Tots and Spurs serve up a cup final treat

The Premier Division George Belli Cup Final was held at Liverton United’s Halford Ground on a glorious Thursday evening and the crowd of 250 not only basked in the sunshine, they enjoyed a thrilling encounter between Totnes and Dartington and Newton Abbot Spurs 2nds.

Both Teams did keep the supporters waiting until nearly the second half to liven things up, In the first half they both cancelled each other out but Spurs looked the more likely to take control.

Harry Ford went close with a 20-yard shot that hit the bar and attacks from Totnes were limited by Tom Johns and Lewis Garner in the Spurs defence.

Corner kicks were proving to be a problem to deal with for Totnes and when Spurs took their sixth on 42 minutes, the Totnes defence were unable to clear a bouncing ball and an under pressure defender hooked it the wrong way and the ball squeezed past Sam Davies in the Totnes goal to put Spurs in the driving seat.

The second half kicked off and it was a different game, end-to-end and it had the feel of a grassroots cup final. Jono Beardsmore must have read the riot act to his Totnes side at the break, as Harry Ford had a blistering shot palmed on to the bar by Joel Patchett in the Spurs goal.

At the other end, Beck Hannah went close from yet another corner and by now Beardsmore had seen enough and started to make substitutions, one minute later another corner kick, this time to Totnes, and the ball was hit too long and looked like it was going out of play but at the back post Kingsley Burrows stuck out a back foot and caught the ball, which just looped over a stretching ‘keeper to nestle in the corner of the goal.

Spurs then started to make some changes but the sun must have been shining on the Totnes side, as a fairly weak cross from the edge of the box hit an outstretched hand of a Spurs defender and the referee pointed to the spot.

Up stepped James Blackshaw, who struck it down the middle and the diving ‘keeper could do nothing to stop Totnes taking the lead with two goals in six minutes and just eight minutes on the clock.

Spurs really upped their game and at times Totnes had 11 players behind the ball but looked like they were going to hold out until, in the 90th minute, the ball broke for a Spurs attacker, who was through on goal.

The goalkeeper came out and took the ball and the player but not in that order and the referee pointed to the spot. There was a bit of a delay treating the injured ‘keeper but Jason Jones had the ball in his hand for three minutes before he finally blasted Spurs level and put the game into extra time.

The additional 30 minutes proved to be a tetchy affair and the referee, who was well in control of proceedings, had issued seven yellows and a red by the time we got to the break in extra time.

Both James Blackshaw for Totnes and Adam Feaver for Spurs had good chances to win the game that were well saved by the ‘keepers, who were both in good form and with a penalty shootout approaching, one of them was going to be a hero.

Totnes missed the opening penalty but scored the second, Spurs had the advantage with two perfect hits. Who was going to be the hero?

Sam Davies in the Totnes goal then saved the next two Spurs penalties and Totnes scored again, advantage Totnes. Sam then stepped up to take the next kick and blasted it past Joel Patchett, double advantage Totnes and Spurs had to score.

What a save from the Totnes ‘keeper, who kept out three penalties and scored one to win the Premier Division Belli Cup for Totnes and Dartington.

In the Premier Division’s midweek games, the gauntlet was laid by down by Chudleigh Athletic, when they won their final game at Waldon Athletic by 3 goals to nil, strikes from Gavin and Jason Lake plus one from George Davidson moved the Clarets four points clear of second from bottom Beesands Rovers, who now effectively need two wins from their final two games, as the goal difference is nine.

On the same evening in Division One, Plymouth Phoenix put their Dartmouth Cup disappointment behind them by winning 5 nil against Newton Abbot Spurs 3rds, who themselves are safe from a bottom two finish.

Phoenix move a bit closer to their main rivals True Blues, who they play later this week in what will be a big game for both.

In the game at the bottom of Division Three, both Brixham Town 2nds and Paignton Saints 3rds shared the points in a 0-0 draw and both will be looking forward to a better season next year in Division Four.

At the top of Division Three, Elburton Villa 3rds moved to within one point of season-long league leaders Ashburton with a 7-1 win at South Brent. A hat-trick from Finley Lyle set them on their way and with just one game to play, it really is winner takes all in this division.

