Leeds Combination League: Fforde Grene in the driving seat

CHAPELTOWN FFORDE Grene remain in pole position in the Leeds Combination League Jubilee Premier having won their first two games.
Leeds City Rovers goalscorer Nick Clarke.Leeds City Rovers goalscorer Nick Clarke.
Leeds City Rovers goalscorer Nick Clarke.

Fforde, back in the league after folding their Combination side last season, backed up their opening day 2-1 victory at home to Main Line Social with Thursday night’s same-score success at Seacroft WMC. Michael Elliott was on target for the hosts but a Francisco Santos double saw Fforde to their second victory.

Fforde were not in action on Sunday, when Leeds City Rovers began their new campaign with a 2-1 success at Seacroft who have one point from their first three games.

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Nick Clarke and Jamie Cairns were both on target for Rovers with Salu Dawo netting for Seacroft.

Hope Inn Whites sit second with four points from their first two games after Sunday’s 2-1 triumph at Horsforth Fairweather who were playing their first game of the new campaign. James Thorpe was the solitary scorer for the hosts.

JB Celtic also have four points from two games and are third on goal difference after Sunday’s 2-1 win at home to Main Line Social who are bottom and yet to pick up a point. A James Kitson brace saw JB to victory. Fifth-placed HT Sports, who drew 2-2 at Hope Inn Whites on the opening day, were not in action on Sunday.

East Leeds Celtic sit on top of the Premier Division after Sunday’s 5-3 triumph at home to FC Broadway made it two wins out of two.

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A Luke Boyes double and Marc Gunji strike proved in vain for the visitors who have one point from their first two games.

Second-placed Colton have also won two games out of two, with third-bottom hosts Swillington Welfare eclipsed 4-1 on Sunday.

Kippax Sundays got their campaign off to the perfect start with Sunday’s 6-3 success at Harehills WMC who are bottom after two successive losses.

Strikes from Trever Johnson and Ricky Smith plus a Kippax own goal failed to save the hosts.

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Chapeltown Fforde Grene Reserves are fourth with three points from two games after Sunday’s 5-1 defeat of seventh-placed visitors Garforth Sports & Social.

Fforde’s Kieron Goodison bagged hat-trick, supported by strikes from Leon Gentles and Ken Clarke.

West Leeds Wortley moved sixth by bagging their first win of the new campaign through a 2-1 defeat of visiting Kirkstall Crusaders who are down to fifth.

Wortley goals from Mark Ferguson and Geordie Rosendale outweighed the Kirkstall reply from Anthony Williamson.

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Millshaw Park Rangers sit in pole position in Division One after maintaining their perfect start with Sunday’s 5-4 verdict at Pendas Arms.

An Adam Jarrett hat-trick was supported by goals from Ben Leighton and Chris Ward to bring up the Millshaw nap hand, as two strikes from Jordan Riley plus one apiece from Dave Turner and Eddie McNamara proved not quite enough for Pendas.

In other highlights, two sides hit double figures in Division 3A.

Old Town Hall lead the division after walloping visiting Amaranth Athletic 10-3.

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Andy Serotsky netted a treble with Chris Sharkey and Matty Chapman also scoring braces, supported by a goal each from Tom Killmurray, Ash Phelps and Mathew Lambert.

East End Park WMC are second after a 10-0 home battering of Original Oak.

Yorkshire Amateur League

Last season’s double winners Farsley Celtic Juniors edged out rivals Farnley Sports 2-1 in a tense local derby at Bradford Academy.

The Premier Division and Marflitt Cup holders took a crucial lead on 15 minutes through Louis Surtees and as the game opened up, were able to double their lead through winger Chad Morris’ excellent strike after 70 minutes.

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Farnley responded through Joe Cryer’s goal ten minutes from time but Farsley held on to maintain the perfect start to their title defence.

Free-scoring Ealandians hold top spot in the Premier Division after another commanding 6-1 defeat of Stanningley Old Boys.

