With the summer drawing to a close, the 2024-25 Southern Region Leagues were gearing up to an early September start, with a host of new teams joining the league replacing some old faces. Bournemouth Sports, who won the Premier League the previous season, were taking their place in the National League Division One South-West. Rushmoor Community had opted to leave the Southern Region Division One South to drop back into the county league structure.
The Premier League had a few new faces in the form of Selsey, relegated from the National League and Reading FC Community Trust, the phoenix club formed after the former Women’s Super League side’s demise (the story of which could fill an entire book in its own right). AFC Portchester, last season’s Division One South champions, were taking their place at the top table for the first time and should have been joined by Division One North Champions Long Crendon. However, they folded their team, for a number of reasons prior to the start of the season, which gave a reprieve to Badshot Lea, who had finished bottom last term. The other new name was Sholing, formerly Eastleigh In The Community. Warminster Town were also missing, after resigning at the end of the previous season.
The Premier League had a few new faces in the form of Selsey, relegated from the National League and Reading FC Community Trust, the phoenix club formed after the former Women’s Super League side’s demise (the story of which could fill an entire book in its own right). AFC Portchester, last season’s Division One South champions, were taking their place at the top table for the first time and should have been joined by Division One North Champions Long Crendon. However, they folded their team, for a number of reasons prior to the start of the season, which gave a reprieve to Badshot Lea, who had finished bottom last term. The other new name was Sholing, formerly Eastleigh In The Community. Warminster Town were also missing, after resigning at the end of the previous season.
The make-up of the Premier League was:
So, Division One North looked like this:
- Ascot United
- AFC Portchester
- Badshot Lea
- Oxford City
- Reading
- Sholing
- Selsey
- Winchester City Flyers
- Woodley United
- Wycombe Wanderers
So, Division One North looked like this:
- Ascot United Reserves
- Abingdon United Development
- Beaconsfield Town
- Caversham United
- Chesham United Development
- Kidlington Youth
- Milton United
- Penn & Tylers Green
- Slough Town
- Tilehurst Panthers
Division One South was the league with the most changes from the previous season. As already stated, AFC Portchester had been promoted and Rushmoor Community had dropped into the Hampshire League. In addition to this, no fewer than five new teams were joining the division. Bursledon, AFC Varsity, QK Southampton and United Service Portsmouth all made the leap from the Hampshire League system, with Dorset League Champions, Wimborne Town, also coming aboard. The Hampshire contingent came from Division One, the top flight. Bursledon had won the league by seven points from AFC Varsity. QK Southampton and United Services Portsmouth finished in fourth and fifth respectively. Wimborne had done the Dorset-Double, winning the League, four points clear of Poole Town, who they also defeated in the League Cup Final. Unfortunately, United Services Portsmouth also dropped out before a ball was kicked, re-joining the Hampshire League. Abbey Rangers started the season, but were to resign midway through.
The Division One South constitution, to begin the season, looked like this:
The Division One South constitution, to begin the season, looked like this:
- Abbey Rangers
- AFC Stoneham
- AFC Varsity
- Bournemouth Sports Reserves
- Bursledon
- Havant & Waterlooville
- Fleet Town
- QK Southampton
- Wimborne Town
- Woking
The season review is divided by month. You can fast forward to each month by clicking on it below:
September - October - November - December - January - February - March - April - May
September - October - November - December - January - February - March - April - May
September 2024
The opening day of the season, Sunday September 1st was mainly dominated by the Women’s FA Cup, although eight out of ten Premier League sides began their league campaign, as did four in Division One North two in the South. Big winners on day one were Ascot United in the Premier League. After finishing the previous two campaigns as runners-up to Abingdon United and Bournemouth Sports, they laid down a real statement of intent by thumping Woodley United 11-0 at The Racecourse Ground. It was a very successful start to the Women’s FA Cup for the SoReg teams. Of the fourteen clubs playing, eleven were successful, and two of the three who went out were beaten by other SoReg team. The exception being Eversley & California who conceded their game to Steyning Town.
BotP’s first live game of the season also came in the FA Cup, the 5-1 defeat of Headstone Manor for Kidlington Youth, where a defensive mix-up in the 6th minute saw Iqra Ismail give Headstone Manor the lead. However, when Courtney Sumner banged in a 29th minute equaliser, there looked to be only one winner. Sure enough, led by an energetic forward display and hat-trick from Grace Craven, with an added extra from Zoe Taylor, the Greens ran away with it in the second half. Read the match blog here (Amazing Grace)The biggest cup win of the day came at Westleigh Park where Emily Wernham scored four as Havant & Waterlooville beat United Services Portsmouth 10-0, probably also justifying USP’s decision to remain in the Hampshire League for now. Abbey Rangers won 3-2 at Hassocks, signalling a rare bright spot in what was to become an unhappy season for The Abbey.
BotP’s first live game of the season also came in the FA Cup, the 5-1 defeat of Headstone Manor for Kidlington Youth, where a defensive mix-up in the 6th minute saw Iqra Ismail give Headstone Manor the lead. However, when Courtney Sumner banged in a 29th minute equaliser, there looked to be only one winner. Sure enough, led by an energetic forward display and hat-trick from Grace Craven, with an added extra from Zoe Taylor, the Greens ran away with it in the second half. Read the match blog here (Amazing Grace)The biggest cup win of the day came at Westleigh Park where Emily Wernham scored four as Havant & Waterlooville beat United Services Portsmouth 10-0, probably also justifying USP’s decision to remain in the Hampshire League for now. Abbey Rangers won 3-2 at Hassocks, signalling a rare bright spot in what was to become an unhappy season for The Abbey.
Kidlington and Headstone Manor kicked off the WFA Cup campaign
The following weekend the league campaigns in all three divisions got fully underway. In the Premier League, Reading began life in tier 5 with a 3-0 defeat at Sholing. Ascot continued their high-scoring start with a 5-1 win at AFC Portchester and there were wins for Wycombe Wanderers, Oxford City and Woodley United, making a great recovery from their opening day drubbing. In the North, Abingdon United Development made it two from two with a 1-0 defeat of Ascot United Reserves. Tilehurst Panthers got their first ever point at this level, drawing 3-3 with Beaconsfield Town, who needed an 85th minute Nicole Brown goal to rescue a point. Big winners in the North were Penn & Tylers Green who put nine past Chesham United Development. Tara Woodward scoring four and Henna Hussain grabbing a hat-trick. Slough Town earned their first ever SoReg three points courtesy of a home walkover against Caversham United, who were already showing signs of the stressful season to come.
AFC Stoneham opened their Division One South campaign by rattling in seven unanswered goals at home to AFC Varsity, showing no signs of missing last season’s top-scorer Chloe Melton, who had moved to Farnham Town. Instead, they had a new sharpshooter in the form of Mia House, who notched no fewer than six of their seven goals. Two of the other newbies, QK Southampton and Wimborne Town, also lost their opening games, Fleet Town winning 5-0 at QK and Bournemouth Sports Reserves leaving Wimborne with a 2-1 win. The fourth new team, Bursledon, came very close to causing an upset in their opening game and were still leading 4-3 at Havant & Waterlooville until a 91st minute Sophie Lee equaliser saved the days for The Hawks.
The following Sunday, the 15th, also saw a full league programme across the divisions. In the Premier League Ascot dropped their first points of the season after a 2-2 draw at Wycombe. They were joined on seven points by Sholing and Oxford City, who both won away from home. Reading and Winchester City Flyers were both pointless after two games. Big winners of the day in the North were Kidlington Youth who put eight past Milton United. Beaconsfield held on to top spot after beating Abingdon United Development 3-0 with three second half goals. Slough into second place, and retained their 100% start, by winning 4-0 at Chesham United Development. In the South, BotP travelled down to Eastleigh to watch two of the new teams, Bursledon and Wimborne Town, battle out an entertaining 1-1 draw, highlighted by outstanding goalkeeping from both Burlseldon’s Jade Kibell and Town’s Tegan Barnes. The game was goalless at the break before Zoe Bache gave The Dons the lead early I the second period. Ellie Chaffe finally got the ball past Kibell with 11 minutes remaining. Read the BotP match blog (These Two Are Keepers). Havant & Waterlooville, meanwhile, were putting eleven past QK Southampton, who were finding SoReg life difficult, not helped by having Megan Moran sent off.
The following weekend saw the Premier League clubs entering the FA Cup, but there were still a few league games in Division One North and South. Beaconsfield won again to stay a point clear of Abingdon in the North. Chesham and Caversham both lost to stay at the bottom on zero points with four and three played respectively. In the South Bournemouth Sports Reserves remained top despite losing 3-1 at home to Wimborne Sports in the second Dorset Derby of the season.
Of the 19 SoReg teams playing in the FA Cup,12 of them progressed. Both Portchester and Wycombe clocked up 13 against QK Southampton and Milton United respectively. The all-Premier clash between Oxford City and Woodley United went the way of the visitors thanks to goals from Mollie Haines and Charley Evans. The most intriguing result of the day came at Fleet Town where the Division One South hosts thrashed Premier League Badshot Lea 8-2 despite the visitors fielding five players who played for Fleet in the previous campaign. BotP was back at Exeter Park to see Kidlington Youth lose out to Eastern Region Premier League side, Watford Ladies Development. (Watford Wing It)
AFC Stoneham opened their Division One South campaign by rattling in seven unanswered goals at home to AFC Varsity, showing no signs of missing last season’s top-scorer Chloe Melton, who had moved to Farnham Town. Instead, they had a new sharpshooter in the form of Mia House, who notched no fewer than six of their seven goals. Two of the other newbies, QK Southampton and Wimborne Town, also lost their opening games, Fleet Town winning 5-0 at QK and Bournemouth Sports Reserves leaving Wimborne with a 2-1 win. The fourth new team, Bursledon, came very close to causing an upset in their opening game and were still leading 4-3 at Havant & Waterlooville until a 91st minute Sophie Lee equaliser saved the days for The Hawks.
