Basingstoke & District League Match Reports from Saturday 10th February, By Peter Raynbird.

Once again, the wet weather caused postponement of some of the fixtures last Saturday, with the outstanding Hampshire A Cup Quarter Final between Herriard Sports and BTC Southampton again called off and this means the Basingstoke League side has to travel to Southampton this Saturday, as it is the second week running the Herriard pitch was rules unfit.
North Hants May Cup Semi Finals
The two North Hants May Cup Semi Finals were played, but it was exit for the two Basingstoke League clubs involved. AFC Berg were beaten 5-1 by Broughton and Somesay losing 5-3 against Andover League club Kingsclere. Berg had a bright enough start on a very heavy Brighton Hill pitch and took a 20th minute lead when Richard McCoubrie put away a cross from Dan Deadman. The visitors equalised in the 30th and in the following eight-minute Berg conceded two more to see them 3-1 in arrears at the break and with their defence unable to cope, by the 60th minute they conceded two further goals and it was game over. Dave Brickwood�s side now has big injury problems for the remaining 14 league matches and two cup finals they have to fulfil, and evening matches are a certainty when they commence in April
Also, at Brighton Hill Somesay entertained Kingsclere and were handicapped when starting with only nine men and went a goal down in the first minute. In the tenth when they then had ten players, but an own goal by the unfortunate Bradley McQuigan saw them 2-0 down. Now up to full strength in the 30th Luke Gore played through to Connor Dawber, he was pulled down and Joe Hodge put away the penalty kick, but in the 35th Kingsclere came again to take a 3-1 lead. Somesay hit back before the break with a goal by Gore after good play by Dawber and Hodge. In the 55th Somesay struck again to draw level when Harry Knapp received a nice through ball from Harry Chapman and now they looked in with a good chance of winning. It was not to be as an injury to defender Charlie Sheridan meant he had to move up front as they had no substitutes and Kingsclere cashed in. Another own goal gave them the lead and pushing up Somesay conceded the fifth in the closing stages.
Basingstoke Saturday League
Division Two
Twentyten Reserves made it four wins in a row to move into third in the Division Two table when to defeated Longdog Soldiers on a slushy Preston Candover pitch. The Longdog Manager Matt Morrison has signed the experience Alex Spencer, who counts FC Censo and Overton United amongst his former clubs, but felt his tactics against a strong Twentyten side including some first team players, was wrong, with their close passing game not suiting the conditions, however they did have a good first half, which ended goalless, when Sam Trodd hit the post and along with Terry Dingley forced two good saved from keeper Harry Nash,, normally in the first team. It was in the 55th minute when the opening goal came. Luke Higgins with the shot after a good ball by Jake Tanner, but again Trodd hit the post before Twentyten scored their second. Charley Mannings curling his shot high into the net from a pass by Dan Hancock. The third soon followed when Louis Purcell brought down Hancock, who sent keeper Jake Barnes the wrong way from the penalty kick. On Saturday Longdog travel to Andover to play Andover New Street A in their first Semi Final, it is in the North Hants Junior Cup�
It was a close match between Chineham and Origin Headley, with the home side shading it with a 2-1 win. Before Chineham scored their first in the 40th minute Leo Pedro had forced a fine save from the Chineham keeper Nick Tucker and he also hit the post. It was from a penalty they scored, given after keeper James Tiller-Stevens was adjudged to have obstructed Shane West after his solo run and James Brown converted the spot kick. Right on half time Origin equalised with a well struck 20-yard shot from Jamie Goldsmith, one of Manager Glen Brailey�s recent signings, it proved too good for Tucker. Rickie Smith and West forced good saves from the keeper, but it was Origin who came closest when Pedro hit the post for the second time. Origin looked like going home with a point, but in the fourth minute of added time Neil Hayward�s team came up with the decider. The Origin defence was weakened when McKenzie Collins went off injured and was exposed when Shane West headed home following a corner.