WHILE the weather and wet pitches severely curtailed the weekend action from the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League, the three games that did go ahead served up an absolute treat.

An incredible 22 goals were scored in the games played at Roselands, Waldon Athletic and Budleigh Salterton, as the attacking players set about lighting up a weekend that could have gone down as another wash-out.

Starting in the North & East Division, where just one game was played, and a tough one for Budleigh, as they were beaten 6-0 by league leaders Newtown. Ben Howard scored a hat-trick for the visitors and there were also goals for Dale O’Donoghue, Sam Stapleton and Darren Osmond.

In the South & West Division, the two games were a lot tighter. There was nothing mediocre about the mid-table clash between Roselands and Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves, as the home side ran out 5-4 winners in a fantastic game. Tom Reeves scored twice and there were further Roselands’ goals from Tom Kempson, Seroz Karaptyan and Joe Aldous.

The final game was a tough one to take for the Plymouth Argyle Development side, who led 3-1 at half-time after a superb hat-trick from Josh Johnson but could not resist a stunning Waldon fightback that saw the home team eventually triumph 4-3.

A SENSATIONAL performance from Tavistock Reserves saw the Lambs dominate league leaders Kingsteignton Athletic to run out 6-1 winners and an intriguing twist in the title race for the South & West Division of the Scott Richards Solicitors DFL.

The brilliance of Tavvy’s display opened the door for Buckland Athletic Reserves to move top of the table with their 4-1 win at Bere Alston, thanks to goals from Nick Hayman, Frazer Rudge, James Moxon and Dan Rankin.

There was another shock to the form book at Lakeside Athletic, where the hosts stunned third-placed Watcombe Wanderers with a 2-0 victory. Lakeside have been toiling at the wrong end of the table but thoroughly deserved the win given to them by a Joshua Lashbrook double and a heroic goalkeeping display from goalkeeper Matty Austin.

The Plymouth Argyle Development side also turned in one of their finest displays of the campaign in defeating Roselands 5-3, with the Pilgrim goals scored by Jake Favis, Bailey Yeo, Joe Jackman and a Theo Ramsey brace.

Plympton Athletic kept up the entertaining theme at Paignton Villa, recording a 5-1 success, and Totnes & Dartington also scored five in their comfortable win over Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves.

In the final two games from this division, Ant Davey and Kriss Young notched for Plymstock in their 2-0 win over Paignton Saints, while Waldon Athletic were made to work very hard before running out 3-2 winners at Ottery St Mary.

The goal-fest continued in the North & East Division, and Exwick Villa were brutal and ruthless in defeating Topsham Town 11-2 to consolidate their place in behind leaders Newtown. Mitch Ward and Sam Johnson took the scoring headlines with four goals each for Villa.

Newtown, meanwhile, delivered an excellent second-half display to win 5-2 at St Martins. Scott Chambers scored twice for the table-toppers, with Dale O’Donoghue, Cory O’Donoghue and Daniel Gill also on target.

Third-placed Alphington enjoyed a 4-2 victory at home to a dangerous Teignmouth side, with Luke White grabbing a brace for the Alphas. Exmouth Town Reserves were arguably even more impressive in securing a dominant 4-0 triumph at Chudleigh Athletic.

The wait goes on for Clyst Valley to get off the mark at the bottom of the table, although they will be heartened by an encouraging performance before going down 4-2 at home to Witheridge.  The Clyst goals came from Ash McDiarmid and Chris Drew Cull, while the Withy scorers were Matt Pengelly, Elliott Perrott, Ashley Harrison and Will Martin.

A delightful finish from Lewis Lowe, rounding the goalkeeper before scoring from a difficult angle, proved to be the only goal, as Braunton narrowly defeated Liverton and the final game saw Heavitree United scrap to a 2-1 victory over the University of Exeter.

HAPPY New Year from all of us at the Scott Richards Solicitors DFL and it was great to see the rain disappear over Christmas and a decent programme of fixtures in both divisions last weekend.

Starting with the North & East Division and going back to Boxing Day, there were two fixtures played and an impressive 4-1 victory for Alphington at home to St Martins. The Alphas followed that with a 6-2 triumph at Topsham on Saturday, moving them to fourth in the table.

It was a tough result for Topsham, who also went down to a 3-1 loss at Heavitree a couple of days after Christmas. Heavitree took that confidence to leaders Newtown on Saturday but could nothing to stop a home side in exhilarating form, as they ran out 7-2 winners with a brace from Ben Howard and further goals scored by Jack Gill, Cory O’Donoghue, Kyle Bassett, Dale O’Donoghue and Scott Chambers.

