There were only three league games and seven League Cup matches at the weekend. However, between these ten games a grand total of 66 goals were scored, not including the three cup encounters that went to penalties. There were hat-tricks for Woking's Helen Ogle, Portchester's Charmaine True, Chloe Marshall of Stoneham and Bournemouth Sports' Chloe Ashton. However, Woking's Gabriella Hobday, Milton United's April England, and Emma Davis from Bournemouth Sports, went one better, hitting four goals.

​Eversley & California 0-4 Kidlington
It was back down to earth for Eversley on Sunday, going down 4-0 to a resurgent Kidlington side after last week's first victory of the season. Kiera Isaac with two, Abi Haynes and Sara Pinna were on target for the Greens.

Milton United 6-1 Ascot United Reserves
Two big wins on the bounce for Milton after they put six past Ascot Reserves, featuring a number of u18s making the step up to senior football, on Sunday. April England led the way with four goals. Mollie Dyer and Grace Wiseman also chipped in with one each. Milton move up to sixth in the table, eleven pints adrift of leaders Long Crendon but with three games in hand. If they can keep up this winning run, they could still find themselves in contention.

​Woking 11-1 Rushmoor
A ruthless Cards performance saw them get into double-figured against Rushmoor. Kaitlin Howard put Woking in front after five minutes. By the half-hour mark they had added four more through Charlotte Keenan, Howard again and two from Helen Ogle. Before the break Gabriella Hobday got on the score sheet and Ogle completed her hat-trick to make it seven. Hobday then went on to score three more, taking her personal total to four, before Keenan completed the scoring in the 80th minute. Rushmoor's consolation came from Emma Mutch, her 16th goal of the season. Read the match report on the Woking web site.

AFC Portchester 9-0 Abbey Rangers
Rangers were put to the sword by a Portchy side keen to get back to winning ways after losing their 100% league record a couple of weeks back. Charmaine True struck a hat-trick, Aimee Hall-Guy notched a brace and there were singles for Eilidh Currie, Sophie Bell, Millie Bradbury and Roxy Roberts.

Ascot United 4-4 (5-4p) Warminster Town
Warminster came back from 3-1 and 4-3 down in this game, only to finally lose out from the spot. Sarah Leonard put Ascot in front after just 8 minutes, but Town were level on 16 through captain Millie Spratt. In first half added time Katie Vince put the Yellawomen back ahead. Sarah Leonard then added a third two minutes into the second half. However, two goals in as many minutes from Mia Blazey had Town back level by 73 minutes, only for Georgia Luckhurst-McCord to make it 4-2 on 77 minutes. Town weren't finished though and levelled it up again in the fourth minute of added time through Poppy Wannell. Ascot went on to win the shootout by 5-4. Read all about it on the Ascot United web site.

Beaconsfield Town 0-5 AFC Stoneham
A comprehensive cup victory for The Purps. They took the lead early on through Laura Ingram and held that advantage until the break. Mia Flood then doubled the score on 55 minutes before Chloe Marhsall took over, hitting a 16 minute hat-trick between the 64th and 80th minute.

Caversham United 0-17 Bournemouth Sports
After the euphoria of last week's excellent 2-1 defeat of Penn & Tylers Green, the Goats were brought back to earth with a crash by a rampant Bournemouth side who demonstrated the gulf between top of the premier and the lower reaches of Division One. Emma Davis led the way with four goals, Chloe Ashton hit a hat-trick, Hannah Bennett and Hollie Shaw got two each, with Samantha Chrippes, Rosie Eden, Liane Folkenstern, Kitty Norman, Jessica Fowell and Emily Phillips all getting their name on the sheet. A horrible result for Caversham but great credit to Bournemouth who only reported the result as a win on social media, no mention of the score. A real touch of class and solidarity for a fellow team.

Havant & Waterlooville 1-1 (4-1p) Penn & Tylers Green
Two sides flying high in their respective leagues, there was nothing to separated them over 90 minutes. Chloe Robinson for Penn and Sophie Lee for The Hawks seeing the game end level at 1-1. However, the home side took the advantage from the spot, winning 4-1 in the shootout.

Woodley United 2-0 Oxford City
Goalless at the break, Woodley finally got on top and gained some revenge for their 3-0 league defeat at Oxford a few weeks back. Gemma Sims put them ahead on 77 minutes with Tina Brett doubling the lead seven minutes later. The Hoops had winger Emily Harris sent off towards the end after picking up her second yellow.
​Take a lo0k at the match action, captured by the excellent Andy Wicks.

Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 (4-3) Eastleigh
The Chairgirls finally came through this tie 4-3 on penalties after coming from behind. Amber O'Reilly put Eastleigh in the driving seat after 49 minutes. Wycombe left it late, but Katie Riddngton popped up with an equaliser with ten minutes to go, setting up their penalty shootout win. Check out the pitch side highlights from Wycombe.

Premier League​
Ascot United v Eastleigh
The reverse fixture ended 1-0 to Ascot thanks to a Katie Riddington goal two minutes after the break. Eastleigh moved up to fourth with their last league victory over Wycombe. Ascot remained in second spot after a 2-2 home draw with Warminster. The Yellawomen, level on points with Bournemouth Sports but having played a game more, will be wanting to keep the pressure on the leaders. Eastleigh could move up to third with a point or more.
Racecourse Ground, Winkfield Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LJ

Badshot Lea v Woodley United
The Baggies are still hunting for that elusive second win of the season. Woodley's cup win over Oxford last weekend was their first win, in all competitions, since beating Badshot Lea back in early December. The sides have already met twice, once in the league and once in the League Cup. Woodley have edged both games, but only by a single goal, winning 2-1 in the league and 1-0 in the cup at Wrecclesham.
Operatix Community Ground, Westfield Lane, Wrecclesham GU10 4PF

Warminster Town v Oxford City
Warminster have now not lost a game in normal time since their 1-0 defeat to Ascot United in October. Their credentials will be tested on Sunday as they face an Oxford side who are also pretty high on confidence. Taking aside Sunday's defeat in the league cup and a reversal to then leaders Ascot United in December, The Hoops have won four and drawn two of their last eight matches. The teams battled out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture with both sides coming back from behind and a last minute Mia Blazey strike earning a point for Town.
Weymouth Street, Warminster BA12 9NS

Wycombe Wanderers v Bournemouth Sports
After two draws and a defeat, Wycombe got back to winning ways, even if it was through a penalty shootout, last Sunday. League leaders Bournemouth Sports racked up seventeen goals in their cup game and will, undoubtedly, be full of confidence. That feeling will be even further enhanced by the knowledge of a 3-1 win in the reverse fixture back in November. Liane Folkenstern, Becky Miles and an own goal being enough to see off Emma Newberry's goal for Wanderers.
18i78 Stadium, Wymers Wood Road, Burnham SL1 8JG

Division One North
Chesham United Development v Caversham United
Chesham didn't play last weekend, Caversham maybe wished they hadn't. This will be the first meeting of these sides this season after the reverse fixture was awarded to Chesham. After winning their last league outing, The Goats will be keen to put aside Sunday's cup defeat and set about trying to reel in second from bottom Eversley & California. Chesham, meanwhile, have local rivals Penn & Tylers Green in their sights, looking to possibly climb above them into fourth with a win.
Chiltern Hills Academy, Chartridge Road, Chesham HP52 2RG

Eversley & California v Ascot United Reserves
Both of these sides lost in the cup at the weekend. However, The Boars won their last league outing and will be looking to continue in the same mould as they bid to distance themselves from the bottom of the table. Ascot, meanwhile, are on a run of five consecutive league defeats. Although they are ten points clear of Eversley, they will not want to give any encouragement to the chasers.
ESA, Fox Lane, Eversley RG27 0NS

Kidlington Youth v Wycombe Wanderers u23
Third versus second with both sides within striking distance of the leaders Long Crendon. The reverse fixture was played the weekend before Christmas and ended with Wycombe taking all three points after a tight encounter. Alice Musgrove, Ammara Qureshi and Mia Parkin scored for Wanderers with a Courtney Sumner double for Kidlington not quite enough to earn a point.
Exeter Park, Crown Road, Kidlington OX5 1AB

Milton United v Abingdon United Development
It's only two weeks since the reverse fixture at The Northcourt, a game that BotP had the pleasure of covering (Mollie's Magic Hat Trick). On a blustery day a Mollie Dyer hat-trick helped Milton overcome both the conditions and the Yellows, as they ran out 4-1 winners. Milton seem to be on an upward trajectory and, with games in hand, are not out of the title race. Another win on Sunday could lift them up to fifth, depending upon other results.
Milton Heights, Potash Lane, Milton, Abingdon OX14 4XB

