Two Eastbourne girls' teams land Sussex cups

Pevensey & Westham became the first ever winners of the Sussex Girls’ Under-13 Challenge Cup as late goals from Ella Quigley and Jess Fry settled a thrilling final at Culver Road.

With the competition curtailed due to the pandemic in 2020 and again in 2021, the cup was waiting for its inaugural under-13s champions to be crowned.

The East Sussex side eventually prevailed - in the end deservedly so.

A slow burning contest burst into life in the second half but extra-time still seemed an inevitability until Quigley’s stunning 20-yarder broke the proverbial deadlock with ten minute to go.

Fry put the seal on her side’s strong second half showing with a goal direct from a corner with the last action of the encounter.

Beaming from ear to ear after the game, manager Steven Hadfield and his assistant Glenn Blakeman - both of whom proudly watched as their daughters lifted the trophy - praised the quality and skill level of their young team.

Blakeman said: “We knew it was going to be a difficult but high-quality game, we knew of Chichester’s quality and tried to prepare for that.

“We got a three-point win against them a few weeks ago and that helped us - but even though we know them and they us, the girls were nervous coming here as form counts for nothing and there’s so many other factors at play like conditions, emotions and preparation.

“The wind was a factor but at half-time we told the girls to stick at it, move the ball quicker and to unsettle their centre-backs.

“I felt we got better as the game went on - we got our wingers into play more, broke the lines well and played higher up the pitch.

“We had to dig in and battle at times, but we showed a strong level of concentration, had to stay patient and deserved to win.

“The whole team were fantastic but Jess (Fry) was excellent in the middle of the park, she deserved her goal and I’m so pleased and proud of the girls.

“Any win is special but to be the first team to get this cup makes it that little bit more so.”

Chichester & Selsey had plundered 12 goals from their three ties en route to the final and went close early on when Evie Harper -Coleman, daughter of manager Trevor, steered wide having been set up by strike partner Miya Edwards.

Chichester’s twin strike threat carried a modicum of threat all game in a running duel with their opposition’s strong and organised backline.

Destiny Seaver-Phillips shot wide on the counter for Pevensey, before Chi keeper Rhia Hughes was called into action for the first time to keep out Fry.

If the first half proved to be 35 minutes with chances at a premium, the nine versus nine final livened up considerably with a flurry of chances at both ends.

See photos of both winning teams in this week's Eastbourne Herald - out Friday morning

Poppy Harrod skippered Eastbourne Borough to victory with a treble in the first ever Sussex Under-15 Girls Challenge Cup final.

In a second half, eight-goal tale of two hat-tricks, Harrod struck three times and Willow Brown netted her own hat-trick as the West Sussex side became the cup’s inaugural winners.

There had been little hint of the goal glut to come after a goalless and evenfirst half, but the final exploded into life inside 40 madcap minutes in which the healthy Culver Road crowd got their money’s worth.

In truth, the final 6-2 scoreline flattered Borough as Sue Best’s Cuckfield Cosmos more than played their part but Eastbourne’s quality and strength in depth ultimately proved the difference.

Jennifer Eustace in the Cosmos goal was called into action twice in the first ten minutes to keep out Abigail Tucker at the near post, and then did well to deny Ela Babaoglu when well-placed.

The pace and trickery of Cuckfield’s left winger Yazmin Williams caused problems for Borough’s backline and she came closest for the Mid Sussex team. Williams fired wide on the counter attack and then had another effort saved by Sophia Moule in the Eastbourne goal.

In an end-to-end contest, Tucker was again thwarted by Eustace at the other end before Annabel Worcester tried her luck having linked up with Megan Griffiths.

What occurred at he break we are unsure. but if the opening had been akin to two boxers feeling each other out, the second was the equivalent of a full-blown heavyweight contest.