The one other game played on Boxing Day was a festive cracker for Exmouth Town Reserves, as they won 5-1 at Budleigh Salterton. To their credit, mid-table Budleigh responded with a 5-2 win over Chudleigh Athletic on Saturday.

Bottom-club Clyst Valley came so very close to getting off the mark on Saturday, edging ahead through Troy Membury but Liverton United struck back in the second period with goals from Neil Last and Simon Laughton to win 2-1.

Bovey Tracey Reserves also remain entrenched in the bottom two after going down 5-0 at home to St Martins, moving the visitors third in the table. Exwick Villa are second after doubles from Nathan May, Mitch Ward and Sam Johnson gave them a 6-0 victory at Witheridge. In the final game, a solitary goal from Ben Aiken secured Braunton all three points at Teignmouth.

There were even more goals in the South & West Division over the festive period, starting with an entertaining Torbay clash that saw Roselands win 3-2 at Paignton Villa with goals from Alex Kassis, Curtis Clarke and Sonwabile Mlenze.

It was a particularly tough one to take for bottom-club Villa and they suffered a brutal 9-0 loss at Buckland Athletic Reserves on the weekend, while Roselands followed up that victory with another goal-fest, this time going down 4-3 at Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves, with Tom Sercombe scoring a brace and Matt Williams and Matt Tall on target.

The result rounded off a happy Christmas and New Year for the Spurs, this time Sam Hancox and Liam Ashwell scored the goals in a 2-1 win over Totnes & Dartington. The Tots recovered with a 2-2 draw at home to Bere Alston on Saturday. Dan Follett and Sam Hicks scored for the visitors, while Adam Biggs and Dan Block notched for the Tots.

Plympton Athletic recorded a terrific 3-1 win at Plymstock United on the Saturday after Christmas and then won 2-1 at the Plymouth Argyle Development side on the weekend, Lucas Lapthorne scoring in both victories. Plymstock, meanwhile, regrouped to draw 3-3 with Tavistock Reserves on Saturday, goals coming from Kriss Young, Ant Davey and a Joe Cox.

Paignton Saints were in electric form, dismantling Lakeside Athletic with an 8-3 triumph and Jamie Micklewright bagging himself four goals. Ottery St Mary produced arguably their performance of the season in winning 5-2 at Waldon Athletic and a great result for a side nearer the bottom of the table.

The final game was a show of strength from league leaders Kingsteignton Athletic, recovering from conceding first at third-placed Watcombe Wanderers to eventually win 5-1.

ST MARTINS edged the local derby with Alphington in the top-table clash from the North & East Division of the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League. Jonny Holding and Lee Radford scored the goals in a 2-1 win for the Saints.

Newtown remain top of the pile after delivering a ruthless 12-0 win at bottom-club Clyst Valley. Captain Ben Howard took the glory with five goals on the day, there were braces from Cory O’Donoghue and Sam Stapleton, with Daniel Gill, Kieran Knight and Scott Chambers completing the scoring.

Exmouth Town Reserves had to work a lot harder in beating Witheridge 2-1, while Liverton showed more evidence of their recent improvement, defeating Topsham Town 4-1 with goals from Sam Hebbes, Neil Last and Si Ross double.

In the South & West Division, Paignton Saints were brutally efficient in thrashing Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves 8-0. Watcombe Wanderers remain above the Saints in third place after goals from Cameron Fewings, Ollie Aplin and Joe Constantinou gave them a 3-0 triumph over Plymouth Argyle Development.

There was a great result on the road for Bere Alston United, winning 2-1 at Waldon Athletic and the final league game of the weekend ended in a 2-2 draw between Paignton Villa and Tavistock Reserves. Max Prestwood and Tom Armstrong scored the goals for Villa and a terrific display from the bottom club.

There was one game in the McDonalds League Cup and Plympton Athletic move through to the next round with a 2-0 win at home over Totnes & Dartington.

The Devon Football League are inviting applications from any existing Devon Area Premier League teams for promotion to DFL Season 2020/21.

Applications, together with a £50 Ground Inspection Fee, must be sent to the DFL Secretary David Richardson by 31^st January 2020.

Applications can be sent either by email to davidrich43@hotmail.com or by post to 44 Whitchurch Avenue, Exeter, EX2 5NT.

A LANDMARK weekend for Bovey Tracey Reserves, as they recorded a first victory in the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League.

Clyst Valley were the visitors in a battle of the bottom two in the North & East Division, as a Callum Livingstone double and captain Casey Cooper proved enough for a 3-1 win for Bovey, who also missed a penalty. Kieran Barrance was on target for Clyst.

Liverton were unable to build on their hard-fought win over Budleigh Salterton last weekend, as they went down to a humbling 10-2 loss at second-placed Exwick Villa. Mitch Ward scored four for Villa, there was a Sam Johnson hat-trick and further goals from Jesse Howe, Nathan May and Ashley Hudd.

