Mechanics end Bexhill stranglehold

RIDGE West Garage have finally ended the stranglehold that Bexhill United had exerted on this season's Hastings & East Sussex Sunday Football League.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Apr 2004, 15:13 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 20:09 BST

The Kevin Rose inspired Mechanics avenged a pair of league losses plus the Demarco Cup final reverse by dint of a 3-1 Peter Harris Memorial Trophy triumph and in so doing shattered United's dreams of a treble.

Rose, missing from the Demarco line-up, proved the difference with a brace of goals that handed the league runners-up the silverware they deserved from a season which threatened to be a case of so near, yet so far.

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He opened the scoring with a splendid left-footed strike from just outside the area in the 15th minute and Dan Spice doubled their money 10 minutes before the break. Rose's Sidley United team-mate Wes Tate pulled one back on the stroke of half time but Rose restored the two-goal cushion mid-way through the second half and a resolute defensive display saw them home without further alarm.

Ridge West may in fact end the season with an identical haul of silverware as Bexhill. They take on Silverhill Club in the semi-finals of the Secretaries' Shield in a fixture that has been put back a week to Sunday, May 2 to co-incide with the other last four clash between Oddfellows Arms II and the winner of this Sunday's second round tie involving Comet and Hooe GAF.

The latter club will go into the match on a high having sealed the Division Three title on Sunday. A point would have been sufficient for them to collect the crown but even that was looking precarious as an own goal meant that they trailed fellow form side Essenden 1-0 after an hour. But Hooe powered through late on to claim a 3-1 victory on the back of strikes from Alan Gower and an Ian Oliver brace. The only man not wearing a smile afterwards was secretary Tim Holland whose wallet was 175 lighter after exiting the Red Lion pub!

That result meant that Seven Stars' 4-2 win over the second team of Sporting Priory II was academic. Tom and Matt Tidmarsh, Tom Ashdown and Jake Hillier scored their goals that rubber-stamped second spot for the Robertsbridge outfit in their first season in the league. Terry Wilson (2) replied for Priory.

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