Penn & Tylers Green v Long Crendon
Four places and five points separate Long Crendon, on top, from Penn & Tylers Green. The reverse fixture, played in November, saw the visitors take the points with a 1-0 win. Top scorer Henna Hussain was on the mark for Penn, who also had Evie Matthews sent off for two yellows.
French School Meadow, Elm Road, Penn HP10 8LG

Division 1 South
Bournemouth Sports Reserves v Fleet Town
Fleet are still looking for their first league points and are six points adrift at the bottom. having said that, they have only played six and have five games in hand on Rushmoor and six on Abbey. Sports are fifth but only a point off second place. The sides met just a couple of week ago, with Sports coming out on top. Two goals in seven minutes, from Samantha Gubb and Caitlin Mooney, giving them a 2-0 win.
Chapel Gate, Nr Hurn Airport, East Parley, Hampshire BH23 6BL.
​
Havant & Waterlooville v Woking
On paper this looks to be a very tasty clash. Woking are now unbeaten in eight league matches and, although fourth, sit a point behind Portchester in second. The Hawks sit proudly atop the table, five points clear, although they have played four more games than Portchy. The reverse fixture, in October, finished with a resounding 4-1 score line in favour of The Cards.
Westleigh Park, Havant PO9 5TH

Rushmoor Community v AFC Portchester
These sides were at opposite ends of big scores at the weekend. Whilst Portchester were beating Abbey 9-0 in the League Cup, Rushmoor were going down 11-1 to Woking in the league. Rushmoor have conceded more than anyone else in the league, but are also well capable of notching a few themselves. They'll need to be on their guard against a prolific Portchester forward line. This will be their first meeting with the reverse scheduled in three weeks time.
Southwood Pavilion, Grasmere Road, Farnborough GU14 0LE

North Hants District FA Cup
Winchester City Flyers v Andover New Street
Andover New Street will be looking to pull off a big cupset as they travel to Winchester, a team three divisions above them. New Street play in the Hampshire League, Division Two and are currently sitting second, seven points behind leaders Mudeford Phoenix but with two games in hand. They are also the division's highest scorers with 33 goals in their 8 games. A tough examination for the Flyers' defence.
Winklebury Football Complex, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke, Hants RG23 8BF

Southampton Divisional FA Cup
AFC Stoneham v AFC Varsity
Stoneham take a breather from league action to take on AFC Varsity in the SDFA. Varsity are currently second in the Hampshire League Division One table, one division below The Purps. Varsity are yet to taste defeat on the road in the league and have also only conceded six times in five games on their travels. Stoneham have undoubted firepower, so this could be an interesting match-up.
Stoneham Lane, Eastleigh SO16 2PA

Following last week's Soccer AM reference, this week's title gives a little nod towards The Fast Show. However, it's really aimed at Caversham United who finally got some points on the board this season, and what a way to do it. A goal down to the team in second spot. They missed a penalty, went down to 10 through injury, fought back and notched a last minute winner. Elsewhere, Ascot missed out on going back to the top of the Premier, although had their own story of the day when Ailsa Sheppard, a late call-up from the U18 squad, scored both goals to rescue a point for them. Wycombe Wanderers moved up to second in the North with a resounding 5-0 defeat of Ascot reserves. In the South Stoneham got back into winning ways at Rushmoor.

​AFC Portchester P-P Portsmouth u23 

Penn & Tylers Green P-P Abingdon United Development

​Ascot United 2-2 Winchester City Flyers
Eliza Eaton put Flyers ahead six minutes before the interval, a lead they held up until half-time. Shortly after the restart Aisla Sheppard, called up from the U18 JPL squad, scored her first senior goal to level the scores. However, Amber Taylor then surprised the Yellawomen by restoring Winchester's lead, only for Sheppard to complete her fantastic story by hitting a late equaliser for United.
Read the match report on the Ascot United website.

Eastleigh 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers
The Spitfires leapfrogged Woodley and went three points clear of their opponents with this hard-fought victory. All of the goals came within seven first half minutes. Farrah Thompson put Eastleigh ahead after 33 minutes with Siena Millen doubling the advantage six minutes later. However, just a minute after that, Mia Parkin got one back for The Chairgirls to make for a tense second period.

​Abingdon United Development 1-4 Milton United
With Storm Isha blowing in, this game was very much affected by the strong wind blowing across The Northcourt. Milton were able to make the most of the conditions, hitting their hosts with a 4-minute Mollie Dyer hat-trick towards the end of the first half. Abingdon never quite recovered from that, despite getting a goal back in the second half through Mimi Hodges. Substitute  Maddie Welch rounded off the day for the visitors. You can read the match blog on the BotP website (Mollie's Magic Hat Trick).

Caversham United 2-1 Penn & Tylers Green
Result of the weekend has to go to The Goats. Without a point all season, they faced up to the team in second place. The reverse fixture ended 11-1 to Penn, so there were not too many expectations for Caversham. The Goats also missed a penalty early on and then conceded a goal to Rebecca Stopforth in the second period. With no substitutes and an injury, they were also reduced to ten players. However, Kate Stewart got them back on level terms and then, in the final minute, Freya Jenkins stepped up and put a free-kick into the top corner for an amazing win. Well worth watching the winning goal on the Caversham X feed. Keep a look out for the match report from Wandering Tractor (@wanderintractor) who was lucky enough to witness events.

Eversley & California 4-2 Beaconsfield Town
A much needed first win of the season for The Boars, especially given Caversham's unexpected three points. Darcey Young and Macey-Nikiah Walters put Eversley two up inside 30 minutes. However, Lucy Casey pulled one back just after the break. Keira Lourdes and another from Walters secured the victory, despite Erin Dennis also scoring for The Rams. A very much needed result for Eversley, especially with the unexpected result coming in from Mapeldurham.

Long Crendon P-P Chesham United Development

Wycombe Wanderers u23 5-0 Ascot United Reserves
Wanderers jumped into second place and closed to within two points of the leaders with this comprehensive defeat of Ascot. Daisy Thompson opened the scoring after ten minutes before Shannon Read took over, scoring four goals. The Chairgirls' top scorer made it 2-0 after 14 minutes and then extended the lead two minutes later. Her hat-trick was achieved eight minutes into the second half before she completed the scoring just past the hour.

​Fleet Town 0-2 Bournemouth Sports Reserves
Buoyed by last weekend's draw with Portchester, Bournemouth's Reserves set about going one better this Sunday against a Fleet team that had also won on the last outing. Goalless at the break, Sports took the lead through Samantha Gubb after 52 minutes. Seven minutes later Caitlin Mooney doubled their advantage, a lead they held for the remainder of the game.

Rushmoor Community 1-5 AFC Stoneham
The Purps bounced back from last weekend's defeat at home to Havant with a resounding victory at Southwood Pavilion. Two to the good at the break, through Rebecca Moody and Meadow Barton, Stoneham were relentless in their pursuit of the points in the second period. Mia Caitlin Delaney was on the mark and, of course, no Stoneham game would be complete without top scorer Chloe Melton adding her name to the scoresheet, which she duly did twice in the 81st and 84th minute.

​Capital Women's Cup - Intermediate Section
Abbey Rangers 0-1 Comets
The home side had seen off Comets' Greater London League Regents Park in the previous round. However, they could not repeat the feat against another team from the same division. A single Clara Macleod goal was enough for Comets to progress through to the Quarter-Finals

Woking 4-1 Denham United
The Cards continued their recent excellent run of form with a comprehensive defeat of Denham United. Sheena Nichol set them on their way after just 8 minutes before Helen Ogle doubled the lead from the spot midway through the half. Trudy Bryan-Kerr added a third just after the hour. Denham then managed to pull a goal back but it was too little, too late. Woking confirmed the result in the 85th minute when Sheena Nicholl added her second of the match. You can read the match report on the Woking website.

Oxfordshire FA Women's Cup
Oxford City 3-0 Kidlington 
The Hoops showed their Premier League credentials and experience to progress in this Oxfordshire Women's Cup local derby. Top Scorer Ellie White added another goal to her tally whilst Amelia Alves Martins scored twice to wrap up victory.

Hampshire FA Women's Senior Cup
Havant & Waterlooville 1-4 Southampton FC PGA U21
Southampton's youngsters proved too much for The Hawks, as they crashed out of the Hampshire Women's Cup. The Saints hit Havant with two early goals. Sherise Henry was on the mark after 2 minutes and then the lead was doubled by Libby Hester three minutes later. Sophie Lee pulled one back before the half-hour but two goals from Sophie Harwood sealed the victory for Southampton. Sadly Havant captain Jodie Burchell suffered an injury that is going to keep her out for some time. Speedy recovery Jodie.

Moneyfields 1-0 Bournemouth Sports
Sports suffered added time heartbreak after putting up a tremendous fight against National League side Moneyfields. The Premier League leaders took their higher-ranked opponents all the way into added time before a 92nd minute Tash Wild goal settled the game.

