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DIVISION TWO: The battle to finish top dogs in Division Two was as good as any witnessed by the league in many years.

Two midweek victories for Crown Cosmos over Chippenham Police who they beat 10-3 and Hullavington who they defeated 7-3 gave saw them head Cooper Avon on goal difference going into their final matches of the season, but their two-goal advantage wasn't enough to guarantee them taking the title from the long time leaders the tyremen. So both teams knew that they would have to throw caution to the wind and go for broke if they were to keep their dreams of glory alive. At half time in their respective matches Cooper were drawing two apiece away at Hullavington, while Cosmos were beating FC Bradford 5-0 at their home patch in Devizes. Gary Newman's Cooper Avon side raised their game in the second period to score another seven goals to claim a 9-2 victory, however Crown Cosmos also picked up the pace and scored a further eight goals to complete a 13-1 rout of Bradford that saw them clinch a third successive champions crown after winning the division four title in 2006 and the third division title last term when they finished ahead of Cooper Avon.

Will Kibby's side knew that for his Crown Cosmos side to put pressure on Cooper Avon at the top of the table they needed to plenty of goals in their three remaining matches and on Tuesday night, Dean Potter top scored with a four timer as they beat Chippenham Police 10-3, Stuart Skinner and Nick Taylor scored two each, Andy Stone (penalty) and David Lloyd made up the 10. 48 Hours later Stuart Skinner was on target again with another double in their 7-3 win over Hullavington, Brad Newman (two), Nathan Sheridan (penalty), Taylor and Potter also scored. So having scored 17 goals in two matches they were hoping that they hadn't used up all of their goals ahead of their vital clash with FC Bradford who due to injuries were forced to play regular keeper Gary Brooks in defence and use Mike Embleton as a makeshift keeper, Embleton did his best but he was unable to keep out a rampant Cosmos side who are a shaky start scored at will as they bagged on this occasion what was a lucky 13 goals. Stuart Skinner was the day's top scorer with six, Julian Alexander netted twice, Jake Davis, Jamie Gale, Nathan Sheridan, Brad Newman and an own goal which Newman is claiming made up the 13. Pete Collier scored Bradford's consolation from the penalty spot.

Cooper Avon suffered just one defeat all season but still had to settle for second place, but their second half performance against Hullavington must have led them to believing that they could actually finish top of the pile before news of Cosmos winning margin started to filter through to Gary Newman's side. Locked at two apiece at the interval they looked as if the game was one match too many, but they dug deep and turned the game upside down as they crushed they hosts with a dominant second half display that saw them hit seven unanswered goals but even then their 9-2 victory saw them come up short of Cosmos. Ed Wilkins scored twice for Hullavington in the first half, but goals from Tom Robinson and James Worsley cancelled out Wilkins double, for Robinson he scored Cooper's 100th of the campaign and for Wilkins his brace took him to 37 for the season. The second period saw Cooper cut loose with Simon Gillatt scoring three, Dave Macey added two more and James Ponsford and Josh Robinson completed the rout.

Westbury based Horse & Groom secured their second division status on Thursday night after their 4-2 victory over Pig & Whistle United kept them up and sent Chippenham Police down, Tom Moore scored two of the quartet, with Tom Large and Rich Hunt scoring the other two, Hunt's goal was a stunning volley from 35 yards. With their survival already assured the Horse travelled to Sands Lane, Rowde for a return meeting with The Crown Devizes who they beat 2-1 earlier in the season, but their was no repeat of that scoreline as Mark Roberts side avenged their earlier loss wit ha comprehensive 10-2 success. Darren Thorpe signed off in his last ever game for the Crown with a hat trick, Simon Drewitt also bagged a three timer, Andrew Beavan-Witts, Kevin Bush, Mark Adams who scored his first goal of the season and Lee Boudebza who scored his first ever goal for the club made up the 10. Dave Jenkins and Alex Clarke replied for the losers who also saw Chris Fenwick miss a penalty.

