Leeds Combination: Enthralling title race set up by Hope's win

Goals were in short supply at Elland Road this weekend but there was no shortage of action in the Leeds Combination League.
Hope Inn Whites goalscorer Stephen Crawford takes a tumble under pressure from Zaheer Ahmed of Leeds City Rovers during Sunday's Jubilee Premier encounter. PIC: Jonathan GawthorpeHope Inn Whites goalscorer Stephen Crawford takes a tumble under pressure from Zaheer Ahmed of Leeds City Rovers during Sunday's Jubilee Premier encounter. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Hope Inn Whites goalscorer Stephen Crawford takes a tumble under pressure from Zaheer Ahmed of Leeds City Rovers during Sunday's Jubilee Premier encounter. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe

In the Jubilee Premier, Hope Inn Whites set up an enthralling title race with HT Sports by beating Leeds City Rovers 5-1.

Alhassane Keita grabbed a consolation for Rovers while a Jordan Missing brace and goals from Josh McClean, Stephen Crawford and Dan Stimpson saw the Whites to a comfortable victory.

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Elsewhere there was more misery for bottom-placed Main Line Social who were beaten comfortably 3-0 at home by Kippax Sundays with the goals being shared between Tom Charles, Joe Thorpe and Liam Walton.

Former Football League referee, Mark Haywood, takes charge at Hope Inn Whites. PIC: Jonathan GawthorpeFormer Football League referee, Mark Haywood, takes charge at Hope Inn Whites. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Former Football League referee, Mark Haywood, takes charge at Hope Inn Whites. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe

League leaders HT Sports took on Chapeltown Fforde Grene in the Sanford Cup semi-final, romping to a 9-0 victory with a goal from Ben Thornton, a hat-trick from Jason Davis and five goals from the clinical Steve Palfrey.

HT Sports will return to league action this weekend when they travel to Hope Inn Whites in what will likely be a title decider, before then they will be taking on Crossflatts Village in the West Riding Cup semi-final.

The action in the Premier wasn’t suitable for fair-weather fans as fourth-placed Colton pulled off the shock of the weekend, hammering top-of-the-table Horsforth Fairweather, 4-0.

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Ashley Bell, Bill Roberts and Macauley Walker (2) all scored for the home side.

Daniel Stimpson and Mark Donnelly get into a tangle. PIC: Jonathan GawthorpeDaniel Stimpson and Mark Donnelly get into a tangle. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Daniel Stimpson and Mark Donnelly get into a tangle. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe

That result gave New Pudsey the chance to overtake Horsforth at the top, yet despite goals from Dec Forber (2), Greg Sargeant and Rick Simpson, Pudsey fell to a 4-7 home defeat at the hands of AFC Leodis. Jonny Hadley of AFC Leodis was awarded the man-of-the-match award after his stunning hat-trick with team-mate Martin Dixon scoring a brace to run him close for the prize.

At the bottom of the table, Lockett and Callum Godfrey scored a goal each in the 1-1 stalemate between Swillington Welfare and Chapel Allerton who remain in sixth and seventh place respectively.

Horsforth Fairweather face mid-table East Leeds Celtic at home this Sunday and will be desperate for a win as second and third-placed New Pudsey and AFC Leodis have seemingly easier fixtures against Swillington and Chapel Allerton.

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There were three games in Division One with runaway leaders South Seacroft in district cup action against Moortown Albion.

Former Football League referee, Mark Haywood, takes charge at Hope Inn Whites. PIC: Jonathan GawthorpeFormer Football League referee, Mark Haywood, takes charge at Hope Inn Whites. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Former Football League referee, Mark Haywood, takes charge at Hope Inn Whites. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe

Third-placed Halfway House Bramley travelled to rock-bottom Harehills WMC and returned with a 5-1 victory. Alex Waters, James Penman, Bailey Wright, Kurtis Heyes and Adam Carson were all on the score-sheet for Halfway House.

East End Park WMC put in an equally impressive performance as they triumphed 4-1 away to seventh-placed Bramley Town.

Kris Robson was on hand to score for the hosts but Danny Hewitt, Martin Shaw, Aaron Dix and Glenn Hendrix goals were enough to put Bramley Town in a purple haze.

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The game between fourth-placed New Armley Blues and struggling Oulton Athletic was a much closer match with the Blues grabbing a 3-2 win.

Daniel Stimpson and Mark Donnelly get into a tangle. PIC: Jonathan GawthorpeDaniel Stimpson and Mark Donnelly get into a tangle. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Daniel Stimpson and Mark Donnelly get into a tangle. PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe

Steve Richardson and Shaun Stead both struck for Oulton but a Jack Pennington hat-trick was enough to seal the win for New Armley Blues who travel to East End this weekend.

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Richard Wheelhouse was at it again this weekend as the goals rained in for Hunslet Club in Division Two of the Leeds Combination league, writes JOHN MCNAMARA.

After dispatching the Crown & Anchor 8-0 last week, Hunslet kept up their hot run of form by firing in nine goals against bottom-club Western Juniors.

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Wheelhouse scored four goals in successive weeks and Jonathan Dockerty, Ben Wade (2) and Matthew Bowes added the rest for Hunslet.

In the other game in the division, Acorn (Bramley) moved to within two points of Corpus Christi after beating them at home 4-0. The goals came mainly in the second half through Matthew Lofthouse, Graham Major, Grant Lether and Jack Asquith.

In Division 3A, AFC Travellers stretched their lead at the top of the table to 12 points with a 1-0 victory away to Old Crooked Clock courtesy of a Jordan Webb goal.

Northern Star played out an entertaining game with New Moorside that finished 4-3 in their favour. Danny Roberts (2), Atal Hanibi and Kieran Dieghan were all on the score-sheet for Northern.

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Second-bottom Republica Internationale managed a 1-1 home draw with Armley who scored through Jack Barker, Republica Internationale’s answer to Christian Vieri, Matt Booth scored their goal.

Kirkstall Crusaders Academy slipped to a disappointing 1-1 home draw with bottom-placed Armley Reserves in Division 3B yet still look set to take the league title. Tenth-placed West Leeds Reserves were hammered 6-1 by Amaranth Athletic with Joe Packer bagging four times and Dave Morley twice for Amaranth.

Yet that wasn’t the highest scoring game of the weekend as Bramley Lions and Bramley Amateurs shared 10 goals between them.

The Amateurs climbed off the bottom of the table by beating the sixth-placed Lions 7-3 away with an impressive hat-trick from Paul Render.

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Elsewhere Temple climbed to third place above Athletico Bramley, beating them at home 4-1 with goals from Matty Hatch (2), Ryan McGregor and Cam Liddell. Leeds Combination Association Football League.

Jubilee Premier Division.

Hope Inn Whites v Leeds City Rovers.

Hope Inn’s Daniel