Shamwickshire...0 Plymstock United...1

THE U's booked their place in the last eight of the Devon Premier Cup with a narrow, but well deserved victory over their North Devon League opponents, who lacked the quality needed to upset their more illustrious opposition.

Rovers have become renowned giant killers in the Premier Cup but the U's rose to the challenge and apart from the first few minutes, when the home side came out all guns blazing, goalkeeper Ben Hardie was not seriously troubled for the whole 90 minutes.

After weathering the early storm it was the visitors who went on to create the better chances with both Joe Jasper and Mike Southgate going close before finally grabbing the all-important goal midway through the half.

Danny Discombe was fouled, 25 yards from goal, giving Kevin Francis the chance to knock the ball into the path of Neil Kennedy who sent a low drive, from 20 yards, past an unsighted Simon Skelton.

With the U's back four comfortably in command Shamwickshire were barely seen as an attacking force, although the U's were also finding it difficult to add to the score in the face of no-nonsense defending – and the interval arrived with no addition to the score.

Playing with a gusty and ever increasing wind in the second period, the visitors assumed almost total command and any chance the home side had of forcing their way back into the game ended after 53 minutes when striker Shaun Winfield was shown a straight red card after lashing out at Kevin Francis, after the two clashed in midfield.

The U's continued to make and squander a host of chances with Skelton playing his part in restricting the visitors to their one-goal advantage which, in the end, proved just enough.

Stoke Gabriel...3 Plymouth Parkway res...0

DESPITE being boosted by the presence of first team striker Chris Wright and midfielder Lee Doel, Parkway's second string were unable to overcome Peninsula East high-flyers Stoke.

The Parkway first-team had taken three of Parkway's regular reserve squad, but had replaced them with two players cup-tied for the Vase.

Wright almost gave his side the lead, after 12 minutes, when he found himself one-on-one with Stoke goalkeeper Chris Bashford, but last season's Peninsula League top scorer was denied by a fine save.

This was to prove crucial as four minutes later Stoke broke the deadlock when Ty Hawken chipped the ball into the net from 20 yards out.

Parkway came out for the second half with renewed vigour only to find the Stoke defence in uncompromising mood, and with the visitors pushing forward in numbers they were always going to leave gaps at the back.

So it proved as Stoke broke out of defence to score twice, through Dave Worthington and Hawken in the last 10 minutes and give the scoreline a rather flattering appearance in the home side's favour.