The following Sunday, the 15th, also saw a full league programme across the divisions. In the Premier League Ascot dropped their first points of the season after a 2-2 draw at Wycombe. They were joined on seven points by Sholing and Oxford City, who both won away from home. Reading and Winchester City Flyers were both pointless after two games. Big winners of the day in the North were Kidlington Youth who put eight past Milton United. Beaconsfield held on to top spot after beating Abingdon United Development 3-0 with three second half goals. Slough into second place, and retained their 100% start, by winning 4-0 at Chesham United Development. In the South, BotP travelled down to Eastleigh to watch two of the new teams, Bursledon and Wimborne Town, battle out an entertaining 1-1 draw, highlighted by outstanding goalkeeping from both Burlseldon’s Jade Kibell and Town’s Tegan Barnes. The game was goalless at the break before Zoe Bache gave The Dons the lead early I the second period. Ellie Chaffe finally got the ball past Kibell with 11 minutes remaining. Read the BotP match blog (These Two Are Keepers). Havant & Waterlooville, meanwhile, were putting eleven past QK Southampton, who were finding SoReg life difficult, not helped by having Megan Moran sent off.
The following weekend saw the Premier League clubs entering the FA Cup, but there were still a few league games in Division One North and South. Beaconsfield won again to stay a point clear of Abingdon in the North. Chesham and Caversham both lost to stay at the bottom on zero points with four and three played respectively. In the South Bournemouth Sports Reserves remained top despite losing 3-1 at home to Wimborne Sports in the second Dorset Derby of the season.
Of the 19 SoReg teams playing in the FA Cup,12 of them progressed. Both Portchester and Wycombe clocked up 13 against QK Southampton and Milton United respectively. The all-Premier clash between Oxford City and Woodley United went the way of the visitors thanks to goals from Mollie Haines and Charley Evans. The most intriguing result of the day came at Fleet Town where the Division One South hosts thrashed Premier League Badshot Lea 8-2 despite the visitors fielding five players who played for Fleet in the previous campaign. BotP was back at Exeter Park to see Kidlington Youth lose out to Eastern Region Premier League side, Watford Ladies Development. (Watford Wing It)
Bursledon v Wimborne Town
League Tables - End of September 2024
| PREMIER | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ascot United | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 10 |
| Oxford City | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| Woodley United | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -7 | 9 |
| Sholing | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| AFC Portchester | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 5 |
| Winchester City Flyers | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| Badshot Lea | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -7 | 1 |
| Selsey | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -8 | 1 |
| Reading | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -9 | 0 |
| DIVISION ONE NORTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Beaconsfield Town | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 13 |
| Abingdon United Development | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| Penn & Tylers Green | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 7 |
| Tilehurst Panthers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Kidlington Youth | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Ascot United Reserves | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Slough Town | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 6 |
| Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 4 |
| Caversham United | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 3 |
| Milton United | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -13 | 0 |
| Chesham United Development | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | -20 | 0 |
| DIVISION ONE SOUTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Wimborne Town | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Bournemouth Sports Reserves | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Fleet Town | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 6 |
| AFC Stoneham | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 |
| Bursledon | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
| AFC Varsity | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -7 | 1 |
| Woking | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -7 | 1 |
| QK Southampton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -16 | 0 |
October 2024
October kicked off with a full league programme on Sunday the 6th. In the Premier League Ascot United nudged themselves in front with a 4-1 defeat of Oxford City thanks largely to a blistering first-half performance where the Yellawomen scored four without reply. Woodley United took over second place after winning 3-0 at Selsey through two goals from Sarah Lawrence and one from Chloe Melton. Reading remained rooted to the foot of the table, losing 4-1 at home to AFC Portchester. Meanwhile, both Wycombe and Winchester registered home wins, in the case of the Flyers, their first three-pointer of the season. Beaconsfield went six points clear in the North after smashing six past The Goats at Mapeldurham. Penn’s 5-1 defeat of Tilehurst, who had Lydia Vettese sent off, put them second. Milton United won for the first time this season and Chesham stayed bottom after losing for the sixth consecutive game, 5-1 at home to Ascot United Reserves. Wimborne were top in the South after a 4-0 win at QK. However, second placed Fleet, who secured an incredible 7-3 win at Stoneham, were only a couple of points behind with three games in hand. Woking’s winless start to the season continued into their fourth outing after two Laurie Potvin goals secured the points for Havant & Waterlooville.
Bristol Rovers v Sholing (WFA Cup)
The following week, the 13th, was FA Cup weekend again and there were mixed fortunes for the SoReg teams taking part. Seven of them went out whilst six progressed. The biggest victory for a SoReg team came at The Racecourse Ground where Ascot United beat Woodley United 8-2. Coming on top of the opening day hammering at the same ground, Woodley would no doubt be happy not to have to make a further return in the near future. There was a notable win for Reading who, after a 0-0 draw t Richmond & Kew, went through 3-2 on penalties. No points in the league for The Royals, but signs of life with this win. BotP was down on the South Coast where Premier League Sholing were taking on National League South-West outfit Bristol Rovers. The Boatwomen sprang an early surprise when Amber O’Reilly put them in front after just 8 minutes, a lead they held all the way through until half-time. Siena Millen almost doubled the lead midway through the second half, stopped by a great save from Bristol’s George Hunt. That left the door open for top scorer Meg Jarvis to equalise for Rovers, following in after a superb save from Grace Jenman. Sholing had put up one hell of fight but eventually succumbed to another Jarvis finish four minutes into added time. Heartbreak for Sholing but they could be enormously proud of their display. Read the BotP match blog (Rovers Leave It Meg(a) Late Again). There was just one game in the top flight, Oxford City recording a 6-1 victory over Badshot Lea to go back into second spot, level on points with Ascot United. In the North there were wins for Wycombe Wanderers u23, Slough Town and Ascot United Reserves, who moved into second spot, leapfrogging Penn. Chesham United Development finally got a point on the board with a 4-4 draw at Milton. Summer Major struck a hat-trick for the home side with Emma Nolan also hitting three for Chesham, including an 88th minute equaliser. Just two games took place in the South. Bournemouth Sports Reserves put six unanswered goals past QK Southampton, who were still to register a goal themselves. Emma Acott notched four goals for Sports. Meanwhile a Kayleigh Rogers hat-trick inside 28 second-half minutes, saw AFC Varsity clock up their first win of the season with a 3-2 victory at winless Woking.
It was county cup week on the 20th with eight games taking place across the Southern Region. BotP was at Oxford Rugby & Football Club for the local derby between Thames Valley Division Two side East Oxford and Premier League high-flyers Oxford City. The Hoops put out a much-changed team, but the three-division gap was way too much for a spirited East Oxford side to cope with over the 90 minutes. On a very wet and windy afternoon, City got into their stride, scoring six first-half goals before the home side got a deserved goal just before the break, through Amalia Djamame. City then added six more in the second half with Djemame again adding a goal for East Oxford. Ellie White scored four for City as the eventually ran out 12-2 winners. However, the PotM, without doubt, went to East Oxford goalkeeper Kiaya Makin, who made a number of great saves. Read about it in the BotP match blog (Makin The Grade) In other games, Woodley United went out 4-2 at National League South-West side Abingdon United, Beaconsfield beat Slough Town in a local derby and there were wins for Kidlington Youth, Ascot United, whilst Milton United were soundly beaten at National League Maidenhead. Penn & Tylers Green claimed the best win of the weekend as they beat MK Dons SET 1-0 at French School Meadow which, when you consider the same match up two seasons previously had ended 17-0 to MK, was a superb result. There was also a giant-killing of sorts at Willen Road, where Newport Pagnell Town came from behind to see off Wycombe Wanderers. Across the leagues Portchester won the South coast derby at Sholing with a last minute Eilidh Currie goal. Badshot Lea lost again, this time 4-1 at Winchester City Flyers. There was just one game in the North where Abingdon United Development put four unanswered goals past Wycombe u23s at Burnham. Bournemouth Sports Reserves were the new leaders in the South after a 1-1 draw with Bursledon put them top on goal difference. Both Havant and Stoneham had big home wins, The Hawks putting six past AFC Varsity and The Purps beating QK 8-2, despite two Jessica Nunn goals giving The Bees a two-goal lead.