Steve Badger who scored both goals for Pig & Whistle United in their Thursday night defeat against Horse & Groom was on target again for the Melksham based side at the weekend when they slumped to a 5-2 home loss against White Hart Combe who finished a very good season in third spot. Along with Badger, Tom Drewitt scored from the penalty spot for the hosts but goals from Lee Fernandez who scored the first and last that sandwiched efforts from Matt Windle (two) and Shane Bell saw Combe to their 15th two pointer of the campaign.

Crown Cosmos moved within two points of second division leaders Cooper Avon on Tuesday after their 10-3 victory away at Chippenham Police in what was last match of the season and the last at the Police Headquarters' in Devizes as the pitch is due to be bulldozed in the near future. Will Kibby's Devizes based Cosmos side needed a healthy win to claw some goals back on Cooper Avon and their win now leaves them just two goals behind the tyre men. Cosmos scored 10 but could have had a lot more as they were denied on at least four occasions in the first period by the woodwork and only led 3-0 at the interval. The Police fielded only 10 players and spent the first half hour defending, as Cosmos became increasingly frustrated that they were unable to break the Police down. Inevitably the deadlock was broken and it was Dean Potter who scored the first of the Cosmos 10, and went on to bag a four timer that took his tally for the season to 19. Stuart Skinner and Nick Taylor scored two apiece, David Lloyd and Andy Stone completed the 10, and for Stone who scored from the penalty spot it was his first goal of the season and his first in just over a year as the last time he hit the net was May 3rd 2007. With Cosmos piling on the pressure in the second period the caught them on the break and managed to score three times themselves which was a rarity in itself, Adam Daley scored a brace which were his first goals for the club and James Parfitt grabbed the third with an exquisite curler from the edge of the area. The Police now face an anxious wait to see if they will be playing second or third division football next term as a point for Horse & Groom in any of their two remaining matches would see the boys in blue relegated for a second successive season.

Two wins in 48 hours for Crown Cosmos means that they go into Sunday's final round of fixtures as Division Two leaders. Cosmos who beat Chippenham Police 10-3 on Tuesday night followed that victory up with a 7-3 triumph against Hullavington last night which means they are now neck and neck with Copper Avon at the top with 36 point each, but they are in pole position by virtue of a better goal difference of plus two. Hullavington were shocked by the quality of their guests who were on top form from the very first whistle as they went in search of the goals that they need to gain the upper hand on the tyremen and they were given the perfect start after just 10 seconds when Stuart Skinner gave them the lead. Ben Wright restored parity for Hullavington before Brad Newman regained the lead for Cosmos. Hullavington hit back to level matters once more with Ed Wilkins scoring a brilliant solo effort to tie the game at 2-2. Dean Potter and Stuart Skinner who was in great form scored to give Cosmos a 4-3 half time lead. A second from Skinner increased Cosmos advantage to three goals, but Hullavington showed that Will Kibby's side couldn't rest on their laurels as they reduced the arrears courtesy of Ben Wright's second of the game. Nathan Sheridan's penalty restored Cosmos three-goal cushion and Brad Newman's second of the night made up Cosmos seven. Cosmos are now in the driving seat for a third successive winners crown, but they know that they are going to have to put in the performance of the season if the are going to beat FC Bradford by enough goals to stay ahead of Cooper Avon and keep them on course for a league and cup double.

Westbury based Horse & Groom who were written off many weeks ago have staged a remarkable escape act as their 4-2 success over Pig & Whistle United has kept them in the division at the expense of Chippenham Police who have suffered a second consecutive relegation. Under the guidance of acting manager Chris Fenwick, Horse & Groom have won two and drawn one of their last three games, which has to be said is a remarkable achievement as prior to those games they had picked up just five points from a possible 36. Nathan Mantle twice had the opportunity to put Pig & Whistle ahead, but he saw his penalty saved by the Horse's keeper, the kick was ordered to be retaken and Mantle his the post with his second attempt. However Pig & Whistle did take the lead through Steve Badger, but it wasn't long before the Horse & Groom drew level when Tom Moore fired home the equaliser. Richard Hunt's second goal in as many games gave Horse & Groom the lead, although Hunt doesn't score many goals this will be one that he will remember for a long time as his stunning 35 yard volley was as good as any scored this term by any of his team mates. Pig & Whistle clawed their way back into the game and a second from Steve Badger drew the host level for a second time. The Horse & Groom got their noses in front for a second time when Tom Moore bagged his second of the game to make it 3-2 and the match was won by Tom Large who crashed home his first ever goal for the club as he made it 4-2, but more importantly for Chris Fenwick's side, the victory had seen them pull off an amazing great escape to stay in the division for another season at least.

