Diss Mercury area reports

SCOLE GIRLS U12 played Bohemians who began with the majority of the possession. Scole were 2-0 down within the first 10 minutes. Scole settle down and started to play some better football however Bohemians were too strong and added a further two before the end of the half. Great defence from Georgia Edwards kept the scoreline from being any higher. In the second half Scole came out a whole new team and reversed things so that they had all of the possession. Some good passing in the middle gave Scole opportunities to reduce the goal difference however no-one could find the back of the net. Scole managed to keep the second half score to a 0-0 draw mainly thanks to keeper Shannon Lummis who made many spectacular saves and earned herself a well-deserved PoM award.

SCOLE GIRLS U15 started this cup semi-final in determined fashion knowing they had a game ahead of them. They matched Bohemians in every department but with just one minute to go til half-time they went 1-0 down when Bohemians scored following a corner. Worse was to come when Bohemians scored a second just into the second half and Scole had it all to do. But they kept battling away and got their reward when Vic Owen headed home following good work by Rachael Wall. This lifted Scole's heads and they continued to push forward in search of the equaliser but it just wouldn't come. Bohemians then scored their third goal with the last kick of the game and for the fourth year running Scole lost in the semi-final stage despite the efforts of the whole team, in particular Rachael Wall and Tash Blakely who were both named Girl of the Game.

DISS TOWN U10 HAWKS made a great start to the match, creating a series of chances, including a great first-time shot from Scott Wilby which hit the bar. It came as a shock when Costessey opened the scoring but Diss hit back when MoM Lee Rackham scored from a breakaway move. Costessey immediately scored again and Steven Hines made one of a series of great tackles to keep Diss in the game. Lee Rackham scored his second with a bullet header from a corner and the match was level at half-time. Costessey then scored another but Jamie Channell equalised with a great run and shot. Diss deserved to be ahead but they went behind once more and conceded again from a rebound after a brilliant save by William Aitken. This was really hard on the Hawks, who kept going to the end of an excellent match but went down 5-3.

DISS TOWN U10 HAWKS passed the ball fluently from the start in their game with Poringland and opened the scoring with a long-range shot from Will Smith. However, they conceded an equaliser on the break against the run of play. Diss were then unable to force the ball home during a protracted goalmouth scramble, with Charlie Stammers going very close. Diss went behind early in the second half but responded strongly. Ben Mills made some crucial interceptions at the back and MoM Sam Hunt drove the team forward from defence. Diss came desperately close on several occasions, hitting the bar from a free-kick and having a penalty appeal turned down. Poringland added a third, which was poor reward for a fine Diss display.

DISS U9 entertained one of the top sides Sprowston in a tough-looking league encounter. From the off Diss gave as good as they got in the attacking sense with superb lone front man Charlie Bowen again having a blinder. Although at times under pressure as expected, defenders Connor Blake, Kieran Allen and Alex Chittock performed well to limit Sprowston to a slightly unjust half-time 1-0 lead. In the second half Dane Potter and Cameron Rossell kept the visitors' rearguard on their toes as Diss pressed. Fresh legs from Ryan Hook and Jack Burrows along with some good saves from keeper Owen Thompson-Browne couldn't stop Sprowston from achieving a most unjust scoreline. Final score: Diss U9 0 Sprowston U9 5.

EYE SAINTS U13 consolidated their position at the top of the league with a hard-earned 4-3 away win at Claydon. Eye opened the scoring when Tanner Call played in Joe Hooton who finished confidently. Claydon upped the pace but Saints' keeper Ben Roberts made several fine saves. Claydon deservedly equalised after hesitancy in the Saints defence. Early in the second half Claydon took the lead after a long ball over the Saints defence caught them square. Saints were pushing hard for an equaliser and midway through the second half a ball from Ryan Newton found Tanner Call who scored. Five minutes from time Tom Hargrave scored a great individual goal to put Saints 3-2 up. On the stroke of full-time Claydon pushed forward to equalise. Three minutes into injury time good play by Tom Hargrave saw his shot saved but Ryan Newton followed up to slide the ball home to clinch an unlikely win. MoM: Ben Roberts, made some excellent saves.

HARLESTON U12 travelled to Newton Flotman hoping to carry on the good work after last week's fine victory and came home with the three points after a convincing performance. Harleston took the game to the home side from the start and deservedly took the lead when a cross from Tom Girling found the head of captain Brandon Pickess and it flew into the net. Harleston kept the pressure on and had a chance to increase their lead from the penalty spot but the resultant kick was well saved by the home keeper. Harleston continued to press but had to settle for a slender 1-0 half-time lead. The second half began with Harleston in the ascendency and they were rewarded again when Ryan Shadbolt fired past the keeper. Shadbolt quickly added a third. With the home side rarely threatening it was now a matter how many goals Harleston would get. A fourth was added after a cool finish from Jimmy Long, before MoM Tom Girling took centre stage tapping home at the far post for the fifth, then firing home from the edge of the box after a fine run. Another good display on a small pitch, with the defence again looking very solid, restricting the home side to only a couple of half-chances.

HARLESTON U10 had a mixed bag of results with a patched-up team. On Saturday they lost 3-0 to a good Shrublands side after an abject performance, only MoM Ryan Ellis kept the score respectable but the result means that they are relying on others to keep their very slim title hopes alive. On Sunday a much-improved display saw Harleston win 2-0 with goals from Ben Robinson and Tommy Williams. This was a good all-round team performance but after a bustling game in midfield Dan Elgood was MoM.