East Oxford Ladies looking for a consolation against Oxford City
The final weekend of the month was back to league action, with the one exception being Caversham United v Reading in a local county cup clash that The Royals won 5-3 on penalties. It was still very tight at the top of the Premier League as AFC Portchester, Oxford City and Ascot United all had big wins to end the month level on 16 points each. The other game saw Sholing beat Badshot Lea 1-0 at Wrecclesham, leaving the Baggies still looking for a win after eight games. It was all-square at Holloways Park as Beaconsfield and Penn fought out a 1-1 with BotP present (Undefeated) Even at this stage of the competition, it was obvious that one of these sides would win the division. The question in October was, which one? Elsewhere, Grace Crave hit a hat-trick to help Kidlington win 3-2 at Abingdon Development whilst Ascot United Reserves won 6-3 at Milton United, despite Mollie Dyer helping herself to a hat-trick for Milton. Slough won 2-1 at Tilehurst and Chesham Development lifted themselves off the bottom with their first win of the season, a 3-2 win at Wycombe u23. Bournemouth Sports didn’t last long as top dogs in the South. A 4-0 defeat at Fleet Twon saw to that, sending Town top of the table as October ended. They were joined on 12 points by AFC Stoneham who were 4-0 winners at Wimborne. QK remained anchored to the bottom, but it took a single Jennifer Parr goal just past the hour for Varsity to win 1-0 at The Hive. There was late drama at Toynbee School where the scores were level at 1-1 after 90 minutes. Bryony Gibbs looked to have secured a first win for The Cards on 92 minutes but, two minutes later, Kirby Anderson equalised to save a point for The Dons.
Beaconsfield and Penn & Tylers Green shared the points in October
League Tables - End of October 2024
| PREMIER | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ascot United | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 16 |
| Oxford City | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 16 |
| AFC Portchester | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 16 |
| Woodley United | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | -7 | 12 |
| Sholing | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Winchester City Flyers | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Selsey | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -16 | 1 |
| Badshot Lea | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | -21 | 1 |
| Reading FC Community Trust | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -12 | 0 |
| DIVISION ONE NORTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Beaconsfield Town | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 20 |
| Ascot United Reserves | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 15 |
| Abingdon United Development | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 12 |
| Slough Town | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 12 |
| Penn & Tylers Green | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 11 |
| Kidlington Youth | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 8 |
| Tilehurst Panthers | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -3 | 7 |
| Milton United | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -13 | 4 |
| Chesham United Development | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -23 | 4 |
| Caversham United | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -16 | 3 |
| DIVISION ONE SOUTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Fleet Town | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 12 |
| AFC Stoneham | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 12 |
| Bournemouth Sports Reserves | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| Wimborne Town | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 10 |
| Bursledon | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| AFC Varsity | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -13 | 7 |
| Woking | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | -10 | 2 |
| QK Southampton | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -33 | 0 |
November 20204
The Women’s FA Cup was back again for the first week of November, with just six SoReg teams left in the competition, and two of them pitched against each other. AFC Portchester came out on top of that clash, winning 4-1 at Winchester City Flyers, after Libby Wilkinson had given City and early lead. BotP was on the road to catch this game at The Charters Community Stadium (Flying The Flag). Unfortunately, none of the other SoReg teams made it through. Reading’s cup run came to an end in Kent as they fell 3-1 to Aylesford. Ascot United were beaten 4-2 at Brentford, Bursledon lost 4-0 at home to Marine Academy Plymouth and Penn were beaten 3-0 at French School Meadow by Queen’s Park Rangers. In the Premier League two of the winless sides, Selsey and Badshot Lea went head-to-head at The Seal Bay Resort Stadium but neither could change the winless statistic as the game ended 2-2. Woodley got back to winning ways by beating Sholing 3-0 at Bulmershe Pavilion whilst Oxford City missed out on going top after losing 4-1 at Wycombe with Kayla Potter scoring two more for The Chairgirls. Beaconsfield extended their lead at the top of Division One North to 8 points after coming from behind to win 2-1 at second-placed Ascot United Reserves. Caversham United exchange places with Chesham United Development at the bottom again. The Goats drew 1-1 at Tilehurst thanks to a second-half Caroline Charlton equaliser whilst Chesham lost 3-1 at home to Kidlington. Wycombe u23 won 3-0 at Slough, but if it was goals you wanted, Milton Heights was the place to be. Milton led the game 4-2 at the break, but Abingdon Development hit back to lead 5-4 after 65 minutes. Milton then levelled it up at 5-5 before two more foals from the visitors sent them back up the A34 with the points after a 7-5 victory. In the South, Woking finally won, at the seventh time of asking, with a 3-0 victory at QK. Fleet remained top after thumping Varsity 6-1 on their own patch. Isobella Moffett hitting a hat-trick in that game. More goals came at The Moor where Wimborne beat a struggling Abbey Rangers side 8-2. Sadly, for all concerned, this result would not count later in the season when Abbey resigned from the league. There was another extraordinary game at Westleigh Park where Havant & Waterlooville came from two goals down not once, but twice, before beating Bournemouth Sports Reserves 5-4. A game that saw Bournemouth’s Isobel Weatherly score and get sent off.
Portchester pushing for a goal at Winchester
The weekend of November 10th was mostly about cups. The League Cup took centre stage, with just two other fixtures, a North Hants Divisional cup tie between Winchester City Flyers and Overton, which City won by some margin with both Eliza Eaton and April Hill scoring double hat-tricks and a Division One South game at Stoneham, that saw Havant & Waterlooville win 2-0 to go to the summit. There were double-figure wins in the League Cup for Beaconsfield, against Caversham, and Wycombe against AFC Varsity, too. Chairgirls Eman Kassem, Jessica Watkins and Ellen Wardlaw all scored hat-tricks in the latter game. For Beaconsfield, Dominque Carrington hit a hat-trick and Nicole Brown hit five, including two in second half added time. BotP was at Scours Lane for the local derby between Tilehurst Panthers and Reading. Panthers led 2-0 at the break, through Leah Why and Lydia Vettese. However, Mia Bradley and Lucy Bolitho levelled things up before cup penalty queens, Reading, went through 5-3 from the spot. Woodley found themselves back at The Racecourse Ground and were beaten again, although this time it was just 4-1. They even took the lead early on when Lucy Giles scored after 5 minutes. Fleet Town were once again pitched against Badshot Lea, this time travelling to Wrecclesham. Town won again, 5-3 this time, although two of the Baggies goals were scored by former Fleet players, Claire Benton and Dot Usher. There were also wins for Milton United, Sholing, Penn & Tylers Green, Slough Town, Selsey and Woking.
Ascot United Reserves v Caversham United
The following weekend, November 17th, was split between league and county cup action and, with Ascot playing in the cup, Oxford City took full advantage in the Premier League. Their 2-1 defeat of AFC Portchester saw them go top of the table. Woodley went second after winning at Badshot Lea and Ascot slipped to third, although they had games in hand on everyone. Wycombe also closed the gap on the top three with a 4-0 win at Winchester thanks largely to an Eman Kassem hat-trick. Milton won at Chesham Development in the North, creating something of a gap between themselves and the bottom two. Caversham went down 6-0 at Wycombe u23s, Ascot Reserves and Abingdon Development both won to keep some element of pressure on Beaconsfield. Charlotte Bigmore score a hat-trick for Abingdon at Tilehurst, who still couldn’t find a home win. Ascot’s win at Kidlington came courtesy of a late Danielle Kjaer goal. In the South, QK Southampton were still looking for a point after being edged out 1-0 at Burlsedon. Stoneham won 1-0 at Bournemouth and Fleet won the top of the table tussle, beating Havant & Waterlooville 3-1.
The final weekend of November was hit hard by the effects of Storm Bert. Only six games survived the weather, including AFC Portchester historic FA Cup clash at home to AFC Bournemouth. Portchy went down 4-0 to the National League high-flyers, who were themselves heading for a record-breaking season in which they would win the league by 16 points and go unbeaten. Ascot ended the month where they began it, top of the premier League, after winning 4-0 at Sholing. Winchester survived a battling second-half Selsey performance to win 3-2, creating an eight-point gap to the bottom three teams. Only one game survived in the North, Ascot’s 7-0 home thrashing of Caversham, which BotP was on to watch despite the awful weather (Weather Beaten). The defeat saw The Goats drop back to the bottom of the table on goal difference. In the South, Stoneham secured the points and second spot with a 2-0 home win over Woking. Fleet, meanwhile, survived a Bursdledon fightback to take a hard-earned win at Toynbee School. The dons came from two down to level it up before Amy Granger’s second of the game won it for Town.
That was the end of the league action for November. There was, however, a midweek Combined Counties clash between Penn and Beaconsfield on the final Thursday of the month, a feisty encounter that saw Nicole Jacobs get sent off for Penn and Beaconsfield go through 2-1
The final weekend of November was hit hard by the effects of Storm Bert. Only six games survived the weather, including AFC Portchester historic FA Cup clash at home to AFC Bournemouth. Portchy went down 4-0 to the National League high-flyers, who were themselves heading for a record-breaking season in which they would win the league by 16 points and go unbeaten. Ascot ended the month where they began it, top of the premier League, after winning 4-0 at Sholing. Winchester survived a battling second-half Selsey performance to win 3-2, creating an eight-point gap to the bottom three teams. Only one game survived in the North, Ascot’s 7-0 home thrashing of Caversham, which BotP was on to watch despite the awful weather (Weather Beaten). The defeat saw The Goats drop back to the bottom of the table on goal difference. In the South, Stoneham secured the points and second spot with a 2-0 home win over Woking. Fleet, meanwhile, survived a Bursdledon fightback to take a hard-earned win at Toynbee School. The dons came from two down to level it up before Amy Granger’s second of the game won it for Town.