Southampton P-P AFC Portchester 

Capital Women's Cup - Senior Section
Haringey Borough 2-0 Badshot Lea
The Baggies held high-flying Haringey until after the break. However, they eventually went down to goals from Saoirse Hourigan and Kylie Manktelow as Borough progressed in the Capital Cup Senior Section.

Wiltshire FA Women's Cup
FC Chippenham Youth A-A  Warminster Town
Town were well in control of this game when the referee abandoned proceedings because of the strong winds. Two each from Maddy Brown and Mia Blazey plus goals from Bex Snelling and Poppy Spratt saw Warminster six goas to the good before the untimely end to the game.The game has since been awarded to Warminster.

Thursday 25th - Combined Counties Trophy
Penn & Tylers Green v Abingdon United Development (19:30)
Both of these teams lost at the weekend and will be keen to 'get back on the horse'. They met in the league just a couple of weeks back at French School Meadow. Two from Liberty Dieppe and an Ellie Ludgate-Williams strike were enough for the home side to take all three points, despite Iva Georgievska scoring for Abingdon.
French School Meadow, Elm Road, Penn HP10 8LG

Sunday 28th

Division One North
Eversley & California v Kidlington
Fresh from their first league win of the campaign, Eversley take on Kidlington in the reverse of the opening day fixture. On that day in September, The Greens took the plaudits with a 3-1 win with both Courtney Sumner and Kiera Isaac getting off the mark. However, the points were eventually awarded to Eversley after it was discovered that Kidlington played an unregistered player in the game.
ESA, Fox Lane, Eversley RG27 0NS

Milton United v Ascot United Reserves
A first meeting for these two teams after the reverse fixture was postponed. After Sunday's 4-1 win at Abingdon, Milton will be looking to continue their climb up the table with back-to-back league wins for only the second time this season. Ascot's defeat at Wycombe saw them drop below Milton in the rankings but only on goal difference.
Milton Heights, Potash Lane, Milton, Abingdon OX14 4XB

Division One South
Woking v Rushmoor
The Cards are still unbeaten in the league since losing their opening two matches, both against Portchester. They'll be looking to close the gap on the top teams this weekend, with the visit of Rushmoor. The sides met at Southwood Pavilion back in November. Woking ran out 4-2 winners that day, helped by a double from top scorer Helen Ogle.
Woking College, Rydens Way, GU22 9DL

League Cup
AFC Portchester v Abbey Rangers
An all Division One South game that throws together the second placed side and the sixth place team. They have met in the league already, also at Portchester. That was in November and saw the home side cruise to a 7-1 victory thanks to doubles from Eilidh Currie, Charmaine True and Elinor Williams. Their other goal was scored by Sara Hinton. After going four games without a win, Abbey will be looking to the League Cup to restart their season.
Venue: AFC Portchester Womens

Ascot United v Warminster Town
This all Premier League clash is made all the more interesting by the fact that it is not long since Warminster took away Ascot's unbeaten start to the season by winning 2-0 at Weymouth Street. They have also met at The Racecourse this season, with Ascot running out 1-0 winners. The win against Ascot was the start of a run of 6 games without defeat for Town. Both sides are in pretty good form, which should make for an entertaining encounter.
Racecourse Ground, Winkfield Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LJ

Beaconsfield Town v AFC Stoneham
After two very good wins, Beaconsfield were beaten by a resurgent Eversley side on Sunday. They now face a tough test in the visit of Division One South title contenders, Stoneham. The Purps got themselves back into winning ways at Rushmoor on Sunday, after they had lost at home to Havant & Waterlooville the week before. Both sides have players who know where the goal is, Grainne McNally for The Rams and Stoneham's Chloe Melton, so defences will need to be on their guard.
Holloways Park, Windsor Road, Beaconsfield HP9 2SE

Caversham United v Bournemouth Sports
The Goats battled their way to a first win of the season against Penn & Tylers Green at the weekend. Their reward? A home game against the Premier League leaders. With the Premier League title starting to look like a two-horse race, will Sports be more focused on that rather then the League Cup? Caversham, on the other hand, love a cup run but if they were to pull off a win in this one, it would be a major 'cupset'.
Mapeldurham Recreation Ground, Upper Woodcote Road, Mapledurham, Reading RG4 7LD

Havant & Waterlooville v Penn & Tylers Green
An interesting match-up between two sides pushing for promotion from their respective Division One leagues. Both suffered defeat at the weekend, although in very different circumstances. Havant's cup exit at the hands of Southampton's u21 side was no entirely unexpected. Penn's defeat to Caversham came as more of a surprise. The loss of captain and top scorer Jodie Burchell will be a blow.
Westleigh Park, Havant PO9 5TH

Woodley United v Oxford City
An all Premier League clash featuring sides who have already met twice in the league. It's the Hoops who hold all the cards this season, having won 2-1 at Bulmershe Pavilion back in October and then, just before Christmas, 3-0 at Marsh Lane. The game pitches the second tightest Premier League defence, Woodley, against the second most prolific scorers, City. It will be interesting to see which team comes out on top.
UofR Bulmershe Pavilion, Woodlands Avenue, Woodley, Reading, Berks RG5 3HE

Wycombe Wanderers v Eastleigh
Another all Premier League encounter this time involving teams who met only last week in the league. That game was played at Eastleigh's Oasis Academy ground and was won by the home side, 2-1. However, when the sides met at Burnham in the reverse fixture, the tables were turned. Two from Amy Leach and one from Katie Riddington were enough to give the Chairgirls a 3-2 victory. Best of three?
18i78 Stadium, Wymers Wood Road, Burnham SL1 8JG

A frozen pitch put paid to my daughter's debut for her new club on Saturday but there was no such problem on Sunday. The freezing temperatures had been banished, only to be replaced with Storm Isha, bringing with it the threat of gale force winds and driving rain. The vast majority of games involving SoReg teams appeared to be on, but it still felt like a better idea to stay fairly local rather than risk a long journey only to find a late postponement. Consequently, I decided it was time for a trip back down the A34 for something of a local derby in Division One North, Abingdon United Development against Milton United. Only 7 miles separates the two grounds, just a single A34 junction. As well as being geographically close, the two teams were also just one place apart in the league table at the start of play. Abingdon held a three point advantage on their visitors, but Milton had the advantage of five games in hand.

​It was plain, from the first few minutes, that the weather was going to play a big part in this game. The gusty wind, blowing  towards the clubhouse end of the ground and slightly left to right across the pitch, was strong enough to severely hamper any attempted long clearances from the team defending that end, whilst adding a significant advantage to the team shooting in that direction. In the first half this was Milton and, consequently, it was they who made the stronger start, although it took both teams a few minutes to get to grips with the conditions.
Once they had settled down it was Milton's Kira Ranxcha who got the first shot off in anger, stinging the palms of Alana Chester. That was just the first of many attempts on goal for the visitors, as they started to ramp up the pressure on the home goal. With 11 minutes on the clock Lily Norton called Chester into action again with a lovely strike that the keeper had to turn over the bar. Another good save from the keeper in what was to become a busy first half for her. Next to try her luck was Grace Wiseman, stepping up from the back to strike one from way out. The ball flew wide of Chester's goal but was a clear demonstration of how the visitors were using the conditions to their advantage. Abingdon were struggling to get a grip on the game. The conditions prevented them playing it long but, if they tried to play through midfield, they were faced with Milton's hard-working trio of Zoe Barnes, Amy Loveridge and April England. Teh hoem side did, however, generate a half-chance just before the half-hour. A diagonal ball forard found it's way through to Georgia Taylor who hit it first time from the edge of the box, only for the ball to sail well over.
As we approached the midway point of the first half, Milton put together a passing move that would have graced any pitch, anywhere. Four or five precision passes, from the edge of the own penalty area to the edge of the Abingdon area, lovely one or two touch football that carved a path through the ABingodon team. The ball eventuayl found Mollie Dyer who strucka powerful effort over Chester's bar. Ten minutes later Dyer tried her luck again, after being set up by a peect lay-off from April England. Once again the shot was off the mark but these, as we were to soon find out, were just 'sighters'.
Two minutes later England popped up in the box and looked set to open the scoring when the ball was fed to her, unmarked, some 10 yards out. However, Philippa Dellar showed all of her captains qualities, bravely throwing herself in front of the shot and preventing what looked like a certain goal. The Milton pressure was now incessant. With 33 minutes gone they won a free-kick some 25 yards out and slightly to the left of goal. Lily Norton struck the ball superbly only to see it come back off the junction of post and crossbar, hit Chester and bounce away to safety. It is quite possible that Chester  got a fingertip to the initial shot and, if she did, it was yet another great save.
With ten minutes to go until the break, it was starting to look as if Abingdon may have weathered the storm (quite literally), until Mollie Dyer decided to take the game by the scruff of the neck. First of all she latched onto a ball through the middle, twisted this way and that, before unleashing a drive, from the edge of the box, that even Chester could do nothing about. 0-1. A minute later and it was two. Route One this time. A long ball forward found Dyer one on one with a defender. She used her strength to shrug off the challenge before lofting the ball over the onrushing Chester. 0-2.
Abingdon barely had time to come to terms with the two-goal blitz when it became three. Only four minutes since the game had been goalless, Mollie Dyer grabbed her hat-trick. Picking up the ball on the right-hand corner of the box, she took a touch, took aim, and rifled an unstoppable effort into the top corner. 0-3
Definitely the quickest hat-trick I've ever seen. There can't have been too many scored in a shorter timespan anywhere.

