Boxing day roundup by Stan Wilton

AROUND THE COUNTIES
By STAN WILTON
Boxing Day

Three figure gates at each of the five games with a total of over 700 spectators says much about what people think about the East Midlands Counties League with its local proximity of clubs. Will this continue next season when clubs will be asked to travel further? We shall see.
CLIPSTONE and RAINWORTH MINERS WELFARE bucked the trend with their early kick off, being the only ones to share the Boxing Day spoils. Ryan Ingram on 28 minutes gave the visiting Wrens a 28th minute lead which they hung on to until just after the hour when Declan Sordell and Jack Warwick turned the game on its head in the space of a minute. Ingram had the final say though with a 77th minute leveller.
Fortune Sibanda just after the half hour mark broke the deadlock at the Riverside to put BARROW TOWN ahead against visiting INGLES. Connor Brown-Wingfield ensured that Barrow won their second successive game with a deciding second goal midway through the second half.
Local derbies don’t come much closer that BORROWASH VICTORIA against GRAHAM STREET PRIMS. Lee Fell’s 74 minute goal was all that separated the clubs to give Prims their second successive win.
A fifth minute goal from James Matthews put OLLERTON TOWN ahead in their derby at SHIREBROOK TOWN. Lewis Bingham extended that advantage three minutes into the second half quickly followed by a second from Matthews. Gav King got the final goal of their 4-0 win in the 55th minute.
A hunting we will go. Blow that horn and shout Tally Ho! Following the downing of the Stirrup Cup and as the Red Badgers take on the Stags at Coronation Park there is a feisty start to the Boxing Day proceedings. Jordan Turner gave EASTWOOD COMMUNITY a fourth minute advantage which Sam Parker cancelled out as the Stags raced from cover four minutes later. Not a fox in sight for the next fifty minutes or so as the hounds raced from thicket to thicket – then Kieran Knight put the Red Badgers back in front on the hour. If the start to this contest was frenetic, then so was the finale as the contestants found that extra energy following their earlier tearing around. Jordan Turner’s second goal of the game put Eastwood 3-1 up with ten minutes left and Matt Antcliffe made it four with just a minute to go, but once again the Stags showed quick heels and Luis Parkes made it 4-2 with the afternoon’s race just about done.