That was the end of the league action for November. There was, however, a midweek Combined Counties clash between Penn and Beaconsfield on the final Thursday of the month, a feisty encounter that saw Nicole Jacobs get sent off for Penn and Beaconsfield go through 2-1
League Tables - End of November 2024
| PREMIER | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ascot United | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 19 |
| Oxford City | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 19 |
| Woodley United | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 18 |
| AFC Portchester | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 16 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 14 |
| Sholing | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | -5 | 11 |
| Winchester City Flyers | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 10 |
| Selsey | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | -17 | 2 |
| Badshot Lea | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | -22 | 2 |
| Reading FC Community Trust | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -12 | 0 |
| DIVISION ONE NORTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Beaconsfield Town | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 23 |
| Ascot United Reserves | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 21 |
| Abingdon United Development | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 18 |
| Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 14 |
| Kidlington Youth | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| Slough Town | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | -6 | 12 |
| Penn & Tylers Green | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 11 |
| Tilehurst Panthers | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -5 | 8 |
| Milton United | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -13 | 7 |
| Chesham United Development | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | -27 | 4 |
| Caversham United | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | -29 | 4 |
| DIVISION ONE SOUTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Fleet Town | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 21 |
| AFC Stoneham | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 18 |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 16 |
| Wimborne Town | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| Bournemouth Sports Reserves | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
| Bursledon | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| AFC Varsity | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -18 | 7 |
| Woking | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -9 | 5 |
| QK Southampton | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -37 | 0 |
December 2024
December rolled in with Storm Bert rolling out and, although more games survived, there were still a number of postponements on December 1st. In the Premier League it was bottom versus top as Reading took on Ascot United. The game went to form with Ascot winning 3-0 leaving Reading still searching for their first point of the season. Oxford City’s 4-2 win at Marsh Lane, courtesy of an Ellie White hat-trick, left them second, level on points with Ascot. Elsewhere, Wycombe beat Selsey 3-0 lifted the Chairgirls above Portchester into fourth place. Beaconsfield’s lead in the North remained at two points as they were awarded the three points at home to Tilehurst whilst second placed Ascot United Reserves also won, beating Abingdon United Development to open a six-point gap between second and third. Caversham failed to score again and still only had two goals in ten games. However, their 0-0 draw at Kidlington lifted them back above Chesham who did not play. Milton’s mini revival ground to a halt as they lost 2-0 at home to Wycombe’s u23s, whilst Penn & Tylers Green got back to winning ways with a 6-0 thrashing of Slough Town. Just one game survived in the South, Woking’s 3-0 defeat of Bournemouth Sports Reserves who, after a good start, were now on a run of five straight defeats in all competitions. The League Cup tie between Havant & Waterlooville and Chesham United Development, scheduled for this weekend, was awarded as a home walkover.
Woking v Winchester City FLyers
Storm Darragh, which hit the UK in early December, proved to be even more disruptive than Storm Bert and December 8th saw just four games scheduled and even one of those, Ascot United v Slough Town in the League Cup, was awarded as a home walkover. The other League Cup game between Woking and Winchester City Flyers, went the way of the Premier League team. Leading 2-0 at the break, Flyers were given plenty to think about as Woking pulled a goal back. However, two late City goals sealed the tie. BotP was at this game for a first visit to Woking College (Memories Of Tim). The only league games to survive were I the South. AFC Stoneham drew level on points with Fleet, albeit having played two more, with a 3-1 defeat of Wimborne Town. Two goals in each half saw AFC Varsity beat QK Southampton by 4-0 in the other surviving game.
Week three in December, the 15th, finally saw the SoReg teams get back to something resembling a full fixture list and it was goals galore in the Premier League. The five fixtures featured 30 goals, nine of which were scored at the Wicor Recreation Ground as AFC Portchester beat Oxford City 7-2. A hat-trick from Charlotte Keenan playing a big part in the win for Portchy. The bottom three all lost without scoring. Selsey went down 4-0 at home to Ascot. Badshot Lea were on the wrong end of a 5-0 score line at Sholing, and Reading were beaten 6-0 at home by a rampant Wycombe side. Winchester City also continued their recent improved form with a 4-2 defeat of Woodley United. Division One North bottom side Chesham United Development forfeited the visit of leaders Beaconsfield, maintaining the unbeaten start for The Rams. Second place Ascot United stayed on their coat tails and emphasised their credentials, by beating Penn & Tylers Green 2-0. Tilehurst Panthers, who still couldn’t muster a home win, won away for Scours Lane for the third time, beating Kidlington 6-3 with four of their goals coming from Leah Why, all of which were scored after the 68th minute. Milton United, now Mollie Dyer-less after her move to Abingdon United, still managed to put five past Caversham. In the other S1N game, four goals from Solange Brellier and a hat-trick from Shannon Read, helped Wycombe Wanderers u23 to an 11-1 victory over Slough Town. In the South AFC Varsity beat Bournemouth Sports Reserves, leapfrogging their opponents in the process. QK Southampton made it double figures in the L column as they fell 2-0 at Wimborne. Woking beat Bursledon 3-1 to go above the Dons in the table. Finally, the League Cup tie between D1S rivals Havant & Waterlooville and AFC Stoneham, was as tight as expected, settled by a single goal from Hawks captain Emma-Jane May.
That took us into the Christmas break with Ascot United, Beaconsfield Town and Fleet Town leading the way in their respective divisions.
Week three in December, the 15th, finally saw the SoReg teams get back to something resembling a full fixture list and it was goals galore in the Premier League. The five fixtures featured 30 goals, nine of which were scored at the Wicor Recreation Ground as AFC Portchester beat Oxford City 7-2. A hat-trick from Charlotte Keenan playing a big part in the win for Portchy. The bottom three all lost without scoring. Selsey went down 4-0 at home to Ascot. Badshot Lea were on the wrong end of a 5-0 score line at Sholing, and Reading were beaten 6-0 at home by a rampant Wycombe side. Winchester City also continued their recent improved form with a 4-2 defeat of Woodley United. Division One North bottom side Chesham United Development forfeited the visit of leaders Beaconsfield, maintaining the unbeaten start for The Rams. Second place Ascot United stayed on their coat tails and emphasised their credentials, by beating Penn & Tylers Green 2-0. Tilehurst Panthers, who still couldn’t muster a home win, won away for Scours Lane for the third time, beating Kidlington 6-3 with four of their goals coming from Leah Why, all of which were scored after the 68th minute. Milton United, now Mollie Dyer-less after her move to Abingdon United, still managed to put five past Caversham. In the other S1N game, four goals from Solange Brellier and a hat-trick from Shannon Read, helped Wycombe Wanderers u23 to an 11-1 victory over Slough Town. In the South AFC Varsity beat Bournemouth Sports Reserves, leapfrogging their opponents in the process. QK Southampton made it double figures in the L column as they fell 2-0 at Wimborne. Woking beat Bursledon 3-1 to go above the Dons in the table. Finally, the League Cup tie between D1S rivals Havant & Waterlooville and AFC Stoneham, was as tight as expected, settled by a single goal from Hawks captain Emma-Jane May.
That took us into the Christmas break with Ascot United, Beaconsfield Town and Fleet Town leading the way in their respective divisions.
League Tables - End of December 2024
| PREMIER | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ascot United | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 25 |
| Oxford City | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 22 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| AFC Portchester | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 19 |
| Woodley United | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | -5 | 18 |
| Sholing | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | -2 | 14 |
| Winchester City Flyers | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | -1 | 13 |
| Selsey | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | -24 | 2 |
| Badshot Lea | 11 | 0 | 2 | 9 | -27 | 2 |
| Reading FC Community Trust | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -21 | 0 |
| DIVISION ONE NORTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Beaconsfield Town | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 29 |
| Ascot United Reserves | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 27 |
| Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 20 |
| Abingdon United Development | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 18 |
| Penn & Tylers Green | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 14 |
| Kidlington Youth | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| Slough Town | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | -22 | 12 |
| Tilehurst Panthers | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -2 | 11 |
| Milton United | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -10 | 10 |
| Caversham United | 11 | 1 | 2 | 8 | -34 | 5 |
| Chesham United Development | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | -27 | 4 |
| DIVISION ONE SOUTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Fleet Town | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 21 |
| AFC Stoneham | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 21 |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 16 |
| Wimborne Town | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| AFC Varsity | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | -13 | 13 |
| Bournemouth Sports Reserves | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -3 | 11 |
| Woking | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -4 | 11 |
| Bursledon | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | -1 | 10 |
| QK Southampton | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -43 | 0 |
January 2025
The New Year began slowly. Week 1 of 2025 saw just two of the scheduled five games take place. In the Premier League, there was no let up from Ascot United. They were back into the swing of things quickly with a 6-0 home demolition of Reading thanks largely to a Kate Fox hat-trick. Reading were now seven from seven in terms of defeats in the league and rooted to the foot of the table. The other game to survive was a Division One South tie between Bursledon and Bournemouth Sports Reserves. The Dons ran out 5-2 winners, catapulting themselves into fifth spot whilst Bournemouth, who were top in late October, found themselves second from bottom.
