Leeds Combination League: Davis pots three to propel HT to top spot

Adam Fowler grabbed a brace for the home side but his goals weren’t enough to erase Davis’ treble as well as goals from Steve Palfrey and Barry Frankland.

Main Line Social not only suffered defeat but also slipped to the foot of the table as Chapeltown Fforde Grene claimed their second win of the season, beating Leeds City Rovers, 2-0.

It was the first league game that Grene had played since October, due to cup commitments and other games being postponed, but Dominique Blair and substitute Shaquille Clarke-Adams ensured that it was a victorious return to league action.

Hope Inn Whites – the only team in the league left with an unbeaten record – were left ‘hope-inn’ that they could secure a return to the top of the division as they took on Kippax Sundays. Their chance to reclaim top spot, however, was squandered by the match being postponed.

Almost half of Horsforth Fairweather’s players found the back of the net when they travelled to Swillington Welfare, putting nine past their struggling Premier opponents.

Steve Skillern managed to hit three himself, and Phil Smith also netted two, but the other four goals were shared equally between Dave Scott, Rob Wilson, Tom Wilson and substitute Luke Monaghan as Horsforth Fairweather increased their already-healthy goal difference and maintained their two-point gap at the top of the table.

Title rivals New Pudsey ensured that Horsforth Fairweather did not extend their lead, though, with a 6-2 win over East Leeds Celtic.

John Mallinson was the hat-trick hero, while Declan Forber, Joe Thorp and Jack Kitson were also on the scoresheet for New Pudsey, cancelling out a double from East Leeds Celtic’s Danny Coates.

East Leeds Celtic remain in fifth, four points superior to Swillington Welfare, but are slowly being cut adrift from the league’s top sides, no thanks to Colton edging past AFC Leodis, 2-1. Ashley Bell was the match-winner for Colton, scoring both of their goals, while AFC Leodis’ response came through Martin Dixon but it wasn’t enough to earn them what would have been a valuable point.

The top two sides in Division One – South Seacroft and Halfway House Bramley – met at the weekend as the latter looked to close the ever-expanding gap to the league leaders.

However, South Seacroft’s superiority prevailed as they won, 5-2.

Stuart Tetley, Liam Gales, Peter Benn, Danny Thorpe and Joe Johnson were all on the scoresheet for South Seacroft, who increased the gap between themselves and the rest of the division to nine points.

Having dropped only four points so far this entire campaign, the nine-point lead looks likely to be enough to fend off any late surges from other teams.

Tom Blackburn’s hat-trick moved Oulton Athletic from the foot of the table, contributing to a 4-2 victory over Commercial HQ.

Commercial HQ looked reasonably safe in mid-table until a recent run of one win in five games has seen them slip down the table. Ninth-placed Oulton Athletic now trail them by just four points and have two games in hand.

Elsewhere, Horsforth Saints were unable to spring a shock against The Woodcock, losing 2-1.

And Sporting Pudsey took advantage of Halfway House Bramley dropping points and closed the gap on them to one point after coming out as 4-3 victors in a seven-goal thriller against New Armley Blues.

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It’s usually Christmas that is labelled the time for sharing but apparently late February in the Leeds Combination Association Football League is also on a similar pedestal.

Much like South Seacroft and Horsforth Fairweather, Division 2’s Hunslet Club Sundays shared their goals out between a series of players as they narrowly beat Moortown Albion, 5-4.

Richard Wheelhouse, Matthew Bowes, Carlton Binks, Dayle Kellett and Killian Mabey were the five who all had a goal to their name.

Bottom-of-the-table Western Juniors claimed their first draw of the season, springing a shock on Beechwood Sundays to hold them to a Desmond (2-2) scoreline.

The result meant that Hunslet Club Sundays were able to extend their lead at the top of Division 2 to three points, having played two games fewer than second-place Beechwood Sundays.

A mid-table clash between Crown & Anchor and Corpus Christi ended 5-1 to the latter, moving Corpus Christi above Crown & Anchor into fourth place.

Division 3A leaders AFC Travellers bounced back from their 2-1 defeat against Original Oak to beat 12th-place Pudsey Athletic, 3-1. Daniel Flesher and Daniel Hurley both found the back of the net before substitute Paul Barrett rounded off the victory for AFC Travellers.

A brace from Republica Internationale’s Mohammed Hamaway was upstaged by opposing player Michael Evans scoring four for Headingley Rovers to guide them to a 5-2 win – a result which means that Republica Internationale lead Pudsey Athletic by just three points with the latter having a game in hand.

Jack Barker was also in the headlines with a hat-trick for FC Armley, helping them edge past Original Oak by five goals to three.

The gap between the two sides is now just one point, with the latter narrowly leading the battle.

Other results saw Bardsey beat Old Crooked Clock, 3-1, New Moorside put in a five-star away performance to beat FC West Leeds, 5-2, and Northern Star shoot past Churwell Blues, 2-1.

AFC Elford pulled a scintillating display from nowhere as they beat top-of-the-league Sporting Pudsey II, 4-1.

Hammad Ali was the star player with a hat-trick in a match where the outcome has blown the title race wide open.

Kirkstall Crusaders Academy beat FC Crossgates, 1-0, thanks to Isaac Hill’s effort, mid-table pair Bramley Lions and Leeds Amateurs shared the points in an entertaining 4-4 draw, while struggling Bramley Amateurs fell to a humbling 5-1 home defeat against Amaranth Athletic.