East Sussex League

Division 4/Division 5 Cup Group Match

Saturday 17th April 2021

Kick Off 16.30 Actual 16.29

Welcroft Park Rangers 4 Hooe 2, attendance 34

35’ 0-1

44’ 0-2

49’ 1-2

90’ 2-2

90’+ 2, 3-2

90’+ 3, 4-2

@ Berwick Recreation Ground

Rear of Village Hall

Station Road

Berwick

BN26 6TF

No Admission or Programme.

Welcroft Park Rangers normally play their home games at the ground of Southern Combination League club Hailsham Town, but restrictions due to COVID-19 have seen them schedule their home games in the end of season cup competition to the ground here in Berwick, which is where their reserves play their home matches.

The match was between two teams from Division 4, both having won their opening two matches in the cup. When the league was brought to a halt this would have been 3rd versus 1st in the league table. Hooe looked well in command having gone 0-2 up right before halftime, but Welcroft Park Rangers reduced the arrears within minutes of the restart, which set the game up perfectly. The game looked to be heading for a 1-2 win for the visitors, but they somehow threw it away in a mad four minute spell as we reached the ninety minute mark. The Welcroft Park Rangers No. 7 scored his second goal to make it 2-2, then their No.9 put them in front two minutes into stoppage time, before the No. 7 completed his hat trick a minute later to make it 4-2 and complete a remarkable comeback.

East Sussex League

Premier Division/Division 1 Cup Group Match

Saturday 17th April 2021

Kick Off 13.00 Actual 13.01

Victoria Baptists 1 Rye Town 1, attendance 18

10’ 0-1

55’ 1-1

@ Old Town Recreation Ground

Bodmin Close

Old Town

Eastbourne

BN20 8HZ

No Admission or Programme.

With the F.A. advising that matches today should avoid clashing with the funeral of H.R.H. Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, it meant there was a possibility of getting two matches today.

Old Town Recreation Ground perfectly fits what ‘parks football’ is all about. A pitch that sloped both end to end and side to side, with various undulating areas thrown in for good measure. Both 6 yard boxes were as hard as concrete and badly worn and the pitch in general was in poor condition and is in need of some rain to soften it up. Despite this, the two sides put on a really good contest that had 100% commitment throughout.

These two sides both play in Division 1 and when the season was brought to a halt the league positions would have been 9th (bottom, without a win) versus 4th, so the visitors would have been slight favourites to win this. Indeed, they took an early lead, but having been unable to get the second goal, were pegged back early in the second half. Rye had enough chances to have won it in the last half an hour, but it was Baptists that came nearest to winning it when a shot from the edge of the 18 yard box hit the angle of post and crossbar, bouncing across the goal towards the other post. Somehow the ‘keeper managed to get across and flick the ball away as the striker was about to nod it into an empty net.