Into the second game week of January. The Ascot United machine rolled on, but they were made to work hard against Wycombe Wanderers. Beth Lloyd scored both Ascot goals, the second 9 minutes from time, as United won 2-1. Ascot now had a nine-point gap at the top. Portchester occupied second spot after putting four past Badshot Lea. Woodley won 3-2 at Sholing after being two down inside 12 minutes, Sarah Lawrence grabbing the winner in the 81st minute. Reading remained pointless after a Libby Wilkinson hat-trick helped Winchester City Flyers to a 4-1 win at Arbour Park. Just the one game was played in Division One North, but it was a significant one. Beaconsfield Town winning 4-0 at Wycombe Wanderers u23 to put themselves five clear of Ascot and 18 points ahead of Penn, who still had five games in hand on the leaders. All three Division One South games ended in home wins. Stoneham inflicted Bournemouth’s seventh straight league defeat with a 4-0 win at Stoneham Lane, hitting top spot in the process. Havant & Waterlooville put five unanswered past Wimborne in the Prog Rock Derby, and Woking were 3-1 winners over QK Southampton, lifting themselves into fourth spot.
Into the second game week of January. The Ascot United machine rolled on, but they were made to work hard against Wycombe Wanderers. Beth Lloyd scored both Ascot goals, the second 9 minutes from time, as United won 2-1. Ascot now had a nine-point gap at the top. Portchester occupied second spot after putting four past Badshot Lea. Woodley won 3-2 at Sholing after being two down inside 12 minutes, Sarah Lawrence grabbing the winner in the 81st minute. Reading remained pointless after a Libby Wilkinson hat-trick helped Winchester City Flyers to a 4-1 win at Arbour Park. Just the one game was played in Division One North, but it was a significant one. Beaconsfield Town winning 4-0 at Wycombe Wanderers u23 to put themselves five clear of Ascot and 18 points ahead of Penn, who still had five games in hand on the leaders. All three Division One South games ended in home wins. Stoneham inflicted Bournemouth’s seventh straight league defeat with a 4-0 win at Stoneham Lane, hitting top spot in the process. Havant & Waterlooville put five unanswered past Wimborne in the Prog Rock Derby, and Woking were 3-1 winners over QK Southampton, lifting themselves into fourth spot.
The Prog Rock Derby
The following weekend, Sunday 19th January, was predominantly county cup weekend, although there were a few league games in both the Premier League and Division One North. BotP was at Arbour Park to see Reading bag their first win of the season, beating Selsey 2-1 (Points On The Board). The other Premier League encounter saw Wycombe climb into second spot with a 3-1 win at Woodley United. It was double away-day joy for Wanderers as their u23 side also won on the road, giving Abingdon Development a bloody nose with a 6-1 victory, Molly Carter notching a hat-trick. Ascot United Reserves maintained the pressure on the leaders by beating Chesham Development 5-2. That win was much needed because Beaconsfield went on the rampage against local rival Slough. Dom Carrington hit a hat-trick with Katie Riddington and Henna Hussain both on the mark twice, as The Rams clocked up ten with response. Penn were also on the march, winning 4-0 at Caversham. Away day specialists Tilehurst Panthers were at it again with their fourth win on the road, beating Milton United 2-1. In the Oxfordshire Senior Cup both Oxford City and Kidlington booked sei-final berths, City beating near neighbours Barton United 7-0 and Kidlington edging past a spirited Headington side by the odd goal in three. It wasn’t a good day for Bournemouth Sports as both sides went out at home. The Reserves were beaten 7-2 by Fleet Town and the National League side lost out on penalties to giant-killing AFC Portchester after a 2-2 draw. In the same competition Sholing won a shootout at Havant, Bursledon won 3-0 at QK Southampton, Winchester City Flyers beat AFC Stoneham 2-1 and AFC Varsity were put to the sword by Southampton FC’s PGA side. In the Capital Women’s Senior Section, Woking were beaten 3-0 at home by Farnham Town. In the Intermediate Section Badshot Lea also lost 3-0 at home, to Sutton United.
Reading finally get in the points at home to Selsey
As January drew to a close there was a limited fixture list on the final Sunday of the month. Three Division One North games took place, with a couple of significant results at both ends of the table. Slough Town bounced back from their Holloways Park nightmare by beating Kidlington 3-1 at Arbour Park. All three goals scored by Isabella Jones. At the bottom, Chesham United Development won a six-pointer at Mapeldurham, beating Caversham 3-1 and sending the Goats to the foot of the table. At the top, Ascot lost 3-0 to Wycombe u23s, missing out on a chance to really put the heat on Beaconsfield. Two League Cup clashes saw Sholing beat Reading 3-0 and Fleet thrash Milton 8-0 with Keira Simpson hitting three of the goals for Town. In the tow Divisional Association games, QK Southampton clocked up a confidence boosting 7-0 win at Pace whilst Winchester City Flyers ran riot at home to Rushmoor.
League Tables - End of January 2025
| PREMIER | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ascot United | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 31 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 23 |
| AFC Portchester | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 22 |
| Oxford City | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 22 |
| Woodley United | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | -6 | 21 |
| Winchester City Flyers | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 16 |
| Sholing | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -3 | 14 |
| Reading FC Community Trust | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | -29 | 3 |
| Selsey | 11 | 0 | 2 | 9 | -25 | 2 |
| Badshot Lea | 12 | 0 | 2 | 10 | -31 | 2 |
| DIVISION ONE NORTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Beaconsfield Town | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 35 |
| Ascot United Reserves | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 30 |
| Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 22 | 26 |
| Abingdon United Development | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 18 |
| Penn & Tylers Green | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 17 |
| Slough Town | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | -30 | 15 |
| Kidlington Youth | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | -1 | 14 |
| Tilehurst Panthers | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | -1 | 14 |
| Milton United | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | -11 | 10 |
| Chesham United Development | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | -28 | 7 |
| Caversham United | 13 | 1 | 2 | 10 | -40 | 5 |
| DIVISION ONE SOUTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| AFC Stoneham | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 24 |
| Fleet Town | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 21 |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 19 |
| Woking | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | -2 | 14 |
| Wimborne Town | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | -3 | 14 |
| Bursledon | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| AFC Varsity | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | -13 | 13 |
| Bournemouth Sports Reserves | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | -10 | 11 |
| QK Southampton | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | -45 | 0 |
February 2025
The first week of February kicked off with a selection of league games across the divisions, as well as three League Cup ties. With two-thirds of the season gone, Ascot put themselves into an even more commanding position by winning 3-1 at Oxford City, who had previously won all five of their home league matches. Sholing won 2-0 at Reading, almost certainly confirming that the battle against the drop was going to be a three-way fight between Reading, Selsey and Badshot Lea. There was no change at the top of the North. Beaconsfield were in League Cup action, Ascot won by way of a walkover at Caversham. Tilehurst won away for the fifth time, at Chesham United Development, but were still without a home victory. Kidlington’s recent slump in league results continued as they were beaten 1-0 at Milton United. There was no game for Fleet, in the South but only Havant & Waterlooville could take advantage. They won 1-0 at AFC Varsity whilst leaders AFC Stoneham were losing 3-0 at a resurgent Woking. The big news of the day, however, came at The Hive where QK Southampton won for the first time this season, piling more misery on Bournemouth Sports Reserves with a 3-0 win thanks to Megan Dries, Georgia Sims and Zara Vincent. AFC Portchester went goal-mad in the League Cup, putting 13 past Wimborne Town with April Hill scoring five, all in the first half. Wycombe won a local derby at Penn 4-2 in a game that saw 6 yellows cards, three for each team. Beaconsfield rubber-stamped their application for the premier League by beating bottom side Selsey 5-1 on their own patch.
Woodley struggled to contain Oxford City
The following weekend BotP was back at Marsh Lane to see Oxford City overwhelm a Woodley side that had been hit hard by injuries (Hoops Too Strong For Woodley's Walking Wounded). The Hoops led 2-0 at the break and went on to win 7-1 to reclaim second spot. Winchester City Flyers went one better, putting eight unanswered goals past Reading at The Charters Community Stadium. In the North, the top three all won heavily. Ascot United Reserves beat Tilehurst 6-2 at The Racecourse Ground, Keren Banduka grabbing a hat-trick. Beaconsfield followed up their home derby defeat of Slough Town with a 7-0 win at Arbour Park, Lucy Casey hitting a first half hat-trick. Wycombe Wanderers u23 also scored seven, beating Milton United 7-1 with top scorer Shannon Read scoring four. One League Cup was also played, AFC Portchester travelling to The Northcourt and beating Abingdon United Development 4-0.
