Sport

Hartley Wintney 2 Dorchester Town 4 The Magpies followed up their comfortable Bank Holiday win against Yate with another three points at in an entertaining game at a wet Hartley Wintney, to move into the play-off positions at the top of the Southern League Premier South division. Manager Glenn Howes was shown the red card in the second half, but will be delighted with the back-to-back wins, and their lofty New Year league position will further boost the optimism among the Magpies’ faithful. Conditions at The Row were difficult to say the least, with the match played on a muddy surface which deteriorated badly as the game progressed. The visitors got off to a strong start with Charlie Gunson netting his fifth of the season on 16 minutes, only for the hosts to find an equaliser just four minutes later courtesy of Shamar Moore’s closerange finish. Town regained the lead on 26 minutes courtesy of Alfie Stanley’s back-post finish. Ryan Hall produced a smart save as the hosts pressed to find an equaliser, but Harvey Bradbury netted his second in two games, early in the second period to give the Magpies a 3-1 cushion. Howes received his marching orders, apparently for delaying a throw-in as the visitors tried to slow the game down. The host pegged a goal back through debutant George Winser’s fine strike on 62 minutes, however a late own goal restored the Magpies’ twogoal advantage, and they closed the game out well to secure the win.

ON TARGET: Charlie Gunson opened the scoring for Dorchester in an earlier game at Hartley Wintney PIC BY PHIL STANDFIELD

Magpies’ happy new year with back-to-back wins

Dorchester Town 2 Yate Town 0 Harvey Bradbury’s seventh minute strike set the tone for a routine home win as Dorchester eased to victory at The Avenue, bouncing back well from the disappointing 3-0 defeat at Poole Town on Boxing Day. Bradbury pounced on some poor defending as the visitors failed to deal with a free kick, and he slotted home from close

SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (Top)

P W D L F A Pts Weston-s-M 22 18 2 2 60 15 56 Truro City 23 15 6 2 54 23 51 Chesham Utd 23 15 5 3 46 27 50 Poole Town 22 12 4 6 47 30 40 Dorchester 23 11 4 8 34 35 37 Bracknell Town 20 10 6 4 48 30 36 Forthcoming Fixtures January 14: Winchester City 3pm H; January 21: Harrow Borough 3pm A; January 24: Beaconsfield Town 7.45pm H; January 28: Swindon Supermarine 3pm H; February 4: Tiverton Town 3pm A; February 7: North Leigh 7.45pm A range to bag his first the club. The visitors were denied by the woodwork in a rare attack, but Shaq Gwenge’s excellent volleyed finish on 25 minutes effectively ended the game as a contest as Yate huffed and puffed, but rarely threatened Ryan Hall’s goal. Matty Neale went close shortly afterwards, however the two goals proved to be enough as Glenn Howes’ team returned to winning ways and enjoyed the perfect start to 2023. n The Magpies return to The Avenue for the visit of Winchester on Saturday, January 14, the teams having shared the points in a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in November.

Sport Bees’ progress on and off the pitch

By Stuart Wickham

stuart@westdorsetmag.co.uk The long-serving chairman of Bridport Town has told the West Dorset Magazine of his delight at the teams’ uplift in fortunes under new manager Chris Herbst, with the Bees producing some recent eye-catching performances and moving off the bottom of the league table. Adrian Scadding said that there is a completely different feel around the club and a renewed sense of optimism following last season’s disastrous campaign and the sticky start to the current season under Herbst’s predecessor, Edgar Marcu. Adrian said: “I couldn’t be happier with what Chris has done since he got the job and it’s so good to see a lot more smiles around the club. I was on the brink of saying that my time was done, as it does wear you down when things aren’t going that well on the pitch. “The mood has definitely changed and we are going into games now with an expectation that the team will play well and get something from it. They’ve done really well recently against Crediton and Axminster and don’t think they fear anybody in the league now, which is quite a transformation. “Chris has been a breath of fresh air for us and he’s passionate about getting local players who really care about the badge. Edgar was a good coach but it just didn’t work out and Chris has shown what a tremendous man manager he is. “Tom Richardson coming back is a great example and he’s done so well for us, and Chris seems to have a great way of finding the right people to join us and getting the best from them. The squad is looking so much more healthy now, although we did have to stop our third team as we were struggling to find the numbers at that level.” The Bees have edged away from the bottom and Adrian is upbeat about the prospects for the remainder of the season. “Once we can actually play some of our games, I am sure we will be able to get into mid-table and then start looking up rather than down. “There’s a definite change in our hopes for the season, although naturally there’s no chance of us competing at the top this season. “Next season will see the shake-up of the league system with the amalgamation of the Pensinsula and Toolstation leagues, so we’re not quite sure where we will end up anyway, although there is the promise that the league will become more regionalised to reduce on the travel somewhat.” Travel to away games in Devon and Cornwall remains a significant cost to clubs with coach hire typically around £550, and Bridport have suffered with late postponements owing to poor weather, including last Saturday’s trip to Bovey Tracey. Adrian said: “We’ve had to rethink our travelling arrangements to away games anyway this season. Now there are five substitutes, rather than three, it simply isn’t practical to squish into a minibus any more, so we always hire a coach. “This has shown us the importance of having such loyal fans though, as we always get a full take-up of the spare seats and the supporters seem to really enjoy travelling with the team. “It creates a good buzz and enables us to recoup some of the cost of the coach hire by charging £10 for the supporters, which I think is great value for them and a real win-win.”