HT Abingdon United Development 0 Milton United 3. With the conditions in their favour, Milton laid siege to the Abingdon goal for much of the half. However, goalless after just over half an hour, it looked like Abingdon might hold out, until a blistering four minute hat-trick from Mollie Dyer completely changed the game. Having said that, an early goal for the home side could easily tilt the balance again with the wind behind them.

​Abingdon introduced top-scorer Mimi Hodges during the break and with her now leading the line, combined with the wind behind them, they immediately looked more dangerous. Their first real effort, however, came from Nina Maitlis, striking it from 25 yards but not troubling Grace Beardsley in the Milton goal. Two minutes later, Hodges broke up the right and slid an inviting ball across the face of goal which just evaded Georgia Taylor at the far post.
Milton's attacks were now being restricted, much like Abingdon in the first period. Although April England did get a shot on target on the hour mark. No real problem for Chester but a warning that Milton could stil find a way to goal. That was further illustrated two minutes later when a corner from the right was met by the head of Zoe Barnes, who saw her effort crash off the underside of the bar and out to safety.
Abingdon then broke straight back up the other end, with Taylor getting a flick on to put Hodges through on the left. However, from a tight angle the striker could only hit the side-netting. Milton's reprieve lasted just two more minutes though. Trying to play the ball out from the back, Mimi Hodges was quick to pressure and rob Becci Bostock inside the box. She took a touch before sweeping the ball past Beardsley 1-3. Could this be the start of a comeback for the home team? 
They were certainly looking up for it now. Hodges was increasingly getting on the ball and, three minutes after scoring, the striker again created an opportunity for herself, striking well from the edge of the box only to find Grace Beardsley well positioned to make the stop. As we entered the final 20 minutes, Hodges was again played in on the left but, clean through, she fired tamely into he arms of Beardsley, and that could have been the turning point. Three minutes later a quick break down the right culminated in Milton substitute Maddie Welch being set up to calmly slip the ball under Alana Chester for 1-4.
Abingdon didn't give up the ghost but, in all fairness, the game was beyond them at this stage. Hodges did fire another long range effort over Beardsley's bar but the Milton keeper was not troubled too much in the closing minutes.

FT Abingdon United Development 1 Milton United 4. A game that hinged largely on which team managed to use the weather conditions to their advantage the most and, on this occasion, that was Milton United. If Abingdon had managed to hold out in the first half, or even restricted Milton to one, the game could have been very different. Abingdon were unable to quell the constant onslaught from Milton in the first half and, consequently, the pressure finally told. In the second half, Milton were forced into a similar position, defending for much of the half. However, they were able to defend higher up the pitch through their protective midfield shield of England, Loveridge and Barnes, which made it much more difficult for Abingdon to pepper the goal in the way that Milton had in the first half.
The win takes Milton above both Abingdon and Ascot United Reserves, into sixth spot. Abingdon are now eighth, but four points ahead of Beaconsfield in ninth, with a games in hand.

Abingdon United Devleopment: 1.Chester, 2.Biddle, 3.Lewington, 4.Dellar(c), 5.Ives, 6.Sadler, 7.Pearce, 8.Georgievska, 14.Southy, 10.Maitlis, 11.Taylor. Subs: 12.Phillips, 9.Hodges
Milton United: 1.Beardsley, 15.Taylor(c), 5.Bostock, 18.Wiseman, 7.Barnes, 9. Loveridge, 12.Evans, 4.Ranxcha, 8.England, 17.Dyer, 11.Norton. Sub: 4.Welch

​The Ground
It's been a while since I last visited The Northcourt and, although not too much has changed, the first thing I noticed was something that was no longer there. I am, of course, referring to the yellow submarine that used to adorn the back wall of one of the stands. There are two covered spectator areas. What was the yellow submarine stand, which provides standing only, and on the opposite side, seating. All of the facilities are at the Northcourt Road end of the ground, behind the goal. There you will the clubhouse, which features a patio area looking out over the potch, and additional matchday toilets, as well as the players and officials changing rooms. There are also bench style table son the grass behind the Northcourt Road end goal. The opposite goal is backed by trees and bushes.
The Northcourt, in my opinion, is one of the better examples of a non-league football ground. In fact, Abingdon is well-served with The Northcourt and Abingdon Town's Culham Road ground, which is another fine example in my book.


Ground Number: Re-Visit
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A

Yes, I know it's a re-hashed gag from Soccer AM but, after this weekend's results, the weekly blog title had to be reflect the achievements of the two Bournemouth Sports teams. Whilst the first team was winning 2-1 at Badshot Lea to go a point clear at the top of the Premier League, the reserves became the first team this season to prevent the AFC Portchester juggernaut from taking all three points. Their 1-1 home draw also saw Havant & Waterlooville, who won 1-0 at Stoneham Lane, leapfrog Portchester into top spot. Meanwhile in the North, Long Crendon went 5 points clear after beating Caversham 3-0 whilst their to closest rivals, Penn and Wycombe, drew 2-2 at French School Meadow.
Time also to declare an interest, in the same way as when I used to sponsor a Caversham plyer. Just this week, my daughter signed for one of Kidlington Youth's junior teams. Who knows. Maybe in a couple of years I'll be writing about my own daughter's exploits on the pitch?

Badshot Lea 1-2 Bournemouth Sports
Sports took full advantage of the game in hand over Ascot to knock the Yellawomen off the top of the table. The Baggies, who have not won since the opening day, made them work for it, but even a Holly Montgomery goal for the home side proved not to be enough. Rosie Eden and Liane Folkenstern scored for Bournemouth, who now the lead Premier League by a point.

Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Woodley United
Sarah Lawrence was on the mark again for Woodley, knocking in her eighth of the season after only two minutes at the 18i78 Stadium. Twenty minutes later Emma Newberry scored for the second week running levelling it up for The Chairgirls. This was the second draw on the bounce for both sides. Woodley remain fourth, two points and one place ahead of Wycombe, who have a game in hand. Check out the pitch side video from the Wycombe X feed.

League Cup
Eversley & California 1-6 Eastleigh
The Spitfires showed their Premier League credentials with a four goal first half blast that saw off Eversley. Siena Millen, with two, and Sarah Bradshaw hit three goals in a blistering three minute spell. Catherine Browning added a fourth a minute before the break. Darcey Young got one back for The Boars just before the hour but Siena Millen completed her hat-trick after 76 minutes and Farah Thompson added the sixth inside the final 10 minutes.

Winchester City Flyers 0-2 Warminster Town
Warminster top scorer Mia Blazey scored towards the end of each half to maintain Warminster's recent run of good form. That's now four wins and a draw in their last five games in all competitions.

​Abingdon United Development 1-2 Kidlington
After three consecutive league defeats Kidlington got back to winning ways after a hard-fought win on the road at Abingdon. Kiera Isaac with her fifth of the season and Courtney Sumner, with her sixteenth, did enough to edge the greens through by 2-1.

Ascot United Reserves 0-1 Chesham United Development
A very hard-fought victory for Chesham in what sounded like an extremely tight game. Neither side could find a goal until, inside the final five minutes, Oana Filip struck for Chesham to secure the points. The win saw Chesham close the gap on third-placed Wycombe to just three points, with a game in hand.

Beaconsfield Town 3-2 Milton United
Grainne McNally for Beaconsfield and Jessica Simons for Milton, had the teams level at the break. Simons hit the net again in the second half but a goal from Lucy Casey and another, four minutes from time, from Violet-Kingston-Wheeler, saw Beaconsfield win two on the bounce for the first time this season.

Long Crendon 3-0 Caversham United
A very much improved showing from The Goats. With no substitutes and no recognised goalkeeper in the squad, they managed to restrict the league leaders to three goals. Sarah Harrison, Nicole Jacobs and Michelle Bailey were on the scoresheet for the home side, a result that put them five points clear at the top of the table. Photographer Clive Parker was on hand to capture some great image of the game.

Penn & Tylers Green 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers u23
Penn scored in the final minute of the first-half through Madheeya Whitaker, to lead 1-0. Henna Hussain, back from suspension, then added a second a minute in to the second-half. However, Mia Parkin got Wycombe back in the game after 50 minutes. Then, six minutes after the hour, Daisy Thompson popped up, for the second week running to take a share of the spoils for The Chairgirls. The draw saw both teams lose a little ground on leaders Long Crendon.

