Chirpy Chipping in box seat as title battle revs up

Premier Division: Simm stars as Fulwood Amateurs smash seven

Will Simm started and completed the scoring for Fulwood Amateurs as they recorded a resounding 7-1 victory at Lytham Town.

Simm scored three goals in total, whilst Oliver Molloy and Jonty McDonald got two apiece.

Tom Eastham was the scorer of the hosts’ only goal.

Elsewhere, the Premier Division title race rumbles on, as the two frontrunners both picked up maximum points this weekend.

A Raj Singh-Uppal double saw leaders Burscough Richmond beat Tempest United 2-0, whilst Dylan Winstanley scored the only goal of the game at Hurst Green to secure a 1-0 win for second-placed CMB.

Those results saw the pair pull further clear of the rest of the division, as Blackpool Wren Rovers beat third-placed Poulton 1-0 thanks to a goal from Tarren Moxon.

It was also a significant weekend at the other end of the table, as Milnthorpe Corinthians boosted their chances of survival with a 2-0 victory over Whitehaven.

Danny Taylor and Jenson Butterworth netted in the win, which leaves Milnthorpe Corinthians just two points from safety, and with games in hand on those above them.

Vickerstown are the team directly above Milnthorpe Corinthians, and they were able to salvage a point at Slyne with Hest through a late Scott McDonald strike.

The hosts took the lead through Jimmy Craig on 53 minutes, before McDonald netted three minutes from time to tie the game at its final score of 1-1.

Rounding off the Premier Division action, a goal from Ricardo Pembele saw Turton beat Coppull United 1-0.

Division One: Late, late winner sees leaders take nine-goal thriller

Danny Ormerod scored in the tenth minute of time added on to seal a 5-4 win for Lostock St Gerards at Haslingden St Marys.

Remarkably, it took until the 49th minute for the first of the nine goals to be scored, with Scott Hammill giving the visitors the lead.

They then opened a 3-1 advantage through goals from Issac Loftus and Andrew Leggett, after Rhys Barton had briefly pulled Haslingden St Marys level.

But the hosts would battle back again, with Sam Holt and Lewis Hanley levelling things up at 3-3, before Barton scored his second of the game to give his side a 4-3 lead in injury time.

However, there was to be one last twist, as first Hammill and then Ormerod netted for Lostock St Gerards to make it 5-4 and complete a scarcely believable second half.

It also sealed an important result for the league leaders, who maintain their eight-point advantage at the top.

And they would need it, as second-placed Hesketh Bank beat Askam United by eight goals to one.

Joe Smyth-Ferguson scored twice, whilst Kevin Edgar, Ash Disley, Jordan Smethurst and Danny Birkby also got on the scoresheet.

Hesketh Bank also benefited from a pair of own goals, whilst Askam United’s only goal came through Joe Tindale.

Meanwhile, it was third vs fifth as Ulverston Rangers met Rossendale, and the two sides played out a 1-1 draw as Sean Mooney’s opener was cancelled out by Scott Wylie.

And fourth-placed Eagley also drew 1-1 at Carnforth Rangers, with a goal from Kieran Sissons enough to earn a point after Ben Jackson had given Carnforth Rangers the lead.

A last-minute penalty from Nathan Shaw was enough to secure a huge three points for Crooklands Casuals, as they extended the gap to the drop zone with a 1-0 win against Hawcoat Park.

That means Crooklands Casuals advantage of the bottom two now stands at 10 points, after Kendal County also recorded a 4-2 victory over bottom side Stoneclough.

Stoneclough had raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Rio Clegg and Aquill Campbell, but a Jack Breach brace, either side of goals from Berand Santos and Aaron McMinn, would see Kendal County fight back to take three points.

Croston Sports also scored four as they beat Horwich St Mary’s Victoria 4-0 on the road, with Ryan Fletcher, Spencer Mercer, Dion Holden and Jordan Freeman all grabbing a goal apiece.

And in the weekend’s final Division One fixture, goals from Phil Edmondson and Jamie Pattinson saw Millom win 2-1 at Southport Hesketh, despite Muhammed Samateh pulling the hosts level on the hour.

Division Two: Free-scoring Freckleton increase advantage

Table-toppers Freckleton sent out a strong message to the chasing pack on Saturday, as they put seven past Dalton United.

Saul Hamer, Jordan Wilder and Kiefer Cunningham all scored twice, before Dajaine Jenkins rounded off the scoring.

Robbie Sanderson was the scorer of Dalton United’s only goal.

That result sees Freckleton moved six points clear of Holker Old Boys Reserves (who did not play this weekend) and of Walney Island, who beat Pause United 2-1.

James Bailey and Paul Wrathall both scored in the win, either side of Wayne Beswick’s equaliser.

And whilst Holker Old Boys Reserves and Walney Island are six points adrift of top spot, both have two games in hand, so this thrilling title battle looks far from over.

Chipping will also hope to be involved in that battle, sitting just a point further back and with an additional game in hand.

And they gave their hopes of a title charge another boost at the weekend, winning 5-1 at Charnock Richard Reserves thanks to a Harris Bailey brace, and goals from Sam Chatburn, Jake Unsworth and Matthew Shorrock.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Butt scored Charnock Richard Reserves’ only goal.

Elsewhere, a hat-trick from Matthew Poole saw Storeys beat Cartmel 4-1, after Ryan Yates early opener had been cancelled out by Tim Hornby.

Euxton Villa Reserves beat Burnley United 3-0 thanks to goals from Kieran Mawdsley, Mike Murrell and Nick Buckley.

And Garstang Reserves picked up a 2-0 win over Galgate, with Andrew Murphy and Aaron Quigley.

Division One Reserve: Wignall hits four for Fulwood Amateurs Reserves

Fulwood Amateurs Reserves put in a five-star performance on the travels, with Jordan Wignall netting four of their goals in a 5-1 win at Tempest United Reserves.

David McPherson also grabbed a goal for the visitors, whilst Tempest United Reserves’ only goal came via a Hadlie Russell penalty.

There were four goals each for CMB Reserves and Turton Reserves, as they played out an entertaining draw.

Declan Roberts, Jax Hazeldine, Harry Dixon and Matthew Chapman also scored for CMB Reserves, with Turton Reserves’ goals coming through Ben McCabe, Cole Exley and a Morgan Griffiths double.

Two goals inside seven minutes were enough to seal a first victory of the season for Croston Sports Reserves against Hurst Green Reserves after two draws and 16 defeats in their previous 18 games.

James Cheetham and Charlie Simmons got their side off to a rapid start, and despite Hurst Green Reserves halving the deficit through a Matthew Bagot penalty, Croston Sports Reserves would see out a 2-1 win.

Division Two Reserve: Booth brace earns battling Rossendale Reserves a point

A 90th minute leveler from Jordan Booth saw Rossendale Reserves claim a hard-earned point at leaders Eagley Reserves.

Booth scored twice in the 4-4 draw, with Jack Mounsey and Nobab Mian also netting for Rossendale Reserves.

Meanwhile, Zach Brown-Karanga hit a hat-trick for Eagley Reserves, whilst Jordan Hibbert also grabbed a goal.

And rounding off this addition of the roundup, Chipping Reserves beat Carnforth Rangers 2-1, with Tom Douglas and Nathan Crook netting either side of an equaliser from Finlay McCole.