Torridgeside suffer late heartbreak in cup showdown at Stoke Gabriel & Torbay Police

The dream of trophy glory came to an end for Torridgeside with a 2-1 defeat at Stoke Gabriel & Torbay Police in the Walter C Parson League Cup.

The T-Siders travelled to South Devon with a squad depleted by illness and injury, but that didn’t stop them from grabbing the lead on the half-hour, George Shapland converting from close range after a goalmouth scramble.

A place in the next round was just eight minutes away when Stoke levelled through Ben Aldous and then Torridgeside hearts were broken by a later winner from Danny Frankum. The T-Siders return to action with a Boxing Day derby at home to Torrington.

Ilfracombe Town are up to third in the Peninsula East division after a battling 2-0 win over Ilminster Town in blustery conditions at Marlborough Park. Jake Chesworth scored the opener for the Bluerbirds and victory was completed by a lovely curling strike from Aidan Barrow. The Combe are at home to Okehampton Argyle on December 27.

In the West Division, Holsworthy will travel to Bude Town on Boxing Day and will be feeling refreshed, hopefully, after their home tie with Callington Town on Saturday was postponed.

Bideford AFC served up a surprisingly lacklustre display in losing 3-0 at home to Larkhall Athletic in the Southern League.

The Robins spurned an early opportunity in the cold breeze at the Sports Ground and the visitors quickly pounced to break the deadlock through Sam Boulton from close range. The task was doubled on the stoke of half-time, Kieran Phillips forcing the ball over the line.

Bideford toiled in the tricky conditions after the break but never really looked like finding a route back into the game, and Larkhall sealed maximum points with a fabulous strike from Lewis Graham.

The Robins will complete 2025 with a tough trip to Exmouth Town on December 27 and their focus for the New Year will surely be all about building a buffer above the relegation zone, which has a worryingly Devon flavour.

Tavistock are rock bottom and face a daunting end to the year when they host second-placed Portsihead Town, but there is a proper dogfight scheduled in Mid-Devon, where Willand Rovers will host Brixham, with both teams desperate for points to climb out of the bottom four.

It was a weekend off for Barnstaple Town in the Western League and they will celebrate Boxing Day with a visit to Wellington, who are fourth from bottom. Barum have games in hand on the teams above them and a couple of good results would push the North Devon club into the play-off positions, which is a realistic ambition for 2026.