​FC Stoneham 0-1 Havant & Waterlooville
A third league win on the spin for The Hawks which saw them take over at the head of the table. A Jodie Birchell strike was the difference between the teams as Havant ended Stoneham's 100% home record for the season. Photographer Dave Haines captured the action.

Abbey Rangers 0-3 Woking
The Cards came out on top of this local derby. Helen Ogle broke the deadlock after 35 minutes with Sheena Nichol adding a second three minutes before the break. Eleven minutes in the second period, Kaitlin Howard completed the scoring and, effectively, ended the game, with Woking's third. The Cards, in fourth, are now just a point behind Stoneham in third.

Bournemouth Sports Reserves 1-1 AFC Portchester
Natalie Bavister scored for Portchester on her return to the club. However, it wasn't enough for Portchy to maintain their 100% start to the league season. Faye Hawkins scored for Bournemouth, earning Sports a point. On the back of Woking's win, Bournemouth slipped to fifth on goal difference behind The Cards. Portchester drop to second behind Havant & Waterlooville, although they do have three games in hand on the new leaders.

North Hants Cup Semi-Final
Fleet Town 2-1 Rushmoor
Despite being rooted to the bottom of the league, Fleet now have a cup final to look forward to after beating Rushmoor in this North Hants Cup semi-final tie. Molly Greenaway and Dorothy-Lillian Usher were on the mark for Town with Emma Mutch hitting Rushmoor's consolation.

Wednesday 17 January​
AFC Portchester v Portsmouth u23 (19:45)
Third time lucky? Hopefully. When this tie was originally announced Portchester still had a 100% record. That's now gone after their draw at the weekend. However, this still promises to be a cracking local-derby cup tie. Portsmouth got through to this round on a bye. Portchester were awarded a home win in their tie with Alton. The winners will face wither Margate or Deal Town in the Third Round.
The OnSite Goup Stadium, Cranleigh Road, Portchester, PO16 9DP

Thursday 18 January 
Penn & Tylers Green v Abingdon United Development (19:30)
Weather permitting, these two league rivals will face off in the Combined Counties Trophy. It's been less than two weeks since their league meeting, also at French School Meadow. All the goals came in the first half as Penn ran out 2-1 winners. Ascot United u18 await the winners of this game in the Quarter-Final.
French School Meadow, Elm Road, Penn HP10 8LG

21 January
Premier League
Ascot United v Winchester City Flyers
With Bournemouth Sports in cup action at the weekend, Ascot have the opportunity to regain top spot if they can overcome Winchester at The Racecourse. The reverse fixture, played in Vovember, saw The Yellawomen victorious througha second-half Laura Spark goal.
The Racecource Ground, Winkfield Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LJ

Eastleigh v Wycombe Wanderers
Level on points in sixth and fifth respectively, only goal difference separates these two. However, Eastleigh have played two games more than The Chairgirls. The reverse fixture was something of a topsy-turvy, five-goal thriller. Eastleigh led early on only for Wycombe to storm back into a 3-1 lead before a late Eastleigh goal made for an uncomfortable last few minutes for the home side.
Oasis Academy Mayfield, Ashley Cresent, Southampton SO19 9NA

Division One North
Abingdon United Development v Milton United
Milton are still playing catch-up in terms of league games. They are three points behind Abingdon but have a colossal five games in the bank on their hosts, as they do on many of the sides above them. Milton need to find the consistency they showed last season if they want to fly up the table. After beating Penn 2-0 a couple of weeks back, they went down 3-2 at Beaconsfield last weekend. Abingdon have been on a lean run recently, having not won since a 3-2 victory over Beaconsfield in November.
Northcourt Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1PL

Caversham United v Penn & Tylers Green
The Goats showed tremendous spirit last weekend although, ultimately they went down 3-0 at Long Crendon, making it twelve without a point. Penn are currently second, five points adrift but with a game in hand. They now have top scorer Henna Hussain back after suspension, picked up when she was shown a red card in the reverse fixture. Despite the sending off, she had already scored four as Penn cruised to an 11-1 victory.
Mapledurham Recreation Ground, Upper Woodcote Road, Mapledurham, Reading RG4 7LD

Eversley & California v Beaconsfield Town
Another side having to play catch up in terms of fixtures are Eversley & California. The Boars have played just seven times in the league and are currently second-bottom, three points ahead of Caversham but nine behind visitors Beaconsfield, who have played seven games more. This, unsurprisingly, is their first meeting this season.
ESA, Fox Lane, Eversley RG27 0NS

Long Crendon v Chesham United Development
The reverse fixture, on the opening day of the season, was an eight goal thriller that ended in favour of Long Crendon. The visitors were 3-2 up at half-time and eventually ran out 5-3 winners. However, with just one defeat in their last nine league outings, Chesham have climbed from second bottom at the start of October, to fourth.
Long Crendon Recreation Ground, Chearsley Road, Long Crendon HP18 9BS

Wycombe Wanderers u23 v Ascot United Reserves
Ascot have lost their last two league games, included a 1-0 reversal at home to Chesham at the weekend. Wycombe, along with Long Crendon and Penn, share the top scorer spot with 44. However, unlike the top two, who have conceded 14 and 17 respectively, Wanderers have shipped 29. So, no lack of excitement in their games but it has meant that they have no managed to build up a head of steam. The reverse fixture was awarded as a walkover to Wycombe.
18i78 Stadium, Wymers Wood Road, Burnham SL1 8JG

Division One South
Fleet Town v Bournemouth Sports Reserves
Fleet, fresh from their cup semi-final victory, will be hoping they can use that extra confidence to finally get some points on the board on the league, in the first of two consecutive meetings with Sports Reserves. Bournemouth, however, will also be on a high after becoming the first team this season to take a point off Portchester. A win could, depending on other results, lift them as high as third place.
Crookham Road, Fleet GU51 5FA

Rushmoor Community v AFC Stoneham
Rushmoor missed out on a place in the North Hants Cup Final last weekend, going down 2-1 to Fleet in the semi-final. It's back to league action this weekend as third placed Stoneham come to town. Rushmoor will be hoping that there is a different result to the first two meetings this season, one in the league and one in the FA Cup. Both games, at Stoneham Lane, ended in 8-0 defeats for Rushmoor. League top scorer, Chloe Melton, scored four in each of those games.
Southwood Pavilion, Grasmere Road, Farnborough GU14 0LE

Capital Womens Cup - Intermediate Section
Abbey Rangers v Comets
This Capital Women's Cup game matches up Abbey with Greater London Premier League side Comet, who currently sit second in their league. Abbey are no strangers to teams from this division, having already put out Regents Park Rangers 4-2 on their own ground, in the previous round. Carla Hobbs scored all four for Abbey that day. To give some context, Comet also beat Regents Park, 2-0 on the opening day of the season.
Addlestone Moor, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2QH

Woking v Denham United
Another Capital Women's Cup tie. Woking take on London & South East Division One North mid-table outfit, Denham United. Both sides have already played twice in this competition. In Round One, Woking defeated Epsom & Ewell 2-0 whilst Denham were 3-2 winners at Headstone Manor. In the Second Round, both were drawn away from home. Woking were 5-2 victors at Welling United. Denham went through 3-0 on penalties after a 3-3 draw with Richmond & Kew
Woking College, Rydens Way, Woking GU22 9DL

Oxfordshire FA Women's Cup
Oxford City v Kidlington 
It's only been just over a month since these two sides met in the League Cup. That tie was played at Exeter Park and saw Premier League City win 5-1 thanks largely to a hat-trick from Ellie White. Fortunes have been mixed for the Hoops since then, winning one, drawing one and losing one. Kidlington, meanwhile, lost their next two after that cup game but got back to winning ways last weekend at Abingdon.
Marsh Lane, Marston, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX3 0NQ

Hampshire FA Women's Senior Cup
Havant & Waterlooville v Southampton FC PGA U21
Fresh from going top of Division One South, The Hawks face another challenge as they take on Southampton's Academy side in the Senior Cup. Havant disposed of SoReg Premier League Winchester City in the previous round whilst Southampton have yet to play, having been awarded their 2nd Round tie with Eversley & California.
Westleigh Park, Havant PO9 5TH

Moneyfields v Bournemouth Sports
Sports, who also went top of their league last weekend, face a Moneyfields team for the second consecutive round of the Senior Cup. Having smashed in ten against Fleet Town in the First Round, Sports went on to put six past Mioneyfields Reserves in Round Two. Moneyfields, meanwhile, received a First Round walkover before beating Eastleigh 4-1 in the previous round.
Moneyfield Avenue, Portsmouth PO3 6LA

