06/01/2023 – Weekly Round-Up

ESBFL – WEEKLY ROUND-UP for 06/01/2024.

The big winner again this week was the weather, with only eighteen of forty-two matches getting the go ahead, these postponements give the Fixture Secretary some real headaches as to reschedule a priority county cup match to the following week means other fixtures have to be adjusted and that is on the proviso that pitches are available.

In those Essex Junior Cup matches there were victories for Kings Park Rangers and Cressing United and for Cavendish in the Suffolk Primary Cup.

Alresford Colne Rangers Reserves overcame Tendring District in the COVID Cup tie.

The Premier Division had four matches, perhaps as expected, there were wins for Tiptree Heath and Stanway Pegasus Reserves but there were also surprise wins for both Belle Vue Social and Lawford Lads however both teams stay in the bottom half of the table.

Division Two had three matches, with victories for Frinton & Walton, Hedinghams United and White Notley Reserves, who stay top.

Division Three also had just three matches, wins for Little Oakley Reserves and Prettygate with the only drawn match on Saturday being between Great Bentley Reserves who shared the points with Dedham Old Boys Reserves, who stay top.

One match survived in Division Four where third placed, Tiptree Heath Reserves got the better of Brantham Athletic (Development) in a high scoring match.

There were three matches in Division Five, Boxted Lodgers Reserves, who move up to third, Bradfield Rovers Reserves and West Bergholt Reserves, (three for McLean), who are now second, all won in high scoring matches.

DISCIPLINE

At the year end, the Competition had seen a total of nine-hundred and seventy-four cautions, eighty-seven dismissals and twenty-eight misconducts from its Member Clubs, Players and Officials! This figure is much too high, but this suggested high incidence is not unique to the ESBFL, in fact it is a County and Nationwide problem, so how does this problem get rectified, and the answer is not by blaming Match Officials who have a difficult enough job in the first place.