Newtown remain top after an equally emphatic performance, dismantling Budleigh with a 9-1 triumph. Kyle Bassett notched four, there was a Sam Stapleton hat-trick and Ben Howard and Darren Osmond also on target.

Witheridge enjoyed one of their best weekends of the campaign, running out 3-0 winners at Topsham Town, thanks to goals from Will Martin, Callum Owens and Adam Leat. The final game in N&E resulted in a solid 3-1 victory for St Martins at Chudleigh Athletic.

Paignton Saints have thrown the title race wide open in the South & West Division after recording a brilliant 3-2 triumph at leaders Kingsteignton Athletic, securing the points with a late screamer from distance at Broadpark.

Second-placed Buckland Athletic Reserves took full advantage by securing a confident 3-0 win over Totnes & Dartington, thanks to goals from Sol Barclay, Dan Rankin and Edwards. Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves were grateful to goalkeeper Lee Davis and match-winner Joel Patchett in their battling 1-0 win at home to Bere Alston United.

It was a tremendous weekend for the Plymouth Argyle Development side, as goals from Josh Johnson, Bailey Yeo, Theo Ramsey and Joe Jackman gave the Pilgrims an impressive 4-0 win over lowly Paignton Villa.

The final two games in S&W ended in 2-2 draws. At Plympton Athletic, Dom and Lucas Lapthorne gave the home side a 2-0 lead but Ottery St Mary fought back for a point. Roselands also had to come from behind with goals from Alex Kassis and Sam Chorley to earn their draw with Lakeside Athletic.

CONGRATULATIONS to Liverton United, who have endured a tough start to life in the Scott Richards Solicitors DFL but produced an outstanding display in the North & East Division to record a tense 1-0 win over Budleigh Salterton, with Sam Hebbes smashing home a fantastic winner.

It was, unfortunately, a different afternoon for the other clubs in the bottom three, as both Clyst Valley and Bovey Tracey Reserves went down to defeats. Bovey suffered a painful 8-0 loss at Exwick Villa, with Mitch Ward scoring a hat-trick, a brace from Jesse Howe and further goals from Mark Saunders, Jordan Ford and Ash Hudd.

Clyst came a lot closer against the Heavies and actually scored the opener through Troy Membury but Dylan King replied for the visitors and Matt Feeny rifled into the bottom corner for a 2-1 Heavitree lead. Two more goals gave Heavitree a cushion, although Harry Elliott did manage a late consolation for Clyst.

Newtown maintained their position at the top of the table with a 3-0 triumph at Chudleigh Athletic, thanks to goals from Jack Gill, Cory O’Donoghue and Daniel Gill. Teignmouth also enjoyed a happy day on the road, winning 6-1 at Topsham Town with a Sean Ayre brace and goals from Geoff Breslan, Sam Chapman, Jack Baxter and Jamie Moore.   

A feisty encounter in the final game from this division and a last-minute goal from Ben Aiken gave Braunton a 2-1 victory at home to St Martins. Mark Thorne scored the opener for Braunton with a terrific header.

In the South & West Division, there was an incredible result for bottom club Paignton Villa, dishing out an 8-0 tonking to Lakeside Athletic. Chris Srdinko scored a hat-trick, there was a brace from Zach Norton and James Wootton, Sam Woodcock and Fran Durham also on target.

A fine weekend for teams at the bottom continued with Ottery St Mary defeating Plymstock United 3-1 and the Plymouth Argyle Development side drew 2-2 at home to Tavistock Reserves, with the in-form Josh Johnson grabbing a brace for the Pilgrims.

S&W leaders Kingsteignton Athletic won 4-3 at Paignton Saints in a superb game of football and it was the same scoreline of success for Roselands at Bere Alston United, with goals from Alex Kassis, Joe Aldous, Sam Chorley and Michael Farnham turning a 3-1 deficit into a dramatic victory.

The final two games brought more smiles for away teams, as Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves secured a 2-0 win at Plympton Athletic and Waldon Athletic were equally proficient in their 4-2 victory at Totnes & Dartington.

There was also one game in the McDonalds League Cup and, sticking with the theme, it was another cracker, as Exmouth Town Reserves battled through a red card and extra time to eventually record an entertaining 3-2 victory at Witheridge.

THE power of 3G rescued some action in the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League after another weekend wash-out for the sodden grass pitches in our region.

One game in the North & East Division survived, thanks to the excellent artificial pitch at the Exwick Sports Hub. It ended in a 1-1 draw for Exwick Villa at home to St Martins, with both sides reduced to ten men in a tempestuous affair. Mitch Ward scored for Villa and Ben Watson on target for the St Martins.