Southampton P-P AFC Portchester 

Capital Women's Cup - Senior Section
Haringey Borough v Badshot Lea
The Baggies take a welcome break from their league strife. However, they face a tough test in the Capital Cup as they travel to Haringey. Borough are currently second in the Eastern Region Premier League and have only lost once at home this season. That defeat came in their last outing, a 3-2 reversal against runaway leaders Real Bedford. With three players already in double figures, Borough clearly pose a threat going forward.
Coles Park Stadium, White Hart Lane, Tottenham, London N17 7JP

Wiltshire FA Women's Cup
FC Chippenham Youth v Warminster Town
Both of these sides joined the competition in the previous round and both had big wins. Chippenham beat Kingsdown 11-1 with seven of their goals coming from Faith Pound. Meanwhile, Warminster put thirteen unanswered goals past Swindon Supermarine with Mia Blazey scoring four of them but being outshone by strike partner Poppy Wannell, who notched five.
Stanley Park Sports Ground, Pewnsham, SN15 3RR

It's been a particularly damp start to 2024 and, consequently, we saw a few postponements on the first Sunday of the month. With a cold snap coming, we may see a few more next week, if all of this standing water freezes over. Let's hope it clears up soon.
In the Premier League, second placed Bournemouth Sports continued where they left off, maintaining their unbeaten start to the season with another victory. Long Crendon edged the battle of the greens, winning 1-0 at Kidlington to stay top of the North Division. Meanwhile, in the South, Havant & Waterlooville moved level on points with AFC Portchester, although they have played three games more.

​Bournemouth Sports 5-0 Eastleigh in the Community
Sports got the New Year off to a great start, maintaining their unbeaten run and closing the gap on Ascot United to two points, with a game in hand. Rosie Eden had them in front after 10 minutes. Emily Phillips and Jasmine Hughes added two more to see the home side go into the break three to the good. Hannah Bennett and Phillips again completed the scoring in the second half.

Oxford City 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers
A Katie Riddington strike saw Wanderers take a 1-0 lead into half-time. However, shortly after the restart, Emily Harris equalised for Oxford, only for Emma Newberry to restore The Chairgirls' lead three minutes later. Captain Georgina Tayman then struck a 71st minute goal to level the scores once more.

Winchester City Flyers 4-0 Badshot Lea
The Baggies run of defeats continued as Flyers put six points between themselves and the bottom side. Winchester were three up before half-time through Jasmine Pearman, Charlotte Warhurst and Emily McDonough. Badshot Lea steadied the ship after the break before Jasmine Pearman struck her second goal to round off the scoring. The result sees even more congestion in the middle of the table. Only five points separate second from bottom Flyers from fourth-placed Woodley United.

Woodley United 1-1 Warminster Town
A chill wind and a heavy pitch could easily have hampered this game but these two teams were having none of that. A thoroughly entertaining encounter saw them share the points, which was probably the fairest result on the balance of play. Mia Blazey had the visitors, backed by a good following from Wiltshire, in front early on. However, a series of corners finally paid off for Woodley when Gemma Sims got on the end of one around the half-hour mark. BotP had the pleasure of witnessing the action first hand. You can read the match blog here (Fair And All-Square). It was also good to catch up with photographer Andy Wicks who, once more, captured the action perfectly for us.

League Cup
Woking 3-3 (1-3p) Ascot United
This game had to be replayed after the original match ended 3-2 (aet) to Ascot but the league deemed that it should have gone straight to penalties. So, it was only right that the replay did, indeed, go to penalties. Kudos to Woking though. The lower-ranked team came from 2-1 down at half-time to level the scores before going out from the spot. Alix Todd put the Yellawomen in front before Kate Fox doubled the lead. Sheena Nichol managed to reduce the arrears before the break. Charlotte Keenan then levelled it up before the hour. Philippa Holden then put Ascot back in front, only for Sheena Nichol to smash in a last minute equaliser. You can read all about the game on the Woking web site and the Ascot United web site. You can also see the match action photos courtesy of James Prickett.

Ascot United Reserves P-P Milton United

Eversley & California P-P Caversham United

Kidlington 0-1 Long Crendon
A single Eleanor Lovelock strike kept Long Crendon top of the table whilst consigning Kidlington to their third league defeat on the bounce. It was some revenge for Long Crendon, who lost the reverse fixture 2-1 back in October. Kidlington remain in fifth spot still five points ahead of Ascot United Reserves.

Penn & Tylers Green 3-1 Abingdon United Development
Penn kept the pressure on Long Crendon, taking all three points in a game that saw all four goals scored in the first half. In the absence of suspended top-scorer Henna Hussain, Liberty Dieppe notched twice for Penn, taking her tally to 6 in 8 games. Ellie Ludgate-Williams scored the other Penn goal with her fifth of the season. Abingdon hot-shot Mimi Hodges wasn't able to add to her tally, Iva Georgievska hit the consolation for the yellows. The win takes Penn back into second spot.

Wycombe Wanderers u23 2-3 Beaconsfield Town
The Rams came out on top of this local derby. They went into the break a goal to the good thanks to top-scorer Grainne McNally's tenth of the season. Shannon Read equalised shortly after the restart only for Philippa Lance and then Ruby Harris to give Beaconsfield a two goal cushion with 20 minutes remaining. Daisy Thompson did manage to pull one back just before the end, but it was not enough for Wycombe, who dropped a place to third.

Fleet Town P-P AFC Stoneham

Havant & Waterlooville 4-1 Bournemouth Sports Reserves
Two goals in each half saw The Hawks start the New Year with a bang, climbing back into second place and level on points with leaders Portchester. Sophie Lee and Emma-Jane May bagged a brace a piece, both scoring one in each half.

Rushmoor P-P AFC Portchester

Note: AFC Portchester take on Portsmouth u23 this evening (Wednesday) . This is a Combined Counties Cup tie that has been re-arranged after falling foul of the weather previously.
ko 19:45 - On-Site Group Stadium, Cranleigh Road, PO16 9DP

​Premier
Badshot Lea v Bournemouth Sports
When you've just lost eight league games on the bounce, the last thing you need is the league's only unbeaten team coming to town. That's the scale of the challenge facing Badshot Lea this coming weekend. Sports have won their last five league outings, scoring 21 and conceding 5. With leaders Ascot now within their sights, they will be looking to maintain this run of form. However, we've seen this sort of situation so many times before. The Baggies have nothing to lose in this game, it's almost a free-hit for them.
Operatix Community Ground, Westfield Lane, Wrecclesham GU10 4PF

Wycombe Wanderers v Woodley United
Two points and two place separates Wycombe, in sixth, from Woodley in fourth, although the Chairgirls do have a game in hand. Wycombe are defending an unbeaten home record this season, winning two and drawing two so far. If there's such a thing as a mid-table six-pointer, this is it. Three points could put wither team back in touch with the top three, defeat could leave them glancing over their shoulders and checking the Winchester v Warminster result.
18i78 Stadium, Wymers Wood Road, Burnham SL1 8JG

League Cup
Eversley & California v Eastleigh
Eversley have now not played a league game since their 4-1 home defeat to Long Crendon back on Bonfire Night. However, they beat Guildford 3-1 in the Combined Counties Cup in November, with goals from Joanne Harfield, Rebekah Pantony and Chloe Watkins. Since then they have had four league games postponed and conceded two cup games. It would be great to see this one go ahead. Eastleigh lost 5-0 at Bournemouth on Sunday and will be chomping at the bit to get things back on track. The winners of this game will be away at Wycombe in the 2nd Round.
ESA, Fox Lane, Eversley RG27 0NS

Winchester City Flyers v Warminster Town
An all Premier league encounter with the premier League leaders, Ascot United, awaiting the winner in Round 2. They have already met once in the league this season, at Weymouth Street. On that occasion Mia Blazey gave the hosts a half-time lead but two Shayne Prasad goals gave Winchester the points.
Winklebury Football Complex, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke, Hants RG23 8BF

Division One North
Penn & Tylers Green v Wycombe Wanderers u23
Game of the day across the leagues has to be this massive local derby between second placed Penn and third placed Wycombe. Currently they are level on points, separated by Penn's superior goal difference. Penn also have a game in hand. If this is anything like the reverse fixture, we are in for a treat. Back in October, Shannon Read scored twice in the first-half to give Wanderers a 2-0 lead. However, Liberty Dieppe and Henna Hussain were on hand for Penn after the break, only for Read to score a 92nd minute hat-trick goal to win the game.
French School Meadow, Elm Road, Penn HP10 8LG

Abingdon United Development v Kidlington
Two sides looking to regain some form after a couple of reversals in recent weeks. With two of the league's top scorers in Courtney Sumner (15) and Mimi Hodges (14), both sides can boast firepower, especially Kidlington, who also have 8-goal Abi Haynes to call upon. Both Sumner and Haynes were on the scoresheet when the sides met at Exeter Park back in October. Kidlington triumphed 3-1 despite Eva Georgievska's goal for Abingdon. BotP was at that game. You can read all about it here (Sunday Best).
Northcourt Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1PL

