League Action...

Division 1:
Coopers upset second-placed Shephall Artois from the start as Glen Armitt finished well on two ocassions early on. Ben Smith scored from the spot and Sean Soards also hit a brace. Artois netted through Matt Lockyear but a miserable day was compounded with a red card for Liam McQueen.

Another surprise saw SCS grab their first point of the season thanks to a Dean Chadderton hat-trick in an eight-goal thriller. Jonros Perren also netted. On target for Stevenage Fencing were Craig Braine, Dave Hailey, Tom Hillard and Billy-Joe Sewell.

Paul King and Kieran Hufford netted to give Stevenage Colts the points against Broadhall Res.

Nirankari Stevenage Res stayed at the top with a 100 percent record thanks mainly to Marquis of Lorne’s inability to field a side.

Division 2:
The league game of the day had quite a drama finale. Hermit of Redcoats enjoyed superiority in the first-half against and were rewarded when Josh Dance opened the scoring with a stunning half-volley as he turned Grant Morley on the edge of the box and rifled home into the bottom corner. The pressure continued and Dance hit the post with a thunderbolt before Neil Roskilly put over from six yards out. He then made amends when an Ade Barry cross was nodded down by Dance and Roskilly fired the ball into the roof of the net for a deserved second. An audacious quick free-kick from Dance from the halfway-line shaved the top of the bar. Half-time came and ‘keeper Sam Archer had yet to make a save as they dominated the game. Dance again hit the woodwork and this seemed to be the turning point as TC United then broke and a Terry Lock shot took a slight deflection and beat Archer. They started to take control and Lock levelled the scores with a near post header from Ben Sheldrake's long throw-in with 15 minutes left. The game looked to be heading for a draw when another long Sheldrake throw-in during the last seconds of the game came off Hermit captain Ray Downes and went in for a cruel winner.

Stevenage Leisure Limited are third, only off the top on goal difference. After going behind to FC Squirrel when Mike Coombes rolled in a penalty, they stepped up their game, smashing five before half-time. Chris McCarthy, Carl Smith (two), Joe Chilton and Alex Lucy on the scoresheet. The second-half began with Squirrel in the accendancy and Dave Stroomer scored with a excellent diving header on the hour in his first game of the season. It got better when Pete Bannister calmly controlled the ball on his chest before sending a dipping volley into the top corner from 20 yards. However, hotshot Smith bagged two more to seal the win.

Mallard Old Boys sit fourth, but just one point off the lead. Si Parnell (two), Dave Hollands (two), Sean Lamacraft and Gav Bowler were on target as the easily overcame Hartham Press, for whom James Khakpour-Smith inevitably scored.

Steve Harris bagged five on his Putterills debut, four of them headers. Alan Johnston, Dave Banks and Craig White were also on target. A1 Trophies replied through Garry Brown (two) and Greg Bradbury.

Division 3:
Chequers dominated the first-half and the main highlight was a world class ball by Ricky Wilson for Carl Thompson's second goal. Emperors Head fought hard to restore parity through Lewis Sealy (two) and Ashley Sealy. However, Thompson grabbed his fourth to win it and put them top of the table.

Two of the unbeaten sides met and their records stayed intact. Broadhall A started the stronger and took the lead just before the 20 minute mark as Matt Jackson's corner was headed in by Joe Lee. Gradually, Rileys Athletic got into the game and a scrambled equaliser came just before the half-hour from Tom Gallagher before they took the lead on the hour from a corner through Alexander Perry. James March's corner was headed into the net by Michael Emmings to level the scores.

Danny Bacon and Jamie Fannon-Hill were on target as Bedwell Rangers saw off Odyssey, Will Cubitt relpying.

Two Callum Gardiner strikes were enough for Stevenage Colts Res as ABC Taxis ran out winners. Paul Saunders (two), Phil Wallis and Neal Watson did the damage.

Times Club grabbed their first league win of the season with a good performance against fellow-strugglers Timebridge AFC Res. Steve Reilly’s header from a corner opened the scoring, followed shortly by an own goal from a Paul Dowse cross. A easy tap-in for Garry Pitts made it three before Dan Mitchell failed to add to the score-line before the break when he skied a spot-kick. Brendan Moulton grabbed another on the hour and after he was fouled in the box, Pitts stepped up and slotted in the spot-kick. With five minutes left, a big clearance fell kindly for Dave Hastings, who turned and volleyed into the bottom corner to make it half-a-dozen without reply.

Division 4:
After battling their way to the top of the league with a 100 percent record, Roebuck Gate were woefully inept and went down to a good team performance from Crooked Billet Boro. Their endeavour was eventually rewarded midway through the second-half when Christian Goodyear squared the ball to Tom Sharman, who showed great strength to hold off a defender and calmly slot home. Moments later, Steve Bush got on the end of a Dan Thurgood through-ball and showed good composure to lob the ‘keeper. The back five held strong, despite growing pressure, to keep yet another clean sheet and become the only team unbeaten in the division.

A winner here would’ve seen them top the table, and despite Breachwood Lions having the majority of the early play, it was Stevenage Old Town who took the lead after ten minutes when Richard Stewart took the ball up the pitch and played it through to Billy Reedman to slot past the ‘keeper. A carbon-copy saw them go two up. Both teams hit the woodwork before Danny Jefferies pulled a goal back before half-time for the Lions. Simon Blundell’s low shot into the net levelled the scores and Jefferies fired a shot in off the post from an acute angle to give them the lead. With just five minutes left, Gary Linehan burst into the box and his cross-cum-shot flew in off the ‘keepers leg to level the scores again.

Theo Griffith netted early on for Proverbial with a neat finish in the bottom corner, but Granby equalised a few minutes later through William Flavell. Griffith bagged his second after the break before Tom Robbins extended the lead. Joe Marshall scored with a lovely shot into the far corner before Jason Smith rounded it off with a superb volley from 25 yards over the ‘keeper.

Four goals from John Arshad and a Nick Christodoulou brace saw Icon Onederers grab their first points of the season against Lorne Rangers, for whom Ross Murphy’s hat-trick was in vain.

cheers, Darren “Statto” Jones, statto@cssfl.info, www.cssfl.info