PREMIER DIVISION LITTLEPORT Town consolidated fourth position in the top flight with a 2-0 home win against Somersham, but they made hard work of it. Nigel Smith broke the ice after Chris Lupson s free-kick had been deflected on to the bar by a vis

PREMIER DIVISION

LITTLEPORT Town consolidated fourth position in the top flight with a 2-0 home win against Somersham, but they made hard work of it.

Nigel Smith broke the ice after Chris Lupson's free-kick had been deflected on to the bar by a visiting defender, and Ben Layn made the score 2-0 from close range.

Goalkeeper Mark Brown kept another clean sheet thanks to a great first-half save.

'Port boss Dave Cullum said: "I was pleased with the way we kept our shape and how we passed the ball."

Fordham, meanwhile, surrendered a two-goal lead as they were surprisingly held by struggling Eaton Socon.

Jose Montero scored the only goal of the first half after receiving a perfect cross from John Sands, and Wayne Bell moved up from left-back to make it 2-0 after getting on the end of a five-man move.

A deflected effort put the hosts back in contention, and Fordham conceded another goal in the final minute when they failed to deal with an in-swinging corner.

SENIOR DIVISION A

SOHAM Town Rangers Reserves returned to winning ways with a 4-0 victory over Girton United.

Alex Irvine was the only player on target in the opening period, and Harley Day subsequently moved the score on to 3-0 with an equally good effort before an own goal wrapped things up for Soham.

SENIOR DIVISION B

FOURTH-PLACED Haddenham Rovers were unable to slow down the title charge of third-placed Debden, going down 3-1 at home despite a Will Ludbrooke consolation.

DIVISION 1B

LITTLEPORT Town Reserves look nailed on to secure promotion to the Kershaw League after recording a 2-0 victory at Waterbeach Reserves.

Clive Lee put them in front, and Paul Starling made the points safe when an attempted clearance bounced off his body and into the net.

DIVISION 2B

SUTTON United and Ely City A warmed up for their forthcoming promotion encounter with comfortable home wins against Milton Reserves and Lode respectively.

Matthew Keys and Colin Coulson both scored twice in Sutton's 5-0 victory over Milton, with Peter Wallace claiming the other goal after his corner glanced into the net off a visiting defender.

Ely, meanwhile, were always in control as they overcame Lode by a 3-0 scoreline.

Steve Pollard hit top gear with a hat-trick for the hosts but City, who lost their opening three games but have not been beaten since, need to beat Sutton in order to maintain their promotion drive.

Stretham Hotspurs lost 2-1 at home to Newmarket White Lion, neighbours Witchford '96 lost 4-2 at Wisbech St Mary, and the same score saw strugglers Isleham United surrender the points at home to Hemingfords United A.

Drew Brown and Sam Hedger put Isleham 2-1 up after they had fallen behind, but the visitors got back on terms before half-time and scored twice more in the second half to steal the points.

DIVISION 3B

YOUNG Ed Hale scored twice as Pymoor FC boosted their title hopes with a 6-1 victory at Brampton Reserves.

Hale's first-half efforts were matched by Stephen Ball, who included a 25-yard effort in his brace.

The hosts pulled a goal back after the break, but David Harvey and Greg Saberton were subsequently on target to make the points safe for Pymoor.

The Vine kept their promotion pot on the boil with a 8-2 win at Dullingham, but Soham United Reserves fell further off the pace after going down 6-4 at Lakenheath Reserves.

United were twice in front and then levelled at 4-4 as Stuart Freeland, David Holmes, Ben Brown and Jim Brown all found the net, but Lakenheath added two more goals to seal the win.

Fordham Reserves extended their useful run with a 1-0 victory at St Ives Town A courtesy of Ollie Foreman's goal, and have lost just one of their last nine games.

Little Downham Swifts, meanwhile, produced a solid display to overcome fellow strugglers Hemingfords United A.

Jamie Linney opened the scoring against the run of play, and a Richard Kent free-kick made it 2-0.

Linney then knocked the ball into an open goal after combining well with Kent, and Luke Williams made it 4-0 before the visitors pulled one back.

Linney completed his hat-trick to secure a welcome 5-1 victory.

DIVISION 4B

HADDENHAM Rovers Reserves made it seven in a row by winning 3-1 at Earith United, thanks to a Jamie Thompson hat-trick.

My mid-season prediction that Rovers would definitely go down has disappeared under the weight of a 21-point haul, and Haddenham could even sneak one of the two promotion spots if results went their way in the coming weeks.

Mepal Sports kept up their championship chase with a 3-0 home win over Willingham Reserves.

Chris Silvain opened the scoring after quarter-of-an-hour, and Darren Murfitt doubled Mepal's lead seven minutes after the interval.

Guy Habbin wrapped up the points with Mepal's third goal in the 66th minute.

Ely Crusaders returned to form with a stunning 8-3 victory at Swavesey Institute Reserves.

Wes Reid chipped in from 20 yards after 10 minutes, and Ross Elliott and Luke Schumann were also amongst the scorers as Crusaders established a 4-0 interval lead.

Reid added a fifth goal from the penalty spot after Swavesey had pulled a goal back, and Elliott struck again before Andrew Hiskett's bullet header made it 7-3.

Johnny Fuller had the final word with Ely's eighth goal after a neat one-two.

Burwell Swifts' promotion hopes were dealt a blow when they lost 2-1 at home to Wisbech St Mary A.

Mike Edwards tucked away Lol Maskell's free-kick to cancel out Wisbech's early breakthrough, but a well-taken goal earned the visitors all three points during a scrappy second half.

Sutton United Reserves moved into fifth spot with a good team performance at West Row Gunners.

The Suffolk side, who skied a penalty kick with 10 minutes remaining, were undone by Phil Harrison's 20th-minute strike, having found United goalkeeper David Frear in unbeatable form.

DIVISION 5B

WICKEN Amateurs kept their promotion hopes alive with a fifth successive win, this time at the expense of hosts Walsoken United.

They fell behind after just seven minutes but otherwise were defensively sound and took control after the interval.

Neil Masters pulled the ball back for James Petersen to thump in the equaliser from eight yards, and Masters was again the provider in the 56th minute as Jamie Palmer rounded the goalkeeper and finished from a narrow angle to make it 2-1.

The same scoreline saw Burwell Swifts Reserves take all three points in their match at March Rangers Reserves.

Full-back Chris Gannon was Burwell's man-of-the-match - particularly for his first-half display when Swifts had to defend against the wind - but his side still managed to establish a half-time lead.

John Irvine's throw-in bounced in the penalty area, and Alex Ripa's shot had just enough power to loop over the line for the youngster's first senior goal.

March levelled midway through the second half, but with 10 minutes remaining Dan Harding found the net with a looping drive to put Swifts ahead once more.

Isleham United Reserves lost 2-1 at Outwell Swifts Reserves after Thomas Sheldrick's free-kick had put them in front with 15 minutes remaining, but fellow strugglers Little Downham Swifts Reserves drew 3-3 at Lode Reserves thanks to a hat-trick from Gareth Draper.

The Vine Reserves also had to settle for a point as a late Scott Dews goal cancelled out Pierce Mason's opener in the home clash with local rivals Littleport Town A.