Match Reports - Sat 22nd Aug 2009

WEARSIDE LEAGUE by MALCOLM PRATT
 
A  week  ago  Houghton  Town suffered an 8-1 defeat at the  hands  of  Easington Colliery  and the critics claimed they would struggle during their first  season in the Wearside League.
 
But they hit back with a vengeance at Hartlepool when they celebrated winning by an identical score.
 
An own goal gave them an early advantage but Lee Kitchen quickly equalised. From then on though Houghton bossed the game and seven players found the net.
 
Simon  Williams,  David Sewell, Paul Maw, Steve Williamson, Mark Robinson,  Mark Catchside and Lewis Turnbull came up trumps to inspire confidence that they will not, after all, be strugglers.
 
Ashbrooke  Belford  House were also in scoring mode and they hit Willington  for six to preserve one of only two 100 per cent records.
 
Peter  Benson was an early marksman from the penalty spot and when Richard Oxman and Martin Deacon also struck, the visitors were in real trouble.
 
They did manage to pull a goal back before the interval courtesy of Martin Scott but  there was no stopping the Wearsiders and further goals flowed from  Benson, Dale Wells and Lewis Hutchinson.
 
Scarborough Town top the table with five wins out of five but they were taken to the wire at Annfield Plain where a penalty by Nathan Cook was all that separated the teams.
 
Silksworth  led  for  65 minutes through Andy Place at  Easington  Colliery  who claimed a point with a late penalty by Peter Crawford.
 
Ryhope  CW  are second-top, with four wins in five games. Their  latest  success came at Boldon CA for whom Shaun Carroll fired home after half an hour.
 
Just  before  the  break Callum Charlton restored parity and when  the  visitors enjoyed much more of the possession during the second period, they were rewarded with goals from John Butler, Gareth Hill and Charlton.
 
After  losing their opening two matches, Jarrow have won the last three and they made it 10 goals in two games against Guisborough HC at Perth Green.
 
Although the visitors led with a brace from John Ryan, they ended well beaten as Chris Lunn rifled a hat-trick and Peter Kane struck twice.
 
A  last-minute  header  by  Adam Preston earned Wolviston a  point  at  Teesside Athletic who had gone in front with a direct corner kick from Billy Millington.
 
Cleator  Moor  Celtic won a nine-goals thriller with strikes from Lee Dunn  (2), Chris Thornton (2) and Darren Johnson. New Marske replied through Michael Mackin (2), David Brown and Robert Jones.