HARLESTON U13 were at home to Caistor B in a second versus bottom clash. Team debutant N Keeling opened the scoring for the home side but this was soon cancelled out by the visitors and was probably a good wake-up call for the boys. Although it was pretty much one-way traffic in Harleston's favour it was several minutes before team captain J Lewis grabbed a second for the home team. With several chances being missed by Harleston the visitors could consider themselves very lucky to be only 2-1 down at the break. After some choice words at half-time regarding their finishing the home team turned up the heat on Caistor and started banging in the goals. Both strikers W Coleman and N Keeling managed to net a hat-trick each in the second half due to their extreme pace. With new signing Keeling's strength and pace twinned with the speed of Coleman, these two lads are going to be a real thorn in the side of any defence for the rest of this season and hopefully next season. MoM: N Keeling for his great four-goal debut. Final score: Harleston 8, Caistor B 1.

HEMPNALL U12 played Gorleston Rangers A on Sunday in the league. Hempnall started brightly with Dan Babington dribbling round the defence before shooting wide. Harry Barrett then forced a save from the keeper. Against the run of play Gorleston were awarded a free-kick just outside the box and from this the ball seemed to go through a ruck of players into the net. Hempnall almost equalised when Rhys Vertigan's shot was saved on the line following Dan's corner. Ben Allen was playing well on the right and from his pass into the box Callum Maloney fired over. Then Ben raced 40 yards into the Gorleston half before being dispossessed. Hempnall were playing good football against Gorleston's route-one 'over the top' approach. Dan headed a free-kick under pressure for a Gorleston corner. The Gorleston management then made a substitution so the player could take the kick. The ball seemed to hit the inside of a post and into keeper Joel Brook's arms. The referee adjudged all the ball had crossed the line and the scorer was then immediately substituted again, not in true sportsmanship. In the second half Hempnall continued to take the game to Gorleston whose defence were panicky under pressure. In the 65 minute Callum Maloney was taken out of the game through a thigh-high tackle that saw the Gorleston player shown a yellow card and lucky to stay on the field. From the kick Dan almost scored with a 30-yard shot that saw the keeper twist to palm it over the bar. The referee, who had had a fine game, then gave Gorleston a penalty which seemed a little harsh and they increased their lead with a good goal from 25 yards to make it 4-0. Then another Gorleston player was booked for a chest-high tackle on keeper Brooks when the ball was safely in his hands. Gorleston scored a goal late on that rather flattered them. This was a difficult learning curve for the Hempnall boys. Ethan Humphrey deservedly received the MoM award. Final score: Hempnall 0, Gorleston Rangers A 5.

LONG STRATTON U13 went to Gorleston and went 2-0 down early on but defended stoically to keep several more Gorleston attacks at bay. Stratton came back strongly in the second half and Alex Addison scored on his debut before Adam Race equalised to give the Reds a deserved point. Wayne Bemrose and Ben Clark had good games but MoM was George Larter, outstanding at centre-half.

SCOLE LADS U10 played Drayton U10 on a small pitch and windy conditions made for a difficult first half. Scole had good possession and Lewis Burrows went close after beating two defenders. Scole again threatened with a cross picking out Charlie Hitch who played in MoM Daniel Heffer who shot wide. Hitch was very unlucky to see his cracking shot hit the inside of a post and run along the goal line. Scole conceded from Drayton's only clear chance with a looping header clearing Matt Perry in goal. Thomas Browne made a great effort to level things up with a couple of good runs however the final ball just wouldn't come off for Scole.

SCOLE LADS U10 started slowly in their second game of the day, against Dereham. Hitch saw a looping effort go just over. Joe Baker made an excellent stop and then bravely saved at the feet of a Dereham attacker, taking a kick to the head for his efforts. Hitch was then unlucky to hit the same post that he had done in the previous game - with the same result. Kyle Hanusiak was putting in a great performance up-front, holding the ball up well and bringing the midfield into play. With time running out the ball broke into the Dereham box, either Hanusiak or Kieran Manning could have scored - with the latter tucking the ball away for a deserved win.

SCOLE U11 were expecting a tough game with Heigham Park, and this turned out to be so. In the first half Heigham were the first to score and both sides seemed fairly evenly-matched. Scole then came back with an equaliser from Cameron McGhee with Heigham drawing ahead again before half-time. The start of the second half saw Scole again get into their stride and really started to dominate the game with Cameron McGhee scoring his second. Scole persisted with some prolonged pressure on the opposition but just couldn't find the winning goal. Twenty minutes in Heigham were awarded a penalty which allowed them to come back into the game. MoM: Ben Williamson and Matthew Littlewood. Final score: Scole 2, Heigham 4.

SCOLE LADS U12 managed to beat Thetford Bulldogs 4-2 which was a hard-fought match throughout. Scole, initially under threat, found their stride after Payne's first shot at goal. Dundas and Shipperlee tackled persistently in midfield which gave Shipperlee the chance to put Scole ahead. Payne and Everett kept Bulldogs under pressure to give Driver a shot which Heath headed in. Constance, Carradus and Wootton had their work cut out but held Bulldogs at bay until a penalty was conceded. Everett scored from a free-kick taken by Wootton, whose second free-kick resulted in a fluky goal to make the final score 4-2. MoM: Jake Carradus and major player Sean Dundas.