A much fuller programme was scheduled for the 16th of February. All three divisions had games, plus a series of county cup clashes. Four goals from Kayla Potter helped Wycombe to leave Wrecclesham with a 6-0 defeat, leaving Badshot Lea still anchored to the bottom spot. Wycombe jumped into second on the back of their win. The Baggies would have taken some solace in second from bottom Selsey also being beaten. They went down 3-0 at Woodley United. A third walkover of the season helped Beaconsfield to maintain their lead at the top in the North. I’m sure it’s not the way they would have liked to have claimed the points, but there’s nothing they can do about it. The big game in the chasing pack, Penn v Ascot, went the way of the home team by a goal to nil thanks to Megan Brockwell’s first half strike. That left Penn 221 points adrift of The Rams but with a ridiculous six games in hand, and the team’s were yet to meet at French School Meadow. The bottom two both lost again, Caversham 2-0 at home to Slough Town, who climbed to sixth, and Chesham 5-2 at home to Wycombe u23s. Leaders AFC Stoneham and second placed Havant & Waterlooville, both had big away wins in the South. The Hawks won 6-1 at Bournemouth Sports Reserves, despite conceding a third minute Emily Phillips goal. Stoneham won 4-1 at The Hive with BotP in attendance (Bees Stung). Leading 1-0 at the break, Stoneham were pegged back by QK early in the second half. Ava Saunders then saved a Mia Flood penalty before Stoneham turned it up a notch, scoring three more before the end. Woking also continued their resurgence with a 4-3 defeat of Wimborne, thanks largely to a 10-minute Gabriella Hobday hat-trick. In the cups, Reading’s BBFA run ended with home defeat to National League Maidenhead United. Oxford City and Kidlington Youth booked Oxfordshire Senior Cup Final slots with big wins, City beating Easington 7-0 and Kidlington winning 6-1 at Thame United (who were to play host to the final). In Hampshire, Sholing reminded Fleet that they were a division above them with a 4-1 win, Portchester lost 3-1 at home to National League Moneyfields, Bursledon conceded their tie at AFC Bournemouth and Winchester City Flyers went out at home to Southampton’s PGA u212s.
Ava Saunders about to save Mia Flood's penalty
The quarter finals of the League Cup took place on the final Sunday of February. All four ties ended in home wins. Sholing beat Fleet Town for the second week running, 4-0 this time. AFC Portchester put out fellow Premier League side Wycombe Wanderers, 3-1 at The Wicor. Ascot united demolished The Hawks 6-0 with the help of a Leah Littlechild hat-trick, and Winchester reminded Beaconsfield that life was not all plain sailing with a 5-0 home win. In the Premier League, Badshot Lea picked up only their third point of a tough season, holding high-flying Oxford City 3-3 at home. Gemma Luke scoring in the final minute to rescue a draw. Caversham remained rooted at the foot of Division One North after losing 5-0 at home to Milton United. Penn were granted a home walkover against Abingdon Development and there was a rare goalless draw at Arbour Park where Chesham Development added a point to their tally, putting three points between themselves and Caversham. Two games took place in the South and both ended in 4-0 away wins. Stoneham, without top scorer Mia House, had the help of another Mia, Flood, who scored twice in their win at AFC Varsity. Bursledon scored early in both halves to beat Wimborne Town on a very damp day at The Wyatt Home Stadium. BotP had the pleasure of watching this game (Dons Dorset Downpour Delight).
A damp day in Wimborne
League Tables - End of February 2025
| PREMIER | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ascot United | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 34 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 26 |
| Oxford City | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 26 |
| Woodley United | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | -9 | 24 |
| AFC Portchester | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 22 |
| Sholing | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
| Winchester City Flyers | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 19 |
| Badshot Lea | 14 | 0 | 3 | 11 | -37 | 3 |
| Reading FC Community Trust | 11 | 1 | 0 | 10 | -39 | 3 |
| Selsey | 13 | 0 | 2 | 11 | -29 | 2 |
| DIVISION ONE NORTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Beaconsfield Town | 15 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 41 |
| Ascot United Reserves | 16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 36 |
| Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 32 |
| Penn & Tylers Green | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 23 |
| Abingdon United Development | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Slough Town | 16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | -38 | 19 |
| Tilehurst Panthers | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 17 |
| Milton United | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | -11 | 16 |
| Kidlington Youth | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -2 | 14 |
| Chesham United Development | 16 | 2 | 2 | 12 | -32 | 8 |
| Caversham United | 16 | 1 | 2 | 13 | -47 | 5 |
| DIVISION ONE SOUTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| AFC Stoneham | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 30 |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 25 |
| Fleet Town | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 21 |
| Woking | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 20 |
| Bursledon | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 16 |
| Wimborne Town | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -8 | 14 |
| AFC Varsity | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | -18 | 13 |
| Bournemouth Sports Reserves | 15 | 3 | 2 | 10 | -18 | 11 |
| QK Southampton | 13 | 1 | 0 | 12 | -45 | 3 |
March 2025
A big month in the SoReg calendar. The vast majority of promotion and relegation matters would be resolved before the month was over. The opening Sunday of the month saw a mixture of league and Chairman’s Cup fixtures. In the Premier League Ascot edged closer to the title after being granted a home walkover against Winchester. Wycombe consolidated their second place with a resounding 5-2 victory at close rivals AFC Portchester. Another two goal each for strike duo Jessica Watkins and Kayla Potter helping them to the three points. At the bottom, Reading put daylight between themselves and the drop zone with a great 3-0 win at Selsey. Beaconsfield Town’s lead at the top of D1N was now eight points after Ascot United Reserves conceded their trip to Holloways Park. That result, combined with Penn’s 2-1 win at Wycombe, effectively reduced the title race to one of Beaconsfield or Penn & Tylers Green. Kidlington beat Chesham 1-0 and Milton United won 3-0 at Slough Town to leapfrog their hosts in the table. In the South Havant & Waterlooville lost 3-2 at home to Woking who had Bethany Anders to thank for her hat-trick. Fleet Town survived a fightback from Bournemouth Sports Reserves to remain in third but, with more than enough games in hand to go well clear if they should win them all. The Chairman’s Cup brought joy for Abingdon United Development, who reached double figures at home to QK with Mimi Hodges hitting a hat-trick. AFC Stoneham won 1-0 at Badshot Lea and Wimborne Town put four past Tilehurst Panthers. Both Caversham United and Oxford City progressed through walkovers.
Badshot Lea corner routine v Reading
Sunday March 9th brought around a fairly complete league fixture schedule. BotP was at The Operatix Stadium to see the crunch basement battle between Badshot Lea and Reading (And Then There Were Two). The visitors to the lead before the midway point of the first half and managed to hang on for three massive points. That result, combined with Selsey’s 3-0 defeat at home to Oxford City gave Reading an enormous advantage in the race to avoid the drop. At the top, two goals in each half saw Ascot beat Sholing 4-0. However, both Wycombe and Porchester maintained the chase. Portchy earned three points with a 1-0 win at Winchester whilst The Chairgirls put five past Woodley. Kayla Potter notched yet another brace. Bonnie Messitt saw red for United. With the top two in the North not playing, Abingdon Development and Penn & Tylers Green too full advantage. Abingdon, courtesy of a Beth Hawtin hat-trick, beat Chesham 4-1. Penn won 3-1 at Milton, despite having Sarah Harrison red-carded. Tilehurst were still without a home win after an Ammara Qureshi hat-trick consigned them to a 4-3 defeat to Wycombe u23 at Scours Lane. AFC Varsity and Wimborne Town drew 0-0 I their mid-table battle in the South. Meanwhile, both Havant and Fleet won on the road. The Hawks beat Bursledon 4-0. Fleet, courtesy of a brace from Keira Simpson and a hat-trick from Lily Martin, saw off Woking 5-3.
Kidlington's Emily Murphy in the thick of the action against Beaconsfield
The third Sunday of March saw Ascot edge a little closer to the title. They made hard work of beating Badshot Lea 1-0 at Wrecclesham, but a win is a win at this stage. The result left the Yellawomen eleven points clear of Wycombe and, although the Chairgirls had a game in hand, they could only muster a possible 12 more points. With a much superior goal difference too, Ascot effectively only needed one more point. Portchester kept up their excellent first Premier League season with a 2-0 defeat of Woodley at The Wicor. Winchester’s 2-0 win at Selsey meant that Reading were now safe from the drop. In the North both Ascot United Reserves and Abingdon United Development scored seven goals. Abingdon, buoyed by a Charlotte Bigmore hat-trick, sent the Goats packing. Ascot put seven unanswered past Milton United. Sophie Doyle was their hat-trick heroine. Meanwhile, Penn won 1-0 at Chesham, keeping their slim chances alive. Beaconsfield also won, 3-0 at Kidlington with a Lucy Casey hat-trick in front of BotP (Casey Breaks Murphy's Law). It was all boiling down to the big clash between Penn and Beaconsfield at French School Meadow. Tilehurst won away from home for the sixth time this season, 3-0 at Slough. Only Beaconsfield had a better win rate on the road. In the South, AFC Varsity drew 0-0 for the second week running, this time at home to Woking, but the result that really put the cat amongst the pigeons came at Westleigh Park. Havant & Waterlooville ended Fleet’s 100% league record in emphatic style. Chelsie Hay and captain E-J May both scored hat-tricks, as did Lily martin for Fleet, as The Hawks registered an 8-4 victory. The title was still firmly in the hands of Fleet, but were the cracks beginning to show? In the Hampshire Senior Cup, Sholing went down 5-1 at home to Southampton’s PGA u21s. Meanwhile, Oxford City scored seven again, the fourth time in seven outings. This time Wimborne Town were the victims as City progressed in the Chairman’s Cup. Emma Donohoe scoring a hat-trick for The Hoops.
Two days later there was a rare opportunity to watch midweek SoReg action as Wycombe Wanderers faced up to Reading at Adams Park under the lights. BotP, of course, couldn’t resist the opportunity to be present as Wanderers turned on the afterburners, winning 6-1. Jess Watkins scored a hat-trick and Kayla Potter added another two to her tally (Wanderers Keep Up The Chase). A day later, Winchester City Flyers added silverware to their cabinet by defeating Andover New Street 2-1 at Whitchurch United in the NHDFA Cup Final. New Street losing out in the final for the second season running.