MAN AT THE TOP: Bridport chairman Adrian Scadding and, inset below, manager Chris Herbst

The West Dorset Magazine, January 2023 83 Sport source of real delight for chairman

Axminster 1 Bridport Town 3

By Stuart Wickham

Despite trailing at the break, The Bees produced an excellent comeback win away at fifth-placed Axminster, with Kieren Daniels cancelling out the home sides’ early opener, and Tom Richardson grabbing a brace to secure the three points. The game was only the Bees’ second match in December owing to postponements and cup fixtures, and despite a sluggish start, they followed up an excellent draw at Crediton with a deserved win. The hosts had the better of the early exchanges and Jordan Scadding had to be alert to tip a Craig Veal effort away for a corner, although the Tigers broke the deadline from the resultant kick, Jamie Price applying a deft headed finish to find the back of the net from six yards out. Bridport enjoyed a dream start to the second period when the unmarked Daniels prodded home from close range following a corner. This seemed to signal a shift in momentum, and Richardson headed home just seven minutes later, when the Tigers’ goalkeeper Hurd was caught in two minds and left stranded in no man’s land. Riley Weedon went close to giving the Bees a twogoal cushion, finding the side-netting with the goal at his mercy, but more poor defending on 71 minutes enabled Richardson to score his fourth league goal since his return to the club, the striker latching on to an underhit backpass before firing past Hurd. Manager Chris Herbst said: “It was a tremendous result for us although we were clearly a bit rusty at the beginning. We completely turned it and that’s what good teams do. We should be a lot higher than we are. I’m confident we’ll climb that table.” The Bees’ scheduled match on Saturday, January 7 was postponed and rearranged

OVER AND OUT: Keeper Jordan Scadding tips over a goalbound shot at Axminster Picture: STEVE BARRETT Richardson at the double as Bees stage heroic comeback for a date in April. Chris said: “We had our strongest team ready to play and would really like to keep up the momentum, but there’s nothing you can do really.

South West Peninsula Premier League – East (bottom) “I really want the games to 14 Plymouth Marjon P 25 W D 5 3 L 17 F 30 A 55 Gd -25 Pts 18 come thick and fast while we’ve got that momentum 15 Holsworthy 19 5 1 13 18 38 -20 16 and the confidence is so 16 Honiton Town 17 Bridport Town 18 Elmore AFC 19 17 22 3 3 4 5 5 2 11 9 16 21 23 31 35 -14 42 -19 68 -37 14 14 14 good. “We have to accept that 19 Elburton Villa 15 3 3 9 22 35 -13 12 there’s nothing we can do Forthcoming Fixtures January 14 (2.15pm) Okehampton A: January 21 (3pm) about the weather and the postponements and just be Dartmouth A; January 28 (2.15pm) Torridgeside H; February 4 ready whenever the games (3pm) Newton Abott Spurs H; February 11 (3pm) Plymouth Marjon come.” n Bridport face a tough assignment in their next game as they travel to Okehampton, on Saturday, January 14, followed by a testing trip to Dartmouth a week later.