Paignton Saints produced the performance of the day in the S&W Division, running out comfortable 4-0 winners at home to Bere Alston United on the 3G at Waterleat Road in Paignton.

Not far up the road, on another artificial pitch, Totnes & Dartington were made to work very hard on the 3G at bottom club Paignton Villa before emerging with a 2-1 victory.

After a goalless first period on the superb facility at South Devon College, Liam McCauley notched for Villa but goals from Jacob Kneebone and Gareth Judkins were enough to keep the Tots pushing hard at the top end of the table.

The final fixture was played at the magnificent new Manadon Sports Hub, home of Plymouth Argyle’s Community Trust and the Argyle Development squad. The Pilgrims controlled the first period and scored through a Josh Johnson header but a brace from Tom Sercombe secured a valuable win for Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves.

FINALLY, the weather allowed for a decent weekend of football in the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League and there were some cracking games in the cup, as well as across both league divisions.

Starting with two fixtures in the McDonalds League Cup, there was a thrilling win for Alphington and an excellent performance on the road from St Martins. The Alphas faced a tough challenge at home to Exwick Villa in the cup and, with both teams riding high in the North & East Division of the DFL, the game more than lived up to expectations.

Jamie Mudge took the plaudits for Alphington with a fine hat-trick in an entertaining 4-3 success and there was also a tremendous display from home goalkeeper Lee Waring. On target for Villa were Sam Johnson, Jesse Howe and Nathan May.

St Martins travelled to Heavitree United in another cup game between two sides sat next to each other in the N&E league table and the visitors prevailed on the day, running out deserved 3-1 winners.

In the N&E league action, Clyst Valley came so very close to getting off the mark at the foot of the table, eventually going down to a 3-2 defeat at Chudleigh Athletic but a performance that will give Clyst some added belief for the winter period.

The other two games in this division ended with 5-1 score-lines. A Kyle Bassett double and goals from Scott Chambers, Dale O’Donoghue and Cory O’Donoghue secured a comfortable success for leaders Newtown at Witheridge, while Budleigh Salterton were equally ruthless in their defeat of Liverton United.

In the South & West Division, Buckland Athletic Reserves kept up the pressure on leaders Kingsteignton by securing an emphatic 5-0 win at Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves, with Mitch McCann scoring the pick of the goals for Buckland. Kingsteignton were equally impressive in their display at Roselands, winning 5-1 in Paignton.

Third-placed Watcombe Wanderers remain right in the mix after they secured a 3-0 win from a tough trip to Plymstock United, thanks to goals from Zack Chalmers-Wood, Charlie Cuss and a Ben Clark penalty.

In a tight battle between two sides in the chasing pack, a solitary goal from Daniel Block was enough to give Totnes & Dartington a 1-0 win over Paignton Saints. The final game was a 1-1 draw for Lakeside at the Plymouth Argyle Development side. Ashley White scored for the visitors before Josh Johnson levelled for Argyle.

IT was another weekend of football largely ruined by the weather in the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League but the games that did go ahead produced some tremendous entertainment and confident victories for two Paignton clubs.

There was one game played in the McDonalds League Cup and a fine display from Paignton Villa, as they defeated Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves 4-1 at the impressive South Devon College Sports facility. Chris Srdinko scored twice for Villa and there were also goals from Liam McAuley and captain Tom Parvin.

In the solitary game played in the North & East Division, Heavitree came from behind at Budleigh Salterton to record an excellent 3-1 victory. Darren Everest scored from an early penalty and Budleigh deservedly held their advantage until the half-time interval.

Gradually, the visitors from Heavitree began to exert their attacking strength on the game and finally drew level on 65 minutes with a calm finish from Jake Ranger. Budleigh responded by creating two chances of their own but were denied by the visiting custodian.

Heavitree grabbed the decisive third goal with just seven minutes remaining, when Harry Slack converted a left-wing cross. Budleigh had no choice but to throw everything at their visitors but were hit on the counter by a goal from substitute Jay Boyle.

In the two fixtures played in the South & West Division, there was a derby victory for Paignton Saints and an entertaining draw at Lakeside Athletic. The Saints ran out 4-1 winners at home to local rivals Roselands, thanks to a brace from Jamie Hodges and further goals by Sam Winstanley and Josh Pagett.

Lakeside pulled off a terrific fightback to draw 2-2 at home to Totnes & Dartington, recovering from a 2-0 deficit at the break to earn a point with goals from Owen Pritchard and Tyler Wotton. Lakeside are back in action on Wednesday night in the one DFL midweek fixture, when they travel to Tavistock Reserves.