Basingstoke & District League Match Reports from Sunday 3rd March, By Tony Spencer.

Soldiers Return are through to the Final of the Hampshire Sunday Intermediate Cup after beating Duke of Connaught's Own Club on Sunday. The Fareham side went down 4-2 on penalties after drawing 2-2 in normal time, only their third defeat in 15 matches this season. Andy Darmody and Ellis Hauman scored for Soldiers.

Stuart Leddy scored after just 7 minutes as Bramley United tried to resuscitate their Division 1 title bid away at North Warnborough in quite awful conditions. Just 15 minutes in and Ryan Thorpe restored parity for Boro. Bramley continued to dictate the play and Adan Bartlett scored to restore the lead 1-2 after 35 minutes to lead at the break. Playing uphill and against the wind helped Bramley maintain their lead and Leddy popped in his second to collect all the points 1-3 with 10 minutes left to play.

Hampshire Irons adapted to the scrappy conditions and scored early 1-0 due to a Tadley Tigers keeper error. Dave Mills slotted home the equaliser on a similar sloppy keeper's clearance 1-1. Luke Allaston picked out Mills to get his second 1-2 before the break. Irons equalised 2-2 but with just minutes to go Jake Young scored, 2-3 to Tadley Tigers.

Team FC beat Chineham 2-0.

Division 2 leaders Camrose Social lost 1-2 at home to Chineham Reserves, despite Chris Waller's strike. Chineham's Alex Izzo and substitute Danny Webb hit the target.

At the bottom of the table AFC Basing won again, with a 5-1 victory over South Ham Saints. Charlie Dobson with a single and braces from Joe Lake and Ash Pearce won the day.

AFC Laarsens started slowly at home to Shallow End, missing several chances before a long ball from Matty Buckle played George Lagden in, to slide the ball into the bottom corner for 1-0. Laarsens doubled their lead when Lagden cut the ball back to the edge of the box for Samie Aldoori to drill into the bottom corner, 2-0. Shallow End grabbed a goal back just before half-time to turn round on 2-1. Laarsens scored a third with Aldoori curling a through ball to Lagden, who dispatched it confidently. Laarsens' fourth came via a deep cross flicked on by Lagden and bundled home by Dan Bloma. Laarsens' fifth and Lagden's third came when Bloma played the ball through to Aldoori who squared it for Lagden to stab in from close range. Laarsens' sixth came when Myles Englefield played in Aldoori, who grabbed his second, scoring from a 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper. Laarsens' seventh came when an Aldoori shot was parried by the keeper for a Bloma tap in. Laarsens grabbed an eighth when an Englefield corner was smashed in by Danny Costen, following a superb dummy from Alex Catt. Finally, Laarsens scored their ninth with 5 minutes to go when Cian Condon chested the ball down for Aldoori to hit on the half volley and complete his hat-trick, 9-1. In third place with lots of games left to play.

In horrendous conditions in the first 25 mins of their match against Kempshott at home, Basingstoke Saints were 0-3 down because of the disadvantage of the wind. After a change of formation, Saints bounced back with an Adam Butler strike, and a goal from Liam James just back from injury, so 2-3 at half-time will all to play for. Saints continued to press for an equaliser and got it 1 minute from the end through Matt Cuthbertson, 3-3 and a well-earned point.

New Park Rangers dominated the first half against Overton United, with Hayden Chalker and then braces from both Nathan Barlow and Joe Hodge gave them a 5-0 lead at half-time. Rangers went down to 10 men in the second half, but Hodge added two more goals to raise his tally to four, before Overton restored a little pride with two late goals to end 7-2 to New Park Rangers, who do a league double over their rivals and are now in second place, two points behind Camrose with two games in hand.