Winscombe Ladies were unlucky to lose a close encounter with Clifton.

Winscombe Ladies 1st XI 0

Clifton Ladies 3rd XI 1

WINSCOMBE Ladies were unlucky not to take anything from this game, with Clifton scoring the only goal of the match.

The home side quickly settled with tight marking demonstrated throughout. The midfield collaboration of Sarah Holland and Leanne Gardner immediately put pressure on the centre of the pitch and kept hold of possession.

Julie O’Sullivan and Michelle Isgar remained strong at the back, stopping any attacks by Clifton, before then sending the ball to Charlie Philips and Michelle Clarke-McCulloch.

The midfield worked together well, doing a great job of winning the ball with Kelly Clark and Gabby Richardson demonstrating expert skill, while Hannah Taylor, Hannah Bapty and Emma Caney drove the ball towards goal.

Katie Walker in goal succeeded in stopping the ball from crossing the line, making some great saves as she did so.

Despite the perseverance shown by Winscombe, Clifton managed to hit some strong balls through, finishing one such attack with a goal. This only made Winscombe more determined, but the Clifton goalkeeper made some fine saves and Winscombe were unfortunate not to take anything from this match.

The John Hodge Solicitors’ player of the match was Kelly Clark.

Weston 1st XI 5

Winscombe Ladies 2nd XI 1

THE seconds gave a good performance against top of the table Weston, but were eventually beaten 5-1.

Weston put pressure on the Winscombe defence from the start and it wasn’t long before they took the lead. Winscombe continued to communicate well and worked hard to try to contain the Weston midfield, but Weston were able to extend their lead by a further two goals before the half-time break.

After a motivational team talk, Winscombe began to play with increased self-belief and strength. Midfielder Caroline Marsh worked tirelessly to close down the Weston attacks and distributed the ball well to the Winscombe forwards.

They were rewarded with several penalty corners and an eventual goal from Trudie Lynham, who connected with a well struck cross, to send the ball flying past the Weston keeper.

However this was not enough to threaten Weston’s lead, who scored a further two goals before the final whistle.

The Quilter Cheviot player of the match was Tia Craig.

Marlborough Ladies 2nd XI 9

Winscombe Ladies 3rd XI 0

It’s proving to be a difficult start to the season for Winscombe’s newly-promoted 3rd XI as they find life in the higher division challenging.

After a very shaky first 10 minutes in which Winscombe were basically cut-apart with Marlborough scoring four goals, Winscombe were able to consolidate and it was only the final passing in and around the opposition 25 that let Winscombe down.

The second half saw a more determined Winscombe, with Rachel Wallace and Molly Roberts working hard to protect the Winscombe goal. Captain Gill Harvey led by example with tremendous workrate, as did Emma Whitehead.

Some fabulous goalkeeping by Georgia Tulip kept them from scoring, however, the pressure began to tell and once again Marlborough’s perseverance paid off with more goals.

Special mention for the workrate and positive attitude of the younger Winscombe players Elener Phillips, Georgina Glossop, Maddie Bawden and Tia Rendall, who continued to work hard at developing new skills and adapting to life in a higher division.

The Quilter Cheviot player of the match was Georgia Tulip.

WINSCOMBE Masters rolled back the years when they competed in the Avon Masters tournament and finished a creditable joint-third place.

Results were: 2-0 win v North Somerset; 1-1 draw v Old Bristolians, with losses to Elderberries 2-1 and Wereys (3-0) who were the eventual tournament winners and will represent Avon in the National Masters competition later this year.

Goal scorers were: Vonnie Rendall (2), Liz McConnell and Gill Harvey. The team would like to extend a special thank you to William, who umpired throughout the tournament.