DIVISION THREE Third division champions AFC Bell had a bizarre final match of the season at home to Blue Circle (Sunday), but after 70 minutes referee Chris Morris blew for time with Bell winning 6-2. Bell who had beaten Bromham (Sunday) 4-2 on Thursday night thanks to goals from Gary Campbell (two), Paul Machin who scored from the penalty and substitute Craig Townsend were assured of the winners crown, but wanted to finish the season in style were left a little deflated despite their victory that stretched their unbeaten run to 18 matches. The match kicked off in glorious sunshine in front of a healthy crowd made up of family and friends and although Blue Circle had threatened for a while to spoil Bell's party it wasn't long before Bell took the lead through Craig Townsend, the hosts then threatened to run away with the game when a second from Townsend made it 2-0. The Cement boys pulled a goal back through Jamie Howse to make a game of it, but then they were hit with a killer blow as Townsend completed his hat trick to restore his sides two goal lead. With the game 35 minutes old, referee Morris had to call a halt to proceedings as a freak accident to Bell supporter Rhia Linford who is the girlfriend of Bell player Jonathan Couch led to the match being delayed for over an hour. Linford was watching the game when one of the Bell's substitutes collided her with on the side of the pitch with her in great pain an Ambulance was called for, it took the response team 30 minutes to arrive on the scene after the initial call, it was then another 30 minutes before the Ambulance arrived. In that time the players from both teams were very patient and eventually switched to another pitch once the Crown Cosmos v FC Bradford fixture had finished, but then they faced a further hold up as the Air Ambulance arrived to take the casualty to hospital. Once the game commenced Dave Young scored a fourth for Bell, but Blue Circle hit back with Jamie Howse scoring his second of the game from the penalty spot. Any thoughts the visitors had of staging a fight back soon evaporated in the heat as two more goals from Townsend saw him take his tally for the game to five and his total for the season to 48, for Bell's successful captain Darren Liles it was his last ever game for the club as he has decided to call it a day. The good news for the Bell later in the evening was that after tests and x-rays Rhia Linford was discharged from hospital having suffered a sprained back.

Chippenham based Pheasant FC who claimed the runners up spot finished their season in style with an emphatic 9-1 victory over Churchill Arms for whom Andy Hobbs scored their only goal of the game. Ben Highmore top scored with a five timer. Jack Coathupe, Danny Johnson, Tom Jones and Matt Scoble all scored one apiece. For Scoble it was his first goal of the season, and it was worth the wait, he controlled a Tom Jones cross with his left foot before drilling home a glorious strike with his right to complete his teams nine goal tally.

It is hard to believe that Corsham Park Rangers survived the drop to division four following a win and a draw in two of their previous three games, and it was a good job that they didn't need to rely on their match away at Westbury Rangers B to stay in the division as they turned up at Meadow Lane with just 10 players and were lucky to come away having suffered just a 7-2 loss as Westbury had enough chances to double that scoreline. Westbury who were short of players called up first team manager Shaun Gardiner to help them out and Gardiner should have put the hosts ahead on 25 minutes when he met a Sam Young cross but somehow hit the post from a yard out. Westbury took the lead in the 29th minute when Gary Tugwell fired home a Liam Griffiths corner. On 39 minutes Westbury doubled their lead through Matty Mead who rifled home a stunner from 20 yards. Corsham Park pulled a goal back four minute before the interval when Dan Purser made the most of a defensive mix up to fir home from 18 yards. There was still time left for Westbury to add a third which cam on 44 minutes when Joe Gooding glanced home a header. Corsham Park struck early in the second half to narrow the gap to the odd goal when Jake Marshall lobbed the Westbury keeper. It wasn't long before Westbury threatened more goals as Gardiner had a header well saved by Corsham Park's keeper Martin Perrett, but he was beaten soon after when Liam Griffiths header flew past him only to hit the post. On the hour mark the luckless Gardiner missed another good chance for the home team, but their fourth arrived on 69 minutes and was scored by Ross Pugh. A minute a Matty Mead cross was head goal bound by Gardiner and on this occasion he actually hit the net much to the delight of the rest of his teammates. 10 minutes from time Liam Griffiths broke into the area and beat a couple of defenders before finishing from a tight angle to make it 6-2. The scoring was completed on 90 minutes when Rob Youens netted after being set up by Griffiths who had a fantastic game.

