In-form Villa closing in on top two as Landricombe hits four

PREMIER DIVISION Launceston...2 Elburton Villa...4

FOUR goals from striker Levi Landricombe allowed Elburton to leapfrog their hosts and move level on points with second place Plymouth Parkway.

It was a result that naturally delighted the Villa management team of Simon Westlake and Mark Bowden.

Westlake said: "It was a good game played in difficult conditions, but we were grateful to Launceston for working hard to get the game on.

"We've had a good run of results lately and this was just another game that we have taken in our stride. This result confirms we are going in the right direction."

Villa are undefeated in their last six league games, with Westlake attributing the run to training ground preparations.

He said: "We've been working hard in training, there is a good atmosphere in the changing room and we are delighted with the efforts of the lads on the pitch."

Villa took 20 minutes to open the scoring when a slip by Clarets defender Mark Reckless let in Landricombe to chip the ball over goalkeeper Dan Stevenson and inside the far post.

Launceston had chances to level before the break but Sam Davey and Chris Head both failed to make the most of them.

However, it was Davey who equalised from the penalty spot five minutes in to the second half.

Head then wasted another chance which Villa made their hosts pay for as Landricombe burst into the area to fire low past Stevenson on 65 minutes.

Five minutes later Launceston failed to clear their lines and Landricombe cheekily completed his hat-trick by back-heeling the ball in to the net.

The Villa top scorer, with 22 goals this season, added his fourth five minutes from time, when he followed up a shot that had bounced off Stevenson to net the loose ball.

The game was in stoppage time when Davey fired home his second from six yards to complete the scoring.

Plymouth Parkway...2 Torpoint Ath...2

UNLESS they can produce their best more consistently, Parkway's hopes of finishing in the top two and claiming promotion will disappear this season.

This draw means Wayne Hillson's side have taken five points from their last four league games, which has allowed leaders Bodmin to open up a nine-point gap.

More importantly, it has allowed the chasing pack to close up on the Bolitho Park outfit.

Parkway could not complain at dropping two points at home to a Torpoint side who fought hard for every ball and at the end of the game deserved their share of the spoils.

Parkway paraded new signing Lewis Coombes in their forward line, after signing the 22-goal striker from St Blazey, but he had little chance to show the home fans what he is capable of.

Only a fine finger-tip save from Ben Elphick to turn Luke Avis-Riordan's rasping drive on to the bar on 21 minutes prevented the deadlock from being broken.

Parkway made the breakthrough on 33 minutes when Paul Heveran's corner caused a scramble at the near post which ended with Ryan Richards forcing the ball home from close range.

Torpoint levelled in the final minute of the first half when Liam Thornton's 10-yard header was touched over the line by Shane White.

Parkway took just three minutes of the second half to restore their lead as Richards cut in from the left to fire low into the far corner of the Torpoint goal.

The visitors came back but Paul Baker fired possibly the best chance of the game wide from 12 yards before Torpoint equalised seven minutes from time.

White's far post volley was turned home from close range by Baker.

Newquay...6 Liskeard Ath...0

THE Blues' winless run has reached a worrying 16 games after this comprehensive defeat at Mount Wise against a Peppermints outfit who looked a class above Paul Blatchford's side.

Liskeard can be thankful bottom club Penzance have a worse record, but should the Cornish Magpies go on a run then eight points can easily disappear, especially as it is hard to see where a win for the Blues will come from.

The Peppermints took nine minutes to open their account with Luke Weldhen pulling the ball back for former Parkway midfielder Danny Brook to fire home from 18 yards.

Two minutes later Josh Sims crossed the ball to Weldhen and he headed the home side's second.

Although the Blues' defence tightened up, it was still breached again four minutes before the break when Weldhen notched his second of the game with a crisp, low drive from 12 yards.

The home side required less than a minute of the second period to notch their fourth, with Brook claiming his second of the game.

Brook then sprang the Blues' offside trap, took the ball around goalkeeper Phil Knight and with an empty goal facing him blazed the ball over the clubhouse roof and the chance of a hat-trick was gone.

Newquay were not finished and a fifth arrived on 58 minutes when Jamie Devine's free-kick found central defender Matt David heading home from close range.

The rout was completed nine minutes later with Weldhen shooting home from eight yards to complete his hat-trick.

Liverton Utd...4 Saltash Utd...0

ALTHOUGH the Ashes ended up well beaten by an in-form Liverton side, this game could have taken a very different course.

The first 20 minutes saw the Ashes on top. Following a foul in the area, they were awarded a penalty only for Ross Saint to see his well struck effort brilliantly kept out by home goalkeeper Ben Hardie.

Having failed to make the most of their early dominance, the Ashes were punished on the half hour when Stefan Chubb cut in from the right before firing low past keeper Nathan Murphy to put Liverton ahead.

This goal galvanised the hosts and, unlike Saltash, they made the most of their period on top as within a further 10 minutes they had added two more goals to take the game away from the Ashes.

In the 35th minute Frazer Clark fired home and five minutes later Chubb was tripped in the area allowing Stuart Bowker to convert the penalty.

The home side, who have defeated Plymouth Parkway and Town in their last two games, added a fourth goal on the hour courtesy of an excellent run and shot from Jordan Lamm.

EAST CORNWALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION St Dominick...1 Millbrook...1

TOP versus bottom was not the springboard for Millbrook to get the win they wanted to strengthen their title push at St Dominick.

The leaders came up against a hard working side who belied their league position.

The game was end-to-end with both sets of strikers missing opportunities to break the deadlock.

In the second half Millbrook upped their game and justifiably took the lead when a cross from Lee Wakeham landed at the feet of Lee Morgan who knocked the ball past the advancing Dominick keeper.

That advantage should have been enough to secure all three points for Millbrook, but poor defending proved their downfall.

It enabled Dean Wheeler to get behind the Millbrook rearguard and rifle the ball past goalkeeper James Hamilton.

This was a poor performance Millbrook must put behind them if they are to continue challenging for the league title, with Parkway two points behind with a game in hand.