Basingstoke & District League Match Reports from Saturday 1st December, By Peter Raynbird.

Hampshire Junior A Cup Third Round

Two of the three scheduled Hampshire A Cup Third Round .ties were ruled out die to waterlogged pitches on the IOW where Tadley Calleva a were due to visit and also off was AFC Berg’s visit to Sandhurst Sports, both are back on again this Saturday. The one game that was played was in the War Memorial Park where Twentyten met Whiteley Wanderers from Fareham and were knocked out after a penalty shootout. The Wanderers came boasting a 100% record and proved very difficult opponents for Alan Spacagna’s side, who were also unbeaten. They did however take a tenth minute lead when Karl Hanks scored direct from a well-placed free kick. The visitors responded by scoring twice, before in the 35th minute Ryan Lupton found Joe Hill with a cross and he headed the Basingstoke side level. As Twentyten got on top Jake Tanner hit the bar and Dan Hancock had good effort cleared off the line. It remained level until the 55th minute when Lupton outpaced the defence and put Twentyten 3-2 ahead. Although they had Joe Osborne sent off in the 80th minute, they still looked like holding their advantage, but with one-minute left of added time a long throw had their defence in trouble and the header found the net and this meant a penalty shootout. Of the five taken, only Karl Hanks and Carl Pearson could beat the keeper, with the other three missed, so out of this cup they went, beaten 3-2 on penalties.

Hampshire Junior B Cup Third Round

Basingstoke Athletic won through to the Semi Finals of the Hampshire Junior B Cup after they travelled to Bordon and defeated Wye Valley Reserves 3-2. It will be Coal Exchange from Portsmouth they will play in the last two at home on 5th. January 2019. The game was played ion a 3g pitch and this took the Athletic team some time to get accustomed to and they went a goal down. A ball over the top brought a header and it proved too good for Athletics’ new keeper this season Chris Munt. It was in the 60th when the equaliser came. Kieran Challis picked up a ball on the right flank, cut in and played a nice ball for James Lounton to finish. Athletic fell behind against following a long throw but hit back in the 75th when Steve McDonald scored from a Paul Taylor corner kick. The winner came with five minutes left to play; it was a solo effort from Keyron Hylton who battled his way through and finished neatly past the keeper.

Renegades made their exit after being beaten by Coal Exchange from Portsmouth 5-2. After going two goals down early in the game, they were awarded a penalty for handball and Ricky Smith converted. They were always in the game and equalised in the 60th when Matt Baker headed home a corner taken by Ian Ryan. George Lagden had a couple of chances to put them in front, but in the 70th minute Coal Exchange made it 3-2 and after that looked the superior side as they added two more in the closing stages.

The other tie between Michelmarsh & Timsley and Twentyten Reserves was not played due to a waterlogged pitch in Southampton and will be played there again this Saturday. If they win, it will be away to Compton Reserves or Bishops Waltham Dynamo’s Res.

Basingstoke B Cup Quarter Final

North Warnborough proved far too strong for AFC Aldermaston A, who was struggling to get a side together, hence a 9-2 score line. It was however Aldermaston who took the lead in the 6th minute when veteran Gary Bone, brought into the team at short notice, played through for Harrison Edwards to score. The equaliser came in the twelfth through Borough’s top scorer Benica Oprea who following a long throw from Khalil Bentaleb. Throughout the game Oprea created five of the goals, as three came in the next ten minutes from Bailey Craig, Brian Nuttall and Liam Self, all on the end of his assists. John Scott-Elliott, a new 16 years newcomer, scored the fifth early in the second half and as they dominated, two from Matt Hobbs, another from Scott –Elliott .The final two came before Alex Reeves netted the second for Aldermaston to make it 8-2. The final goal came from Tom Goglan., again from an Oprea corner kick.

Basingstoke Saturday League

Division Two

There was just the one league game, it was in Division Two , it was at Berrydown where Overton United B received a surprise 4-2 home defeat against AFC Berg Reserves, who had yet to win before this game and were bottom of the table until these three unexpected points. It was Steven Dea’th who was their match winner, with two goals in added time. Overton were shaken when in the 10th minute a free kick taken by Mark Bone flew into the net off Overton man Bailey Craig and they managed to hold onto the lead until the 60th minute. It was Paul Roffey with the cross and Andy Bullock with a volley at the far post. Berg retained their lead until the 85th minute when a shot by Olly Parker was half saved and Bullock followed up to net. That looked to be it, until just after the 90th minute an error at the back by Steve Caswell led to Steve Dea’th taking full advantage and then in the 3rd minutes of the added time, a corner taken by Overton, led to a breakaway and Dea’th netted his second.