By Isle of Wight Observer
With weather affecting games on and off the Island, volunteer grounds teams battled against the elements to get matches played.
Shanklin’s forward combination of Josh Field and Rory Day scored in the coastal derby, and there were hat-tricks from Harry Taylor of High Park and Cowes’ Euan St John Biggs. East Cowes Sports reached the Hants Cup semi-final, with Bembridge & Vectis A and High Park A reaching the semi-finals of Junior B Cup. Newport Res got to Junior A Cup semi-finals, and Newport won their Wessex match.
Division One
In Division One, Shanklin overcame a dogged and determined Ventnor side 6-0 at the County Ground, with goals from Josh Field, Rory Day, Lewis Parsons (2) and Jamie Trowbridge (2), including a 30-yard left foot thunderbolt that the Ventnor keeper had no chance of stopping. Shanklin’s Frank Stuber was yellow-carded, and keeper, Ash Goldsmith, celebrated a clean sheet, in a match that saw Shanklin welcome Cory Sanderson back to the club.
Cowes Reserves, including several Wessex League players, won 6-2 at home to Bembridge & Vectis on the all-weather pitch after recovering from going a goal behind to Louis Newsham’s strike. Callum Chase headed in John McKie’s delivery to level, before Euan St John Biggs put Cowes ahead and added a third to make it 3-1. Sam Kirby pulled one back for 3-2 at the break. Hayward extended the lead to 4-2, Biggs completed his hat-trick for 5-2, and Ridley rounded off the scoring in the 90th minute to seal a 6-2 victory.
High Park won 5-3 away at Osborne Coburg, with a Harry Taylor hat-trick, and a goal each for Jenson Norman and Matt Ogden.
Consolation goals were scored by Elliot Apter, Brad Kenning, and Alex Ledger.
Hants & IW Cups
In the Hampshire Vase, East Cowes Sports celebrated reaching the semi-finals after winning 4-2 at home to Overton United Res, with goals from Josh Richardson, Joe Crabb, player-of-the-match, Shaun Gulliver, and Anthony Cowburn.
Sandown & Lake narrowly lost 3-2 away at Comrades.
Newport Res beat East Cowes Vics Res 4-0 at Beatrice Avenue, in the Junior A Cup, with goals from Josh and Sean Gwilliam, and 2 from Robbie Shepherd. Vics had Macauley Barnes and Ollie Hartnell yellow-carded, by ref Keyson Colebrook.
Two goals from Tyler Kendle netted for Bembridge & Vectis A in their 2-2 Junior B Cup quarter final draw with Oakfield A, before they went on to win the penalty shoot-out 4-3.
High Park A won their quarter-final 7-1 at home to Newchurch Res, with a consolation goal from Kirk Brogan.
Combination One
With their first team not having a match, leaders Whitecroft & Barton Res won 7-2 at home to West Wight Res, with Sam Cant scoring twice, and a goal each for John Bilton, Theo Appell, Sam Yelland, and Harry Ovnik. Consolation goals came from Ollie Carey and Liam Blythe.
Second-placed Brading Reserves stormed to a 7-2 away win at Oakfield Reserves, with Connor Coburn and Caleb Dyer grabbing 2 goals apiece, and 1 apiece for Brad Gamble, Liam Bennett and Tim Shaw.
Wessex
In Division One, Jez Conway opened the scoring for Newport in their 4-1 home win over Whitchurch, with Ji Nash adding 2 more and Kai Grace completed the scoring. George Holbrook was awarded player-of-the-match. Before the match, Joe Butcher collected awards for 300 Newport appearances, and 500 Wessex appearances, as well as the Wessex Club award for team of the month.