Ascot United Reserves v Chesham United Development
Chesham, in fourth, currently lead the pack of teams chasing the top three down. Ascot are a further six points behind their Sunday visitors, but do have a game in hand. When they met earlier in the season, Chesham took all three points thanks to two from Katie west and one from Emma Nolan. Louise Pullen pulled one back for Ascot.
Racecourse Ground, Winkfield Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LJ

Beaconsfield Town v Milton United
Currently ninth and eighth in the table respectively, these two are four pints apart. However, Beaconsfield have played six more games than Milton, who have still only managed to get through seven league fixtures this season. Despite that, they have already met at Milton Heights back at the start of October. Two from Millie Dyer and one each from Faith Kingdon and Katie Miller held sway for United despite Grainne McNally bagging another two for The Rams. After the weekend postponement at Ascot, Milton have now not played since mid-December. Beaconsfield, however, recorded an excellent 3-2 win at Wycombe last Sunday.
Holloways Park, Windsor Road, Beaconsfield HP9 2SE

Long Crendon v Caversham United
The classic top versus bottom match-up. The Goats are still to clock up a single point this season and a game against the currently league leaders is probably not highest on their agenda. After their game at Eversley was postponed on Sunday, Caversham were last in action in the reverse of this fixture. That day ended in a crushing 8-0 defeat after Long Crendon had led 2-0 at the break but then ran away with it in the second period. Brooke Burns, Tara Woodward and Sarah Harrison all scored twice. The other two were added by Megan Brockwell and Nicole Jacobs.
Long Crendon Recreation Ground, Chearsley Road, Long Crendon HP18 9BS

Division One South
AFC Stoneham v Havant & Waterloovile
After The Hawks leapfrogged Stoneham into second place at the weekend, it's quite fitting that the sides should be matched up this coming Sunday. The Purps trail Havant by two points but do have two games in hand. When the teams met at Westleigh Park it was Stoneham who edged a five-goal thriller. Chloe Dark and Emma-Jane May were on target for the hawks whilst Leah Webster and two from Susani Lucas gave the visitors the points.
Stoneham Lane, Eastleigh SO16 2PA

Abbey Rangers v Woking
There's just three points and one place separating Woking, in fifth, from their Sunday hosts. However, Abbey have played three more than The Cards. After beating Fleet in November, Abbey have lost their last two league outings, both by a single goal, 0-1 to Havant and 3-4 to Rushmoor. Woking are a team in good league form. They have not lost a league encounter since going down 2-0 at home to Portchester in September. This will be the first meeting between the teams this season.
Addlestone Moor, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2QH

Bournemouth Sports Reserves v AFC Portchester
Sports Reserves are on a run of four league games without a win, including a 6-0 defeat to Portchy in the reverse fixture of this game. That day Eilidh Currie, Paula Taylor, Charmaine True, Aimee Hall-Guy and a double from Ella Wilson, sent Portchester to the top of the table. Although Portchy only top the league on goal difference from  Havant, they do have three games in hand and, of course, are still defending a 100% record.
Chapel Gate, Nr Hurn Airport, East Parley, Hampshire BH23 6BL.

NHDA
Fleet Town P-P Rushmoor

The way the weather had been over the last week or so, I wasn't to sure if many games would survive this weekend. Rushmoor v Portchester went on Saturday which left me with two alternatives. Woodley v Warminster and Woking v Ascot. Woking have a 3G pitch, so that was always going to be on. Of course, as a West Brom supporter, heading to Woking on Tim Buzaglo Day (yes, I was there), with The Baggies preparing to face another non-league team in a few hours, seemed ominous, so I was quite relieved when I saw the post that Woodley was on. As it turned out, Albion avoided the Aldershot banana skin and progressed to Round 4. Maybe down to me avoiding a trip to Woking? 

Woodley had not played since their 3-0 defeat at Oxford City on December 10th (Top Of The Christmas Tree). After a good start to the season, they had recently found the going a bit tougher, not helped by losing a few players through absence and injury. However, after a few weeks off and a players returning, they were hoping to get the season back on track. Warminster's seasons has followed an opposite track to Woodley. They started the season slowly but, in recent weeks, had started to pick up points, winning four of their last five league matches, including a 2-0 defeat of the league leaders in November. This run started after their 5-0 home defeat to Woodley in mid-October. In their last game, a Wiltshire Cup game at Swindon Supermarine, they had found the net 13 times with strikers Mia Blazey (4) and Poppy Wannell (5) hitting nine between them.

​That being said, it was the hosts who started slightly stronger. Kicking down the slight slope with the wind at their backs, they had their visitors back-pedalling early on, only to completely caught out after 8 minutes when Sophie Cheadle spilled Bex Snelling's cross-shot into the path of Mia Blazey. The Town top-scorer didn't need a second invite, slotting the ball into an empty net to give Warminster the lead. 0-1.
The goal stung Woodley into more action. They immediately went back at their opponents and forced a number of corners that caused all sorts of problems for Warminster, none of which were finished off by a blue-shirted player. It wasn't all Woodley though. Warminster were still getting the ball forward when they saw a chance. They failed to capitalise on a sliced clearance from Cheadle just before the quarter-hour. Then, as we hit the midway point of the half, Poppy Wannell's inviting cross from the right fell for Imogen Jones who put her shot narrowly over the bar. This was matched at the other end by a Gemma Sims free-kick which sailed harmlessly over Abi Footner's bar.
Either side of the half-hour mark Sarah Lawrence twice came close to grabbing her eighth of the season. First of all Ellen Surtees dropped a free-kick into the penalty area which Lawrence headed just wide. A few minutes later, she was found by a lovely through ball that saw her bear down on goal only to be denied by an outstanding, one-handed save from Footner.
You could say that a Woodley goal looked on the cards and, sure enough, with 31 minutes on the clock, it duly arrived. It came from yet another left-wing corner, this time hit deep towards the far post by Kate Hudson. Gemma Sims, arriving at the back post, bundled the ball over the line and United were level. 1-1
At this point Warminster may have feared the worst with the momentum shifting in favour of the hosts. However, it was Town who generated a couple of chances. Imogen Jones was almost through on 40 minutes but a slightly heavy touch allowed Cheadle to race off her line and smother the opportunity. A few minutes later Poppy Wannell showed some good footwork to cut back onto her left before driving narrowly wide of Cheadle's left-hand post. Blazey then dropped deep to collect a pass before sending Wannell clear on the right. The striker took on the shot, putting it wide, when there were possibly better placed players in the centre, although it's easy to say that from the touchline.
Those three missed opportunities could have proved costly if not for yet another good stop from Footner in the third minute of injury time, coming off her line sharply to thwart a break.

HT Woodley United 1 Warminster Town 1. Great entertainment. End to end at times. Woodley edged it in terms of possession and the number of chances but could easily have found themselves behind to a Warminster side that looked very threatening on the counter-attack.

​Woodley were back out early for the second-half but it was Warminster who were on the front foot. Seven minutes in they thought they had re-taken the lead when Blazey found the ball at her feet in the box and calmly stroked past Cheadle only for the assistant's flag to rule it out. Three minutes after that Blazey, who now seemed to have adopted a shoot on sight policy, forced Cheadle into a very good full-length save.
Woodley were really struggling to get the ball out of their half at this point and when they did get it forward, it just wasn't sticking and they immediately found themselves under pressure again, although Sims, Surtees and Hudson were mopping up most balls that came through the middle. 
Halfway through the second period, Cheadle was again called into action, doing really well to collect a wicked, low cross from the right that took a nasty skip just in front of her. Then Charley Evans, arguably Woodley's best performer on the day, then put in a tremendous goal-saving block to keep out Blazey again, getting a bit of a knock for her efforts too.
That block sparked a rare Woodley foray deep into the Town half. May Hamblin twisted and turned to give herself a good shooting opportunity but, once again, Footner was equal to it. The Warminster stopper was again called into action with just ober twn minutes left, this time getting in front of a decent strike from Evans, who had driven forward from the right-back position to get her shot off.
So, after being on the back foot for much of the second half, Woodley seemed to get a second wind towards the end of the game, forcing a couple of corners and keeping the ball in the Warminster half. However, they couldn't find a way past a defence well marshalled by captain Millie Spratt and some inspired goalkeeper from Abi Footner.

FT Woodley United 1 Warminster Town 1. A draw probably a fair reflection of the game. Woodley had the best of the first half, Warminster had the best of the second. Both teams had opportunities to take all three points and both goalkeepers had to make good saves to keep their respective teams in it at times. If you want to catch either of these sides in action next week (and I strongly advise that you do), Woodley travel to Wycombe Wanderers in what will be their first meeting this season. Wycombe pay at Burnham FC on a 3G pitch, so this one will hopefully beat the weather whatever happens. Warminster go to Winchester City Flyers. In the reverse fixture, Flyers won 2-1 after coming back from a Mia Blazey goal in the first half. Two from Shayne Prasad gave Winchester all three points.