Two days later there was a rare opportunity to watch midweek SoReg action as Wycombe Wanderers faced up to Reading at Adams Park under the lights. BotP, of course, couldn’t resist the opportunity to be present as Wanderers turned on the afterburners, winning 6-1. Jess Watkins scored a hat-trick and Kayla Potter added another two to her tally (Wanderers Keep Up The Chase). A day later, Winchester City Flyers added silverware to their cabinet by defeating Andover New Street 2-1 at Whitchurch United in the NHDFA Cup Final. New Street losing out in the final for the second season running.
Danielle Puddefoot scores at Adams Park
The following weekend, Ascot United were in League Cup action and would have to wait another week, at least, to savour the title victory. They did, however, book a place I the League Cup Final by seeing off AFC Portchester 6-2 at The Racecourse Ground. Beth Lloyd scoring another hat-trick. The other semi-final saw Winchester City Flyers secure another cup final slot by winning 3-1 at Sholing. In the Chairman’s Cup, AFC Stoneham, Bournemouth Sports Reserves and Abingdon United Development progressed. Bet Hawtin hitting a hat-trick for Abingdon as they crushed Caversham 9-0. The only Premier League game was a local derby between Woodley United and Reading that swung backwards and forwards in true derby fashion. Both teams had led at some point before Maya Raghunandanan’s last minute equaliser ended the game at 3-3. The big game of the weekend was in Division One North, and BotP was there to see it (No Love Lost). Penn & Tylers Green was effectively a title decider between two teams that, shall we say, weren’t best of friends. Just to add to the event, Beaconsfield’s starting line-up featured Henna Hussain, who had been top scorer at Penn for the last couple of seasons. The game lived up to the hype too. Frantic, with an edge and no shortage of skill on show. Penn’s signing from Wycombe, Ammara Qureshi put the hosts in front late in the first half only for a Sarah Davern special to level things up before the break. The game remained on a knife-edge until the 80th minute when Henna Hussain (who else?) and Dom Carrington both slotted excellent left-foot finishes into the home net. 3-1 Beaconsfield and one hand on the trophy for The Rams. Elsewhere in the North, Tilehurst finally won a home game. Their 2-1 defeat of Milton United was their first home three-pointer in seven attempts. Fleet got back to winning ways in the South, two each from Brooke John and Lily Martin securing a 4-0 win over QK Southampton. AFC Varsity also won, 1-0 at Wimborne Town.
Mother’s Day came around at the end of March, but Ascot were denied the chance to sew up the tile when their game was postponed. The teams below, although knowing the chase was forlorn, continued to keep The Yellawomen honest, however. Wycombe beat Sholing 5-1 with another double from Kayla Potter. Portchester won a south coast derby 3-1 at Selsey and Oxford City went goal crazy. Ellie White grabbed another hat-trick as The Hoops put 10 past Reading. Meanwhile, Badshot Lea were beaten at home again, 6-1 by Winchester. The bottom spot was now going to the final day, with only a point separating bottom side Selsey from The Baggies. The Division One North title was still not mathematically settled and, with Beaconsfield not in action, Penn had the opportunity to make them feel the heat. This they duly did by beating Milton United 4-1 with a Tara Woodward hat-trick helping them along. Tilehurst, after not winning at home until last week, made it two in a row by defeating Chesham United Development 3-2. Ascot United Reserves were still second for the time being after winning 1-0 at home to Slough, and Kidlington shared the points with Abingdon United Development, 1-1 at Exeter Park. Fleet now looked to have the South in the bag after winning 5-0 at Wimborne. This result put them two clear at the top with games in hand. Seven more points from their remaining four games would seal the deal.
Mother’s Day came around at the end of March, but Ascot were denied the chance to sew up the tile when their game was postponed. The teams below, although knowing the chase was forlorn, continued to keep The Yellawomen honest, however. Wycombe beat Sholing 5-1 with another double from Kayla Potter. Portchester won a south coast derby 3-1 at Selsey and Oxford City went goal crazy. Ellie White grabbed another hat-trick as The Hoops put 10 past Reading. Meanwhile, Badshot Lea were beaten at home again, 6-1 by Winchester. The bottom spot was now going to the final day, with only a point separating bottom side Selsey from The Baggies. The Division One North title was still not mathematically settled and, with Beaconsfield not in action, Penn had the opportunity to make them feel the heat. This they duly did by beating Milton United 4-1 with a Tara Woodward hat-trick helping them along. Tilehurst, after not winning at home until last week, made it two in a row by defeating Chesham United Development 3-2. Ascot United Reserves were still second for the time being after winning 1-0 at home to Slough, and Kidlington shared the points with Abingdon United Development, 1-1 at Exeter Park. Fleet now looked to have the South in the bag after winning 5-0 at Wimborne. This result put them two clear at the top with games in hand. Seven more points from their remaining four games would seal the deal.
The Rams won a top of the table tussle at Penn
League Tables - End of March 2025
| PREMIER | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ascot United | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 43 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 16 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 38 |
| Oxford City | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 27 | 32 |
| AFC Portchester | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 31 |
| Winchester City Flyers | 15 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 25 |
| Woodley United | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | -15 | 25 |
| Sholing | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | -8 | 20 |
| Reading FC Community Trust | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | -50 | 10 |
| Badshot Lea | 17 | 0 | 3 | 14 | -44 | 3 |
| Selsey | 17 | 0 | 2 | 15 | -39 | 2 |
| DIVISION ONE NORTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Beaconsfield Town | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 50 |
| Ascot United Reserves | 19 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 35 | 42 |
| Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 31 | 35 |
| Penn & Tylers Green | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 35 |
| Abingdon United Development | 17 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 28 |
| Tilehurst Panthers | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 26 |
| Kidlington Youth | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | -2 | 21 |
| Milton United | 19 | 6 | 1 | 12 | -21 | 19 |
| Slough Town | 19 | 6 | 1 | 12 | -45 | 19 |
| Chesham United Development | 20 | 2 | 2 | 16 | -38 | 8 |
| Caversham United | 18 | 1 | 2 | 15 | -55 | 5 |
| DIVISION ONE SOUTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Fleet Town | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 33 |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 37 | 31 |
| AFC Stoneham | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 30 |
| Woking | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 24 |
| AFC Varsity | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | -17 | 18 |
| Bursledon | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 16 |
| Wimborne Town | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -14 | 15 |
| Bournemouth Sports Reserves | 16 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -19 | 11 |
| QK Southampton | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | -49 | 3 |
April 2025
April 6th 2025. A date that Ascot United will have etched in their minds. After being runners-up in the previous two seasons, this was the date the eventually secured the Premier League title and, what’s more, they did it in some style. Beth Lloyd hit yet another hat-trick as the Yellawomen beat Selsey 7-0. That result also condemned Selsey to bottom spot, despite Badshot Lea losing 6-2 at Reading. Royals captain Lucy Bolitho scoring four of her side’s goals. Portchester kept up the push for second place as they won 2-1 at Woodley United. There was plenty of drama at the 18i78 Stadium as Wycombe and Winchester shared eight goals. Kayla Potter and Jess Watkins both scored twice for Wanderers. Flyers strike Lavinia Nkomo had a mixed afternoon, scoring in the 42nd and 92nd minutes being seeing red in the 96th. There was no game for Beaconsfield in the North. However, Penn & Tylers Green, who could still draw level on points if they won every game and Town lost their remaining two, kept up their end of the bargain. They also vastly improved their goal difference after putting twelve past Caversham. Both Ammara Qureshi and Tara Woodward helped themselves to four goals apiece. The other game in the North saw Tilehurst, who were now on a roll at home, win for the third time on the bounce, beating Kidlington 7-1 with Georgia Hayes hitting a hat-trick in the first half. Division One South, meanwhile, was promising to go all the way to the final day before the title was decided. Whilst Havant & Waterlooville were winning 7-0 at QK Southampton, AFC Varsity were shaking things up by winning 2-1 at Fleet Town. Both Chairman’s Cup semi-finals went the way of the away teams. Abingdon United Development winning 3-2 at Stoneham and Oxford City edging past Bournemouth Sports Reserves by a solitary Emily Harris goal to nil.
By the time the Premier League fixtures of April 13th were played out, everything was over bar the shouting. Ascot celebrated their recent championship by winning 5-1 at Woodley and Portchester beat Reading 2-0 as they continued to push for second place. Winchester Flyers and Oxford City shared six goals in an entertaining dead rubber at The Charters Community Stadium. BotP made the short journey to The Northcourt to watch Abingdon United Development take on Beaconsfield Town with The Rams needing a point to ensure the title (Rams Take A Step Up). The game was goalless at half time, but the visitors stepped things up in the second half, eventually running out 3-1 winners. They were champions of Division One North and would be playing in the premier League next season. Ascot united Reserves signed off their season by putting eight past Kidlington. Keren Banduka and Stephanie Ferreira both hitting hat-tricks. Penn halted Tilehurst’s resent home run by winning a tight contest 1-0 at Scours Lane. The title challenge was over for them, but they still had the runners-up spot in their sights. In the South Bursledon established themselves as the top newly promoted team with a 4-0 home defeat of AFC Varsity. Poppie Weekes helped herself to a hat-trick for The Dons. At Westleigh Park, Havant & Waterlooville signed off with a resounding 4-0 defeat of AFC Stoneham, ending the Purps’ title push. The result also set a target for Fleet, who were now four points adrift with three games remaining and a vastly inferior goal difference. The upshot being that Fleet needed to win two of their remaining three games, all of which were at home.