Braces from James Flower, Rob Gerrard and Chris Parker either side of the break made it a difficult afternoon for a below-par Stanningley side.

Top flight newcomers Stanley United mounted a comeback to win their second game in a row, beating Trinity Old Boys 4-3.

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Trinity led through Alex Yates’ double and Chris Quinlan inside half an hour but Rothwell-based Stanley surged back with efforts from Joe Childs, Jimmy Greenhough, Kieran Wright and Sean Lawson, who hit the winner.

Summer signing Gary Driscall’s treble gave Championship winners St Nicholas a perfect start to life in their new league with a 10-1 thrashing of Wigton Moor.

There were two further goals each for Ryan Brough, Ryan Mills and from another off-season acquisition in Kwame Westermann.

Grangefield fell flat on opening weekend but showed great fortitude to claw a 1-1 draw against Leeds Medics at Weetwood.

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The Medics deservedly took the lead with a stunning effort from centre-half Dave Ashmore and it looked for all the world like that would be the winner only for Grangefield to equalise late on.

Elsewhere, an outstanding individual display from Alwoodley’s Callum Armstrong formed the backbone of his side’s 3-2 victory against an improved Beeston Juniors.

In the Championship, last year’s runners-up Leeds Medics Reserves were left to curse term dates as widespread unavailability saw them fall 5-1 to Calverley United.

A youthful Calverley outfit, for whom 16 year-old Lucas Edelscen netted, saw Brad Northop score two as well as Rob Nicholson and Jake Smith.

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Drighlington and Morley Town are the only teams boasting 100% records having both recorded two wins from the first two games of the season.

Drighlington beat Beeston St Anthony’s 3-1 at Beggars Hill thanks to goals from Ben Small, Shane Sowden and Brett Thompson as Sam Bradley’s dismissal hamstrung the hosts.

Stephan Ball’s late clincher handed Morley Town a 3-2 win against Mount St Mary’s after a thrilling second-half which contained all five goals.

Morley’s Ryan Hartley had an earlier brace cancelled out by successive equalisers by Jordan Talbot and Conor Parsons.

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A nightmarish ten-minute spell early on condemned Stanningley Old Boys reserves to a second straight defeat, 3-1 at the hands of Shire Academics.

The excellent Alex Cookson and Cal Chalkley scored twice and once respectively in the space of ten minutes which effectively sealed the win for Shire, although Steve Ellis bagged a consolation on the counter-attack at the death.

In the second tier’s other game, first half strikes from Joe Hudson and Josh Metcalf secured a straightforward 2-0 win for Wortley against Thornesians.

The winning habit looks to still be with newly-promoted Gildersome Spurs who went top of Division One after overwhelming Grangefield Old Boys Reserves 8-0.

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St Bede’s goalkeeper Tahir Akram conceded a penalty in the second minute but after this was missed his side cruised to a 3-0 defeat of Farsley Celtic Juniors Reserves.

Ian Horrocks scored twice and Kingsley Hall also got his name on the scoresheet in that game.

Leeds Independent, who suffered relegation last term, got their first win in beating Old Batelians 5-3 at Carlinghow Road.

The visitors could have won more convincingly had they been more clinical but Dale Howland, Gavin Hercules, Damon Jenkinson, Abishai Blair and Karl Waring were able to take their chances.

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In a cracking game at Fleet Lane, Huddersfield YMCA swooped to a 4-3 victory over Rothwell with goals shared between Killian Cropper, Adam Heath and Tom Parker.

Meanwhile, Dewsbury Rangers looked in command throughout their 3-1 defeat of Garforth Rangers thanks to Craig Gomersal, Rob Smith and Josh Hirst.

Further down the ladder, newly-promoted Leeds City Old Boys have now scored 17 goals in two Division Two outings after thrashing Woodkirk Valley 7-2. Idle and Collegians have also have perfect records.

Plenty of teams got their seasons underway in a competitive day of action in Division Three, where the big winners were Leeds Medics & Dentists IV.