16th November 2025 - Tewkesbury Town win to move third
Mark Simpson
Sharpness maintained their fine form at the top of the League with a 5-1 win over Cribbs Reserves whilst Tewkesbury Town and Chalford continue their impressive runs. Filton Athletic, Tewkesbury Town, Quedgeley Wanderers and Frampton United remain in the chasing pack at the top, and on Tuesday evening Quedgeley kept their pace up with a 4-1 win over Ruardean Hill.
In tricky starting conditions at Northway Tewkesbury Town hosted Ruardean Hill Rangers looking to extend their run to six consecutive wins. Tewkesbury started the brighter of the two, and with difficult conditions in the middle of the pitch both teams looked to play out wide. Town squandered a number of chances in the first 20 minutes but eventually opened the scoring with a brave header by Lorcan Sheehan from a corner. Ruardean offered little in return with Town the more creative. Ten minutes into the second half an apparently innocuous challenge resulted in a coming together and Sheehan was adjudged to have made contact with a Ruardean players face and a red card followed. If an onslaught was expected from Ruardean it just did not happen, and Town doubled their lead when good work by Ryan Banfield and Alex Roder led to Roder crossing for Scott Jordan to score. Not long afterwards tenacious work by Jamie Goodwin allowed him to find some space and he squeezed one into the near post and past Underwood for 3-0. Town saw the game out professionally and moved upto third in the table.
In perfect conditions at Highfield Way Chalford and Tytherington Rocks served up a seven-goal thriller marked by high quality finishing, momentum swings and moments of individual brilliance. Chalford started brightly with Dzeko threading an excellent early pass to Ryan Harry on only eight minutes, but his effort drifted narrowly wide. Chalford continued to press and Lewis Newell saw his deflected strike trouble the Rocks defence. Tytherington’s attempted response didn’t really trouble Chalford, who went close again on 27 minutes when Dan Carter’s powerful effort was well saved by the Tytherington keeper and moments later a promising Rocks counter was halted by superb covering work by Miller. Chalford regained momentum and on 38 minutes Danny Harris delivered a superb ball to find Harry who delivered a pin-point cross in for Andy Maryon to head home from close range. However, Rocks found an equaliser just before the break with their No.3 firing in off the post. Chalford started the second half with urgency and another good save was followed up by Maryon who perhaps should have done better. Five minutes in Sam Hart produced an outstanding save to keep thing level but in the 53rd minute Rocks took the lead when their No.10 guided a deft header into the corner. Chalford responded superbly when a delightful free kick from Newell picked out Maryon who finished emphatically to restore parity. The reprieve was short-lived when Rocks No.2 powerfully headed home from a corner. Chalford had one disallowed on 67 minutes but three minutes later their perseverance paid off when Newell unleashed a stunning strike to level things up, and he repeated the feat on 78 minutes with another magnificent effort. A minute later he almost made it a remarkable hat-trick of long-range goals, but, a superb save was made tipping the ball onto the crossbar. Chalford held firm to secure a fine 4-3 victory. Just a final note that just before kick-off Tytherington showed exemplary respect in observing a minute silence, greatly appreciated by all at Chalford.
At a wet Bellfield Frampton United welcomed Bishops Cleeve Development and it was Cleeve who started better with Tom Kaye doing well to keep out Cuzner’s shot. Frampton slowly got into the game and from a corner Jacob Geddes rose highest but his header hit the bar. Cleeve’s Kian Gardner found himself through on goal but Kaye saved his shot. Just before the break Theo Brown struck a thunderous shot from 20 yards but Cleeve keeper Noah Sunter pulled off a great save. The opening goal came on the hour when, from a corner Jack Rowsell back headed the ball over Sunter. The lead didn’t last long with Harry Davis running on to a through ball and slotting past Kaye. Both sides had a couple of chances to find the winner, Rowsell’s shot for Frampton came back off the post and Cleeve’s Ubaid Salehbhai had a shot well saved by the feet of Kaye, the game finishing 1-1.