By Stuart Wickham

sport@westdorsetmag.co.uk

The manager of Bridport Leisure Centre has been overwhelmed by the support shown by the local community in response to a fund-raising campaign to refurbish and regrout the centre’s main swimming pool. Will Thrower has said that £24,000 of the £31,000 target has been raised, and is appealing for the further support to help the centre to reach its goal and prepare for other financial challenges ahead. Will said: “It has been genuinely heart-warming to see the local community come together to help us. We are a charitable trust and rely so heavily on the goodwill of organisations, businesses and the general public. We have been really lucky with the support we’ve received but want to push to try and get the additional £7,000 so we don’t have to dip into our reserves. We had an early boost from grant match funding through the council and have seen donations from so many different sources.” The much-needed re-grouting process was completed over the festive period in order to minimise disruption to pool users. A team of specialists from UK Diveworks carried out the pain-staking work without the need to drain the 25metre pool. The Brit Valley Rotary Club were among the donors, gifting some of the money raised from their Santa Collection held before Christmas, and club president Adrian Scadding, explained his reasons for supporting the appeal. Adrian said: “All the money we raise goes to local good causes and we were delighted to be able to support the leisure centre’s swimming pool repairs. The pool is a great asset to the local community and is used by young and old. Many of our primary schools use the facility regularly and so many people will have learnt to swim in that pool. “It is vital that we can keep it open and looking great.” In line with many centres across the country, Bridport Leisure Centre is facing a number of challenges, having already lost significant revenue during the recent pandemic. Many swimming pools face closure with a perfect storm of falling numbers and increasing utility bills putting added pressure on finances. Will said: “We are so grateful to everybody who has supported us, but also to those who come along and use our wonderful facilities. “Naturally the more members and visitors we get, the more able we are to meet the financial challenges. We are an allinclusive centre and always give a good welcome to anybody who wants to come along and get active.” Bridport Leisure Centre have a modern fitness suite offering a range of cardiovascular and weighttraining facilities, including a Skill X studio – that was the first in the country! They run regular fitness and swimming classes, catering for all ages and abilities, and host a number of sporting activities. Please see website for details. To donate to the swimming pool repair fund, please visit their Just Giving Page: justgiving.com/campaign/ BLCpoolregrouting2022 –or contact the centre directly.

REFURBISHMENT: Bridport Leisure Centre pool and, below, divers at work Leisure centre thrilled after community pools resources

FORWARD: Hugh Vivian on the charge for the Daggers in the 44-3 win against East Dorset Dockers and, right, the Daggers' pack in a dominant mood Picture: STUART BRIGGS Bridport gained revenge for an early season defeat to the Dorset Dockers, registering their fifth successive win in the process, all of which have come without conceding a single try. In a commanding all-round performance, they mastered the difficult wet and windy conditions to run in eight tries in a 44-3 win.

It’s win, defeat and draw for Zebras

Buckland Athletic 3 Sherborne Town 1

Sherborne Town 2 Ilfracombe 1

Street 1 Sherborne Town 1

The Zebras enjoyed mixed fortunes over the Christmas and New Year period, picking up a point at Street, winning at home against Ilfracombe, before falling to defeat at a high-flying Buckland Athletic. A large contingent of Zebras’ fans watched Neil Waddington’s team concede two first-half goals against a strong Buckland team, the first coming after just eight minutes as the hosts started the stronger. Although the Zebras tried to get a foothold in the game, when the home side increased their lead in the second half owing to a defensive mixup, Ant Herrin’s late goal was nothing more than a consolation. Henry Lawrence-Napier capped a man-of-the-match performance with the n The Zebras have been boosted by the arrival of two young loanees from neighbours, Yeovil Town. Benjani Jr, left, son of the former Manchester City and Portsmouth Premier league striker, scored on his debut in the draw away at Street. Meanwhile Yeovil Academy captain Jake Graziano, right, made his debut as a substitute in the win against Ilfracombe on Bank Holiday Monday.

winning goal in Town’s much-needed home win against Ilfracombe on Bank Holiday Monday. Tom Budden’s early strike was cancelled out by an Ilfracombe penalty to keep the game in the balance at half-time, leaving Lawrence-Napier to produce a fine finish on 72 minutes to give the hosts the spoils. The Boxing Day trip to Street finished 1-1, with Yeovil loanee Benjani Jr marking his Zebras’ debut with a well-taken goal in a sparkling all-round performance. Eighteenyear-old Benjani Jr opened the scoring for the visitors with a precise left-footed finish from eight yards. The young striker was a constant threat and was unlucky not to add to his tally, and it was against the run of play that Street equalised as Jakob Dickens ghosted in to apply the finishing touch to Jake

Toolstation Western League – Premier Division (bottom)

P W D L Gd Pts 13 Ilfracombe Town 18 4 8 6 +1 20 14 Torpoint Athletic 21 5 5 11 -13 20 15 Sherborne Town 21 5 4 12 -9 19 16 Welton Rovers 22 5 4 13 -32 19 17 Wellington 17 3 5 9 -6 14 18 Cadbury Heath 20 3 5 12 -19 14 19 Keynsham Town 22 3 3 16 -44 12 Horsey’s penetrating run and cross. The Zebras pushed hard for a winner, Alex Murphy going close in his 100th game for Sherborne although he was unable to add to his impressive return of 53 goals for the club. Although it was an encouraging performance as Town strived to ease away from the bottom of the division, the Zebras’ fans were disappointed to see Benjani Jr hobble off with an injury towards the end, which would keep him out of the games against Ilfracombe and Buckland. n Sherborne Town travel to Shepton Mallet on Saturday, January 14, before returning to Raleigh Grove a week later for the visit of Torpoint Athletic.