Leeds Combination League: How Rinor Ejupi’s second-half hat-trick turned the game for Leeds Met

Neville Hill's Matty Bland hurdles Bird In Hand goalkeeper Graeme Ryan during Sunday's Leeds Combination League Division 5 encounter. Picture: Steve Riding.

Rinor Ejupi rattled off a second-half hat-trick to give Leeds Combination League Jubilee Premier leaders Leeds Met a 3-0 victory over mid-table visitors, Colton Firsts.

Like the top flight, only one game was played in Division 1 owing to a combination of adverse-weather postponements and cup commitments.

Top team Kippax Sundays triumphed 5-2 at home to third-placed Daisy Whites whose cause wasn’t helped by a red card for Bradley Longhorn. Josh Simpson struck twice in defeat for Daisy.

Again, only one game was played in Division 2, fifth-placed Pudsey Bojangles enjoying a comfortable 5-1 win at bottom club Bramley Lions. Kynan Wrigglesworth scored for Lions.

Adam Kerrigan, of Neville Hill, shows some fancy footwork to flick the ball on during Sunday's Leeds Combination League Division 5 encounter with Bird In Hand. Picture: Steve Riding.

Division 3 provided a ‘glut’ of three games:

Club 97 edged the fifth-v-sixth contest with Kippax OB 3-2 thanks to goals from McCauley Elliott and substitute Kierrenjit Sandhu;

Josh Mason hit a hat-trick in top-placed Halton Moor FC’s 5-1 home win over second-bottom namesakes Halton FC Maroons, Stuart McIntyre netting the other two goals;

And goals for fourth-placed Republica International’s Matthew Booth and Thomas Peter Winterburn sank Crown & Anchor, 3-1.

In Division 4, Whitkirk Wanderers Blues went four clear at the top thanks to a 3-1 win at fourth-placed Elida Gibbs. Goals were scored by Ben Costigan, Elliott Jones and Sam Thorpe.

In Division 5, promotion hopefuls Bramley United turned a 1-0 half-time lead over second-bottom visitors Armley Wanderers into a 5-0 rout.

Second-placed Northern Star, meanwhile, continued their upward trajectory with an 11-2 home win over third-bottom VCS United.

Luke Coates, Joshua Isaac, William Watson, Jordan Dean Worsnop and Luke William McBride were among the goals for Star with Jake Ashley and Warren Moore netting the consolation goals for United.

Neville Hill went three points clear at the top with a 7-4 win over Bird In Hand who sit fifth on the ladder while third-placed FC Rothwell Sundays saw off third-bottom Republica Internationale II 4-2 for whom Niall Horner and Steven McFadyen managed to find the back of the Rothwell net.