19/04/2025 – Weekly Round-Up

ESSEX & SUFFOLK BORDER FOOTBALL LEAGUE            2024 / 2025

WEEKLY ROUND UP       @       19/04/2025.

There were three mid-week matches last week, lowly White Notley Reserves grabbed a point against Great Bradfords on Tuesday, then on Wednesday, Gosfield United beat Hedinghams to finish fourth in Division One and Tendring Borough drew with West Bergholt Reserves in Division Four.

Good Friday saw the first Cup Final of the season, the Reserve Knock-Out Cup, played at Little Oakley FC with two Division Two teams, the outcome was Earls Colne Reserves being triumphant over Alresford Colne Rangers Reserves by three goals to one.

Congratulations go to both Barnston AFC and Brightlingsea Town for reaching their first ever Knock-Out Cup Final, this after respectively beating, Division One, Great Bentley and Premier Division, Dedham Old Boys (on penalties). The final will be played on Monday 5^th May 2025 at Little Oakley FC, Kick-Off is 15:00pm.

Just one match got played in the Premier Division, Belle Vue Social got the better of Alresford Colne Rangers by the odd goal in five to stay eleventh in the table, the other scheduled match was postponed due to a lack of available players.

There was only one match played in Division One, Dovercourt Rovers consolidated their third-place finish, after beating Little Oakley Reserves by five goals to one.

In Division Two, second placed, The Rodings played third placed, Prettygate, nothing changed there, as the teams drew, scoring two goals apiece, one a last-minute equaliser, the match was switched before kick-off from the 3G pitch to a grass pitch, due to some vandalism to one goal inside the cage! Great Bentley Reserves beat their counterparts at Cressing United by three goals to two, and Great Bradfords beat Stillwaters by five goals to one. Tavern, still lead the table but Earls Colne Reserves have five games in hand, and they still have to play each other, one to watch perhaps!

The busiest Division should have been Division Three with five matches, however, another team defaulted as having insufficient players, the matches that were played saw Hatfield Peverel Reserves comfortably beat Roman Rovers Reserves, by four goals to one, they now sit eighteen points clear and were awarded the Division Three trophy, by Michael Willmore, ESBFL, Fixtures Secretary. West Bergholt kept up their quest for second place beating Elmstead Market by four goals to two, Oyster beat Tiptree Jobserve and Wormingford Wanderers hit six against rock bottom, Tendring District.

The race for the Division Four title remains up for grabs, current leaders Silver End United Reserves thrashed Kelvedon by six goals to nil, but second placed Harwich & Parkeston “A” were held by fourth placed Tendring Borough whilst Mersea Island beat Brooklands scoring four goals against one.

Next Friday evening, 25^th April, the final of the Richard Degville Cup (formerly the COVID Cup) will be played at Little Oakley FC, this final is between West Bergholt FC and Hatfield Peverel FC Reserves, both teams play in Division Three, Kick-Off is 19:45pm.