On Thursday, the top two teams in Division One met at Millbay park in front of a crowd of 300 and in a game that would not have been out of place in the pyramid, it was Phoenix who won the points and took a giant step to winning what has been a tough division.

A 4-2 triumph against their closest rivals True Blues has put them on top courtesy of goal difference and they would play again on Saturday, their fourth game in seven days.

On to the weekend and at the top of the Premier Division, Newton Abbot Spurs moved level on points with Ilsington Villa after Waldon Athletic failed to raise a side. It’s a game that Spurs would have wanted to play in the hope of reducing the four-goal difference between the top two and to get the disappointment of their Belli Cup final loss out of their system.

Spurs now need a draw in their final game with Totnes and Dartington to become South Devon League champions for the first time. The game is at Newton Rec on Tuesday, May 20 with a 7pm KO.

At the other end of the table, the fate of Beesands Rovers was finally sealed by Jack Lee and Mathew Williams, who each scored for Kingsteington Athletic in a 2-1 victory that puts the Rams back into fourth place for now and leaves Rovers with one final outing that has local pride at stake against East Allington Utd on Tuesday at Loddiswell 6.45pm KO.

The Pirates, who are in good form at the moment had yet another win, this time a 5-2 home success versus already relegated Elburton Villa 2nds, moved them into fifth place and a win in their final game could nick fourth after what has been a season of two halves.

At the top of Division One, Phoenix flexed their muscles again and went three points clear of True Blues, who must now beat them when they meet again next week in the final showdown of what has been an extraordinary season for both teams.

An 11-0 win at WBB with four goals from Owen Pritchard, who finished the Western League season as the top scorer for Ivybridge Town at step 5, and another hat-trick for David Moore in a one-sided game at Abbrook.

Bovey Tracey have had a good season and a 5-3 win over Ivybridge Town 2nds puts them level on points with Windmill in third place but the Plymouth side still have three games to play in the next 10 days and Bovey have just one.

At the bottom of the table, Paignton Villa won the relegation battle at Watcombe Wanderers by a single strike from Babucarr Colley, Villa finish their season in eight place and Watcombe finish in the bottom two.

In Division Two, Mount Gould finally got their hands on the division’s champions trophy with a 7-0 win against Babbacombe Corries, but if there was an award for team of the day and a reminder of what grassroots football should be about, Corries would have won it. They travelled to Plymouth with nine players and one was injured, instead of failing to fulfil the game and head to the beach.

Then, in a remarkable act of sportsmanship Simon Westlake, the Mount Gould manager told his players that they would play with the same number of players as Corries, and to remind you this was a 1st v 3rd game. So, a massive well done to both teams.

On the pitch, Corries could not deal with Bentley Alcantara, who scored four and Joe Jasper, who got two on the way to the celebrations that followed.

Liverton Utd are guaranteed third place following their 2-0 win at Ipplepen Athletic 2nds and East Allington Utd 2nds slipped up, losing 4-0 to Paignton Saints 2nds, who could leapfrog the Pirates into fourth place, as Allington have yet to play Mount Gould twice.

The Division Three title was also won, Ashburton beat Newton Abbot 66 in a close 1-0 game at Osborne Park in front of a good crowd in the sunshine. They finish one point ahead of Elburton Villa 3rds, who did what they could in an 11-1 home win versus Paignton Saints 3rds to get the runners up spot and both teams have back-to-back promotion seasons to remember.

Down at the bottom, South Brent got the three points that were needed to secure Division Three football next term with a 7-2 win against Brixham Town 2nds, who are already planning for a season to reset in Division Four.

Game to catch this week

Thursday, May 22 at Liverton Utd with a 6.30pm kick off. Division Three Ronald Cup Final. Ashburton v Elburton Villa 3rds.

The top two teams in Division Three have avoided each other in the cup and Elburton Villa remain the only team to beat Ashburton in the league and will want to stop Ashes getting a league and cup double. There is plenty of parking at Liverton and a full bar and food service will be available.