Devizes based AFC Bell visited, near neighbours Bromham (Sunday) knowing that a point from their penultimate match of the campaign would be good enough to give them the Division Three title and back to back championships after winning the fourth division title in their very first season last term. Craig Townsend's side duly obliged and returned home with maximum points in the bag after their 4-2 success, but they didn't have everything their own way as Bell allowed Bromham back into the game as they threw away a 2-0 half time lead which had been given to them by goals from Gary Campbell who drove home a 20 yard free kick beyond Bromham's stand in keeper Ady Kember. Kember was beaten from the penalty spot for Bell's second which was converted by Paul Machin after Campbell had been brought down. Bell's player/manager Craig Townsend who was on as a half time substitute reclaimed the lead for his side after Danny Powell's double, the second of which came from the penalty spot had saw Bromham draw level at two each. Townsend then set Campbell up for his second of the game and Bell's fourth which sealed them championship and allowed them to start the partying ahead of their final match of the season on Sunday at home to Blue Circle (Sunday).

DIVISION FOUR With the Fourth division title already won Steeple Ashton Rangers chose to shuffle their pack for their final match of the season against Trowbridge Town Supporters' Club but may have wished they hadn't as Kevin Williams supporters club side ended Ashton's 16 match unbeaten run with a 3-2 victory. Simon Hussey gave the supporters' club the lead which was doubled by one of their finds on the season in Nigel Penelhum who put the hosts two up at the break. Regular keeper Ben King, playing up front for the day reduced the arrears before Penelhum's second of the game saw the supporters club regain their two goal advantage. Ashton's manager Nathan Holloway pulled a goal back for the champions who then mounted attack after attack as they searched for an equaliser but the hosts defence wasn't to be beaten again as they held out for a fine win.

North Star B who had been struggling to raise a team for much of the latter part of the campaign had 17 players turn up for their final match at home to Corsham United for who it was manager Paul Wheeler's final game in charge and his players sent him away with win number 11 of the season as they defeated their hosts 4-0. Alex Mitchell Snr, Adrian Webb and Steve Casey's header gave the ma 3-0 half time lead, and from there the match was already won and the points were wrapped up when Dominic Reid claimed number four.

Just 24 hours after they failed to raise a team to face Chippenham United RAOB last Sunday, North Star B finally got the game played which was a great relief to champions elect Steeple Ashton Rangers whose title celebrations can now begin as the Star will now complete their campaign at the weekend when they face Corsham United and the threat of them withdrawing at such a late stage has disappeared. Gary Elliott who is normally in charge of North Star A took temporary charge of the B team and Elliott helped the Calne based side collect their first victory in six games as they claimed a surprise 4-1 victory over United who switched the game from Stanley Park to Priestley Grove just to get it played. Both Tina Barnes secretary of North Star and Steve Shipway from United are to be commended for their efforts in staging the match at short notice as is referee Steve Higgins who should have officiated the postponed game yesterday but gave up his Bank holiday to make sure the happened today.

North Star took the lead through scoring sensation Dan Allison who bagged his 21st goal of the season when he put them one up. Steve Shipway's eighth goal of the campaign for United brought the scores level before the break but the second period was dominated by North Star who played the final 30 minutes with an extra player after United lost Carl Stammers through injury. Mark Sharratt regained the lead for the home team and Andy Dolman added a third before Shane Minnis sealed the win with goal number four.

9:36am Monday 12th May 2008

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