As the Saturday League clubs starts a two week break for Christmas, it is Basingstoke Royals leading the Premier Division,

unbeaten with a two point lead over Hook following their latest win, 18-0 over the bottom club Welly Old Boys. It was Ama Bhuller with the opening goal in the first minute and he went on to complete his hat trick as they led 7-0 after just 28 minutes. By the break the ten men Welly were eleven down. James Gilham scored five in all with two apiece for Ashley Taylor, Tom Smith, Steve Price and Ryan Tubb, with a single from Scott Harvey and even goalkeeper Richard Munday came out of goal late on to get amongst the scorers. Hook managed to beat Bramley United this time after only drawing 3-3 with them in November. Hook took a tenth minute lead when James Westwood took a pass from Dave White. A 25 yard strike from Adam Bartlett saw Bramley on level terms in the 35th minute. Play was even after this with defences holding strong but with ten minutes left a good pass from Aaron King led to Andy Parker making it 2-1 and with United pushing up, substitute Jack McKee went on a solo run and finished well to ensure maximum points. Sherborne St John took on Tadley Calleva A at home and won 5-2. They were helped when Tadley went down to ten men after just five minutes when they had a player sent off after receiving yellow cards. Sherborne were quick to capitalize as Dec Shuttleworth lobbed the keeper with just ten minutes on the clock. Tadley came back strongly and equalized five minutes later through Kye Theodore and then took the lead.. They were awarded a penalty, it hit the bar and in trying to clear Tom Brickley conceded another spot kick and this time Stephen Burgess found the back of the net. Shuttleworth scored again a minute before the interval with a fine run past three men. Sherborne gradually got on top of the tiring Tadley and after Sam Hylton put them ahead, Asher Pirie made it 4-2 with a back heeled goal. With five minute left Shuttleworth completed his hat trick after some more good build up by Pirie.

In Division One Hampshire Irons moves up to just two points of leaders Overton United A, who were having a week off. It was against bottom of the table North Warnborough, the only club to beat Irons this season and this time they had an easy 5-0 away win.. It was Craig Hopper who gave them the lead in the 20th minute after playing a one two with Jay Greene. In the 30th Ollie Owen found Greene with a ball over the top and they were two up. Robert Mead, who has not scored before this season, took a pass from Gavin Curry to make it 3-0 and in the 60th Curry found Mead again and he netted his second. The fifth came with 15 minutes to go when Owen was pulled down in the box and got up to net the resulting penalty kick.

Basingstoke Athletic head into the New Year with a two points lead in Division Two over second placed Bounty United, their one defeat against Overton United B 3-1 in November. They played Preston Candover on Saturday and were given a hard game throughout before emerging 4-3 winners. The former New Inn pair Dale Bristow and Ryan Evans have been to the forefront of an impressive season that including getting into the Quarter Finals of the Hampshire B Cup and Semi Finals of the Basingstoke B Cup. In this latest game Evans put away a cross from Bristow for the first and then made it 2-0 with a well struck free kick. Just before half time Preston came back with a good goal from a Dan Trump free kick and then early in the second half Jamie Perryman made it 2-2. Athletic were quick to respond and after Bristow was at the back post to put away a cross from Tobie Hyde, he scored again from a similar ball from Hasan Alkarnaz. With a two goal advantage things looked bright for them, but Kyle Buckland scored for Preston following a flick on by Tom Black and Athletic then lost Sam Loughlan, sent off for two yellow cards. It was backs to the wall after this and only a brilliant save, tipped against the crossbar in the dying minutes by Luke Allison, from another Dan Trump assist, stopped Preston going home with a point. At Castle Fields I watched Bounty United hammer bottom of the table AFC Berg 16-0, not an experience I enjoyed. Berg had a full team, plus subs, but their defence was full of gaps throughout and after going a goal down within a minute it became 9-0 by half time. Player/Manager Jordon Willis scoring five by them. After going into the pavilion for a coffee during the break by the time when I got back it was 11-0 and although Berg had changed their goalkeeper there was no let up. Craig Williamson, Mitchell Stokes Will Phillips and Paul Barton scored two apiece and there was singles for Mike Gilham, Simon Fuller and Brad Neil. Winklebury Wizards are another club going into the second half of the season unbeaten after their latest success, beating Basingstoke United 4-1 away. Even their spokesman felt they were flattered by the score line as United outplayed their opponents for much of the game. Ryan Watts was the star man this week, scoring three of the four. His first after 15 minutes, a header from a Dan Goodyear cross, he then took a pass from Greg Harper to make it 2-0 by the 30th. Dan Southgate pulled a goal back for United soon after, but Watts completed his hat trick just before the break, taking on keeper James Sallows in a one on one. United came back strongly with Tom Hartley hitting the post twice, two cleared off the line and several good saves from Gavin Alexander, but to no avail and then on came substitute Ben Clarke to rub salt in the wound by scoring a fourth in the closing stages. Labour Club made it three in a row as they surge up the table into third spot with this 4-3 win against Overton United B. Jesse Todd put Overton in front from a Matt Wilson free kick in the 25th minute and they held this lead until the 55th when Matt Kelly converted a penalty kick after he was brought down. Archie Fletcher soon had Overton back in front when put through by Michael Burry, but it was soon to became 2-2 when a shot by the Wayne Barlow went in off the newly appointed Overton manager Wayne Charlton. Matt Wilson caught the Labour keeper Sam White off his line and beat him with his 40 yard shot to see Overton back in front at 3-2. The Overton A team Manager Danny Smith was in the Overton goal for this match and when he brought down Kelly, the Labiur striker put away his second spot kick to level. The winner came three minutes from time when a corner from Mark Thorpe was not cleared and fell to Kelly who completed his hat trick with a deflected shot off Smith.