Woodley United: 1.Cheadle, 11. Haines, 3.Sims, 8.Surtees(c), 9.Steadman, 2.Evans, 5.Hudson, 6.Sawyer, 12.Hamblin, 7.Lawrence, 17.Turner. Subs: 4.Skinner, 14.Freeney, 10.Devlin
Warminster Town: Footner, Shibley, Y.Spratt, M.Spratt(c), 6.P.Spratt, 7.Blazey, 8.Fry, 10.Snelling, 12.Smith, 14.Wannell, 17.Jones. Subs: Hiett, Thorner-Atkinson, Weir

​The Ground
Much like today's visitors from Warminster, I had also never before been to Bulmershe Pavilion. Situated on the Western edge of Woodley, Bulmershe Pavilion is part of the University of Reading campus. It was opened in 2015 and the building still looks and feels new. Acess is off Woodlands Avenue through the 50-spot car park and then a gate and path that leads up to the pavilion itself. To your right is the main pitch. Beyond the avilion the space opens up to reveal a whole host of other pitches of various sizes. There is, of course, no spectator cover around the main pitch, although you can stand in the lea of the pavilion and still get a good view of the game. The pitch slopes slightly from the Woodlands Lane end down towards the pavilion end. Refreshments can be purchased inside the pavilion, along with the matchday programme (see below). The cup of tea was very welcome on Sunday with a chill wind blowing across the ground.

The Programme
So hot off the press that it contains the home team's starting eleven on the back page, the Woodley programme is an excellent 10-page A5, full-colour magazine. This week's edition contained a message from home manager Marc Surtees, an article about return player Laura Devlin, a message from Warminster manager Tim Fry, a brief history of Warminster Town, the Warminster squad list, a tribute to Woodley stalwart Mollie Haines who was making her 150th appearance for the club (congratulations Mollie!), that aforementioned home starting line-up and, of course, plenty of photographs of Woodley in action.
Woodley do not charge for the programme, however there is a donation jar next to them where supporters can give whatever amount they choose. There aren't many women's teams that produce a programme at this level, so this is a great effort from the club and, I beleive, from photographer Andy Wicks, who puts the magazine together.

Ground Number: 394
Att: 
Entrance: N/A
Programme: Donation

I hope everyone had a good Christmas break and a Happy New Year to you all.
All being well the recent storms will have cleared the country by the time the season gets back under way. With no results to catch up on, this week's blog is quite a brief edition, with only previews of the action scheduled for Sunday 7th January.

Premier League
Bournemouth Sports v Eastleigh in the Community
The only unbeaten team in the division, Sports get a chance to close the gap on the leaders as they play one of their two games in hand. Eastleigh won at Winchester in their last league outing and could move as high as third if they could take all three points here. The reverse fixture, played in late October, finished 2-0 to Bournemouth, with two Hollie Shaw goals being the difference.
Chapel Gate, Nr Hurn Airport, East Parley, Hampshire BH23 6BL.

Oxford City v Wycombe Wanderers
Four points separate Oxford, in third, from Wycombe in sixth. However, The Chairgirls have four games in hand on their weekend hosts. City's recent good run came to an end just before the break when they were beaten 6-2 at home by a ruthless Ascot United side. Wanderers lost 3-1 at Bournemouth in their last league match but then hammered Milton United 6-0 on their own patch in the League Cup. The reverse encounter ended 2-2 with Emily Harris scoring a late equaliser for The Hoops.
Marsh Lane, Marston, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX3 0NQ

Winchester City Flyers v Badshot Lea
The current bottom two go head-to-head. Flyers have a three point advantage on their visitors, but The Baggies have two games in hand, making this a crucial six-pointer. Badshot's only win of the season came in their opening game against, you've guessed it, Winchester City. That September day saw goals from Marianne O'Byrne and Lucy Cook see off the Flyers.
Winklebury Football Complex, Winklebury Way, Basingstoke, Hants RG23 8BF

Woodley United v Warminster Town
Two defeats in their last three games has seen Woodley drop to fourth in the table currently two points above their Sunday visitors from Wiltshire, who currently sit seventh. Town have won their last three in all competitions, including a superb 2-0 defeat of leaders Ascot United at the end of November. The sides met at Weymouth Street back in October with Woodley coming away with a resounding 5-0 victory courtesy of two each from May Hamblin and Sarah Lawrence, supplemented by a Michelle Quinn strike.
UofR Bulmershe Pavilion, Woodlands Avenue, Woodley, Reading, Berks RG5 3HE

League Cup
Woking v Ascot United
The Cards are unbeaten in all competitions since a 2-0 defeat at home to Portchester back in September, a total of eight games. However, a League Cup clash with Premier League leaders Ascot will be a tough examination of this record. The Yellawomen signed off 2023 with a superb display at Oxford City, winning 6-2, a game that BotP had the pleasure of watching (Top Of The Christmas Tree)
Woking College, Rydens Way, Woking GU22 9DL

Division One North
Ascot United Reserves v Milton United
3 points separate Ascot in sixth from Milton in eighth. Last time out Milton recorded a very good 2-0 victory over a Penn team that had been flying in recent weeks. Penn's good run had included a 3-1 victory at Ascot United Reserves, which turned out to be the Yellawomen's last game of 2023. This will be the first encounter between these teams this season.
Racecourse Ground, Winkfield Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LJ

Eversley & California v Caversham United
The bottom two go head to head. Neither have managed a win this season. However, Eversley have been awarded the points from their opening defeat at Kidlington in the first game of the season, putting them in the odd situation of having three points despite losing all seven league games. The lowest scorers against the leakiest fence. Goals galore or stalemate?
ESA, Fox Lane, Eversley RG27 0NS

Kidlington v Long Crendon
The battle at the top of the Division One North table is set to hot up as games continue in the New Year. Long Crendon currently sit on top but only on goal difference from Wycombe and three points ahead of Penn, who have a game in hand. Despite having 3 points deducted, Kidlington are only six points adrift of the leaders themselves. Kidlington also won 2-1 at Chearsley Rec earlier in the season, both goals coming from Abi Haynes with Brooke Burns getting Crendon's goal.
Exeter Park, Crown Road, Kidlington OX5 1AB

Penn & Tylers Green v Abingdon United Development
Just three points off top spot and with a game in hand, Penn are arguably in a great position to launch a title charge. However, they'll want to get back into winning ways quickly after going down 2-0 to Milton United in their last game. This will be the first meeting of the sides this season. United, in their first season at this level, have acquitted themselves well so far, taking 16 points from their 11 games.
French School Meadow, Elm Road, Penn HP10 8LG

Wycombe Wanderers u23 v Beaconsfield Town
The young Chairgirls are on a roll. Their three consecutive league victories before Christmas, propelled them into second spot, just behind Long Crendon on goal difference. They'll be looking to dispel the memories of their early season 5-2 defeat at Beaconsfield and will be well aware of Rams top scorer Grainne McNally, who hit a hat-trick that day. Since that day Wycombe have only lost once, whereas Beaconsfield have only won once, albeit an 8-0 thrashing of Caversham.
18i78 Stadium, Wymers Wood Road, Burnham SL1 8JG

Division One South
Fleet Town v AFC Stoneham
With the records of both Eversley Reserves and Selsey Development, Fleet find themselves propping up the table with zero points from five games. Stoneham are placed second, two points adrift of leaders Portchester. This is the first meeting of the teams this seaosn. On paper it loks to be a tough assignment for the bottom side. However, they can take small comfort in the afct that Stoneham are not quite as dominant on the road as they are at home. All of the points they have dropped have come away from Stoneham Lane.
Crookham Road, Fleet GU51 5FA

Havant & Waterlooville v Bournemouth Sports Reserves
Only single point separates these two teams, currently third and fourth respectively. Both are trying to stay on the coat tails of Portchester and Stoneham, hoping for a slip-up. They met at Chapel Gate on the opening day of the season. Two from Megan Gratton and Rosie WIllis goal gave The Hawks a 3-0 half-time lead, which they held throughout the second half. Sports will be looking to get back amongst the goals after drawing a blank in their last three in all competitions.
Westleigh Park, Havant PO9 5TH

Rushmoor v AFC Portchester
Portchester will probably have been sad to see 2023 end but, on the other hand, will be full of confidence for the rest of the season. Sitting top of the pile with a 100% record has that effect. Rushmoor won their last game, beating Abbey Rangers 4-3 and have yet to face Portchester this season.  One thing is for sure, wherever Rushmoor play, there are goals. A total of 54 have been scor3ed or conceded in their 8 league games so far. With the league's top scorers coming to town, the odds are on more entertainment this Sunday.
Southwood Pavilion, Grasmere Road, Farnborough GU14 0LE