Katie Riddington puts Beaconsfield on the way to title glory
Sunday April 20th was potentially a big day in Division One South. Only one game was scheduled, but it was a big one. Fleet Town v AFC Stoneham, the first of Fleet’s remaining three games in which they needed to gain six points. Stoneham, who had their aspirations dashed the previous week when losing at Havant & Waterlooville, must have still been smarting, because they delivered a blow to Town. Two goals from top scorer Mia House were enough to send Stoneham home with the points and leave Fleet knowing they had to win their last two fixtures. In the Premier League, Ascot’s 3-2 defeat of AFC Portchester meant they had gone through the league campaign unbeaten. A fantastic achievement. Wycombe Wanderers secured the runners-up slot with a 3-3 draw at Oxford United. Ellie White hit another Hoops hat-trick whilst Kayla Potter added two more, taking her season tally to 34. Winchester City also ended the campaign on a high, winning 2-1 at Sholing. In the North Beaconsfield’s homecoming parade was postponed after Caversham forfeited their final game. Abingdon United Development warmed up for the Chairman’s Cup Final with a 4-0 defeat of Milton United and Penn won 4-3 at Kidlington to leave themselves needing one win in the last two games to secure second place.
By the time April 27th rolled around most of the league games had been completed. However, things were not settled in the South and there was still the matter of some cup finals. In Division One North, Penn consolidated second spot by rounding off their season with a 3-1 win at Slough Town. Meanwhile, in the South, QK Southampton completed their season with defeat at home to Bursledon, who ended the season top of the promoted teams. The big news in the South, however, was Fleet Town’s 4-1 defeat of Wimborne Town, setting up a massive final game for Town. A win at home to Bursledon would see them crowned champions. Meanwhile, two cup finals took place. Ascot United completed the double by beating Winchester City Flyers 3-1 at Reading City’s Scours Lane. BotP was at Thame United’s ASM Stadium, battling with the insects (and losing), as Oxford City saw off Kidlington Youth by 4-0 in the Oxfordshire FA Cup Final (Sweet Sixteen For City).
Oxford City celebrate the Oxfordshire FA Cup
League Tables - End of April 2025
| PREMIER | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ascot United | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 52 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 43 | 40 |
| AFC Portchester | 17 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 24 | 37 |
| Oxford City | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 34 |
| Winchester City Flyers | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 30 |
| Woodley United | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | -20 | 25 |
| Sholing | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | -9 | 20 |
| Reading FC Community Trust | 18 | 4 | 1 | 13 | -48 | 13 |
| Badshot Lea | 18 | 0 | 3 | 15 | -48 | 3 |
| Selsey | 18 | 0 | 2 | 16 | -46 | 2 |
| DIVISION ONE NORTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Beaconsfield Town | 19 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 53 |
| Penn & Tylers Green | 19 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 47 |
| Ascot United Reserves | 20 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 45 |
| Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 31 | 35 |
| Abingdon United Development | 19 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 18 | 31 |
| Tilehurst Panthers | 19 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 29 |
| Kidlington Youth | 19 | 6 | 3 | 10 | -17 | 21 |
| Milton United | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | -25 | 19 |
| Slough Town | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | -47 | 19 |
| Chesham United Development | 20 | 2 | 2 | 16 | -38 | 8 |
| Caversham United | 19 | 1 | 2 | 16 | -67 | 5 |
| DIVISION ONE SOUTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 48 | 37 |
| Fleet Town | 15 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 36 |
| AFC Stoneham | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 33 |
| Woking | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 24 |
| Bursledon | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 22 |
| AFC Varsity | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | -20 | 21 |
| Wimborne Town | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -17 | 15 |
| Bournemouth Sports Reserves | 16 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -19 | 11 |
| QK Southampton | 16 | 1 | 0 | 15 | -59 | 3 |
May 2025
Star Wars Day, as some call it (not me, I hasten to add), was D-Day for Fleet and Havant as the former took on Bursledon. Meanwhile, there were also a couple of games going on in the Premier and Division One North. Portchester completed a very good first Premier season with a 2-1 defeat of Sholing. In the North, Abingdon got their shooting boot son ready for next week’s cup final by beating Tilehurst 6-3, with three goals from Molly Lygo-Jackson. The big game, however, was at Fleet, where the home team took on Wimborne Town in a game that they needed to win to snatch the title from Havant & Waterlooville. On the artificial surface at Hart Leisure Centre, Fleet took an early, nerve settling lead, through Isobella Moffett. However, when Zoe Bache levelled it up things swayed into Havant’s favour for a short time. Crucially, Fleet got back in front, through Dior Knorr, before half-time. An own goal and another Knorr strike saw Fleet through, despite Wimborne getting one back. (Premier In, Fleet).
Jade Kibell (hidden) somehow kept out this Dior Knorr free-kick
On Sunday 8th May Oxford City went looking for their second trophy of the season, the Chairman’s Cup Final. Just as in their first cup final, The Hoops went into the game as favourites and were up against a team from Division One North, in this case Abingdon United Development. BotP was at Holloways Park to report on the game as well as to see Beaconsfield Town receive their Division One North Trophy and medals during the half-time interval. On the pitch, Abingdon sprung a big surprise by catching Oxford cold twice early on. Both times it was top-scorer Charlotte Bigmore who applied the finish. Oxford never quite recovered from the deficit, and when Mimi Hodges added a third, they were a beaten side, despite a late consolation from Yasmin Edwards. A great result for Abingdon. You can read the BotP match blog here (Yellows Give Hoops The Blues).
That just left the last couple of league games to be cleared up on Sunday May 11th. Having already secured second spot in Division One North, Penn lost at home to Kidlington, who ended the season in seventh. In the South, AFC Stoneham and Bursledon fought out a 1-1 draw at Stoneham Lane.
That just left the last couple of league games to be cleared up on Sunday May 11th. Having already secured second spot in Division One North, Penn lost at home to Kidlington, who ended the season in seventh. In the South, AFC Stoneham and Bursledon fought out a 1-1 draw at Stoneham Lane.
Oxford City (red) just couldn't break down the Abingdon defence in the Chairman's Cup
Final League Tables - Season 2024/25
| PREMIER | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Ascot United | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 52 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 43 | 40 |
| AFC Portchester | 18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 40 |
| Oxford City | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 34 |
| Winchester City Flyers | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 30 |
| Woodley United | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | -20 | 25 |
| Sholing | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | -10 | 20 |
| Reading FC Community Trust | 18 | 4 | 1 | 13 | -48 | 13 |
| Badshot Lea | 18 | 0 | 3 | 15 | -48 | 3 |
| Selsey | 18 | 0 | 2 | 16 | -46 | 2 |
| DIVISION ONE NORTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Beaconsfield Town | 20 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 53 |
| Penn & Tylers Green | 20 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 42 | 47 |
| Ascot United Reserves | 20 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 45 |
| Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 31 | 35 |
| Abingdon United Development | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 21 | 34 |
| Tilehurst Panthers | 20 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 29 |
| Kidlington Youth | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | -16 | 24 |
| Milton United | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | -25 | 19 |
| Slough Town | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | -47 | 19 |
| Chesham United Development | 20 | 2 | 2 | 16 | -38 | 8 |
| Caversham United | 20 | 1 | 2 | 16 | -67 | 5 |
| DIVISION ONE SOUTH | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| Fleet Town | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 39 |
| Havant & Waterlooville | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 37 |
| AFC Stoneham | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 34 |
| Woking | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 24 |
| Bursledon | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 23 |
| AFC Varsity | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | -20 | 21 |
| Wimborne Town | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -17 | 15 |
| Bournemouth Sports Reserves | 16 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -19 | 11 |
| QK Southampton | 16 | 1 | 0 | 15 | -59 | 1 |
Top Scorers
| Premier | |||
| Player | Team | Goals | Games |
| Kayla Potter | Wycombe Wanderers | 34 | 21 |
| Libby Wilkinson | Winchester City Flyers | 26 | 26 |
| Annie Northwood | Winchester City Flyers | 23 | 22 |
| Beth Lloyd | Ascot United | 23 | 24 |
| Jessica Watkins | Wycombe Wanderers | 22 | 33 |
| Division One North | |||
| Player | Team | Goals | Games |
| Tara Woodward | Penn & Tylers Green | 24 | 25 |
| Shannon Read | Wycombe Wanderers u23 | 23 | 20 |
| Leah Why | Tilehurst Panthers | 22 | 23 |
| Charlotte Bigmore | Abingdon United Dev. | 21 | 21 |
| Beth Hawtin | Abingdon United Dev. | 18 | 22 |
| Division One South | |||
| Player | Team | Goals | Games |
| Lily Martin | Fleet Town | 23 | 18 |
| Mia House | AFC Stoneham | 18 | 22 |
| Sophie Lee | Havant & Waterlooville | 16 | 18 |
| Kiera Simpson | Fleet Town | 16 | 22 |
| Emma-Jane May | Havant & Waterlooville | 14 | 20 |
| Isobel Pouncy | Bursledon | 14 | 21 |
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