Midweek action for week ending 19th August

The midweek action in the Everards Brewery Premier Division saw four games on Tuesday night and four games on Wednesday night. 


Tuesday night's games saw the west Leicestershire derby, as Desford & Caterpillar welcomed Burbage & Huncote, the hosts putting their visitors to the sword and claiming local bragging rights with a 4-0 victory. Ross McGarry scored just before the interval, Mac Parnell doubled the advantage just after, before Parnell scored his second twenty minutes from time and sub Sam Beck put the cherry on the top on 88 minutes. Thurnby Rangers came from behind to defeat Magna 73 3-1 at the Pat Darby Ground. Arjuna Govia gave Magna the lead after 9 minutes, with Tiolu Joshua equalising for the hosts just before half-time. Louis Finney-Neckles and Austin Enekwe both scored in the space of five minutes midway through the half to stun Magna and take the points. 


Meanwhile at Riverside Park, Zak Adams scored the first hat-trick of the season, as away side Allexton & New Park demolished Barrow Town 7-0. Adams was joined on the scoresheet by Ryan Charles and Matthew Dennis, with Louis Biggs-Neal and Elhakim Opoku getting in on the act by scoring when coming on from the bench. Sileby Town and Ellistown both played out an entertaining 0-0 draw at Southfields Avenue that either side could have won. 


Wednesday night's programme saw a night of returns. Friar Lane & Epworth returned to winning ways, recording their first triumph for a nearly a year with a 3-1 win at home to Cottesmore. Brenden Parker gave the Rutland side the lead within the first two minutes, but a penalty allowed the Lane to draw level, before a shot from distance found the back of the net to give FLAE the lead. Cotts tried to push for the equaliser, and hit the post with an effort, but Lane broke away and scored a third on the counter, Josh Shenton, Christian Smith and Gary Warren the FLAE scorers. 


Meanwhile, 162 people were in attendance for the first Senior League Premier game at North Kilworth since 1996- when John Major was Prime Minister, Terry Venables managed England, Eric Cantona was propelling Manchester United to the Double Double and Gazza burying the Scots at Wembley, whilst Oasis, Baddiel and Skinner, and the Spice Girls were topping the charts. However, what they didn't see was a North Kilworth win, as Aylestone Park Reserves trotted to a 4-2 victory thanks to goals from Cory Pinchbeck, Aaron Preston, Lewis Turland and sub Joshua McKinley-Hutchinson. Reece Hookway and Ellis Weston scored for the hosts in the second half.


The other two games were scrappy affairs- a local derby at Judgemeadow College was settled in favour of Highfield Rangers, who defeated Khalsa 2-1, Yankuba Camara scoring a brace, Balveer Heer for Khalsa, all the goals coming in the first half. At Hathern, visitors Ashby Ivanhoe Knights took an early lead through Ash Riddell, seconds after Hathern hit the crossbar with a penalty. The hosts were back on level terms after 25 minutes when Jack McLachlan's free-kick curled over the wall and bounced over the keeper à la Barnes Wallis. Hathern took the lead within a minute of the interval when Knights conceded another penalty, McLachlan taking over spot-kick duties and his shot going in, before Liam Walton's 25 yard lob over the keeper into the top corner gave Hathern breathing space in a second half where they spurned numerous chances, and then missed another penalty- Hathern's third of the evening, and the second missed penalty- when McLachlan missed out on his hat-trick in the final minute after being rugby-tackled by the keeper, Knights showing little discipline, and perhaps lucky to finish with 11 men on the park.


Normal service resumes at the weekend, with Divisions One & Two entering the fray. Owing to a rather busy Sunday, possibly related to events in Australia, the Ramble won't appear until Monday at the earliest, and next time, we will bring you a double bill- Ramble Round the Premier brings you the best of the action in the Premier Division, whilst Ramble Round the Divisions rounds up the goals from One & Two put together. See you then.