabbed five goals for the side, and was closely followed by Ashley Hignett (four) and S Parnell (three). D Birch, Gary Fish, D Preece and an own goal capped off a fantastic result for Woodhouse.
Keeping Woodhouse at bay are top of the table Broadway Celtic Reserves who picked up another win at the weekend against Woolworths. M Radcliffe, S Shawcross, L Galpin, Liam McManus, Matt Henson and R Claydon all got on the scoresheet for Broadway, while K Davies got Woolworth’s only goal.