Leaders Sharpness took on Cribbs Reserves on a wet afternoon at Hamfields, and they took the lead on 10 minutes when a cross into the box found James Priday at the back post and his knock down header was tucked away by Keiran Bennett. Sharpness were certainly not having it all their own way with Cribbs Alex Craig having an opportunity to level but couldn’t beat Pete Dykes in the Sharks goal. Sharpness made it 2-0 on 20 minutes Brad Gibbs heading home an Archie Mears corner from 8 yards out. Cribbs were still looking lively and had a chance to pull one back when James Capon made a good run down the left behind the Sharpness defence, he squared the ball to Craig but his effort went narrowly wide. However, at the third time of asking Craig did find the net when he met a Dan Monk cross. Just before the break Sharpness restored their two-goal advantage Mikey Bryant picking up the ball on the edge of the box, played a one-two with Alfie Jones and hit the return pass first time past Corey Weir. Sharpness looked a lot more composed in the second half and made it 4-1 on the hour mark, a through ball from Marley Thomas found Jones who unselfishly squared the ball back to Will Tainton who made no mistake from ten yards. Sharpness were creating plenty of chances but Weir was in fine form keeping the scoring down. Sharpness did get their fifth with 5 minutes left when Thomas was played in down the left channel, he cut back and hit what was a left foot cross but the ball looped over the head of Weir and found the net. 5-1 to Sharpness and looking solid at the top.
A wet and windy afternoon at the Stoke Gifford Stadium where Stoke Gifford SGS United took on Quedgeley Wanderers with the first chance falling to QW’s Seb Keith whose shot hit the post. Gifford took the lead on 10 minutes when Fin Anderson’s well-placed shot found the bottom of the net from outside the box. A double save from Jack Sheppard prevented Fin Jenner from bringing the scores level and moments later Harry Furniss was unlucky when his shot hit the bar. Ten minutes into the second half a stunning one-handed save by Keiran Derbyshire kept Quedgeley in the game and then, Jenner made up for earlier misses when he beat his marker to score from close range. Two more important saves by Derbyshire kept the scores level and with seconds remaining Quedgeley were awarded a somewhat disputed free kick on the edge of the box and Sheppard could only parry the well hit shot and Ben Langworthy was on hand to head home for 2-1 giving QW all three points right at the death. A hard one to take for Gifford who probably deserved something from the game.
Both Bromley Heath United and Filton Athletic were in good form coming into this game at Pomphrey Hill and the stage was set for a competitive game of football despite the cold and wet conditions. Bromley have tended to have the edge in recent encounters, but right from the start Filton wanted the game played their way and they created good early half chances with Trey Merrett coming close to scoring within the first five minutes his shot going over the bar. Filton were rewarded after ten minutes when the ball fell to Tom Fry, and although he had his back to the goal he managed to swivel around and loop a speculative ball towards goal which ended up viciously curling in to the net. Although Bromley were rocked by this early pressure, they started to create chances of their own and just 5 minutes later Filton’s keeper Tom Bradley just managed to get an outstretched leg to a fierce shot by Ollie Hanham. History repeated itself on the half-hour when the same two players were involved in a similar move and the imposing Filton keeper made himself even bigger to block another good effort from the advancing Hanham. But Bromley were dealt another blow as half time approached when Filton’s Dylan Quick latched onto a loose ball and saw it fly into the corner of the net. Bromley started better in the second half probably feeling unlucky to be two goals adrift and they were rewarded just ten minutes in when a really well worked move between Jack Waldron and Ollie Hanham resulted in Bromley finding the net. Bromley were on top in these early stages of the half but Filton still looked dangerous at times, especially when they fed the ball to the speedy Merrett. As the game wore on it became a bit of a scrappy physical affair with Filton desperate to hold on to their lead and Bromley not able to create any more chances to level the score and 2-1 it remained with Filton maintaining their challenge at the top.
At the Bristol Barbarians Totterdown United took on Wick in wet conditions. And the game was quite cagey to begin with and despite having their captain in the bin Totts managed to fortuitously score when Ashley Martin’s big kick up field was headed home by a Wick defender. The second half began with Totterdown creating three or four good chances but failing to take any of them. This, however was punished on 70 minutes when Martin brought a forward down for a penalty which was stuck away by Cory Langdon. Totterdown didn’t let their heads drop and found another goal five minutes later, a good Frazer Clarke cross headed home well by Chaz Hemmings. Totterdown appeared fairly comfortable and other than a good save by Martin were not really troubled. However, disaster struck on 88 minutes when the ball was cheaply given away and Wick were able to move the ball across the edge of the box and with defenders diving in to stop any shots the ball eventually reached Tommy Lacey who turned and struck the ball into the bottom corner for 2-2. The drama wasn’t done there. Totts were sloppy from the kick-off and conceded a corner from which and the ball made its way into the net via Langdon’s back, who at the time appeared to be grappling with keeper Martin and whose over the top protests got him a red card and a miserable finish for Totterdown who had put in a good performance for 88 minutes and Wick going away with a 3-2 win.
