At last, all four men’s teams from Bradley Stoke Town FC played on the same weekend and three of them in Bradley Stoke! The First Team played at home where they hosted De Veys. The A Team travelled to Patchway North End, the Reserves faced Talbot Knowle who got revenge after their opponents beat them earlier on in the season.
The First Team had yet another frustrating week when they faced a strong De Veys side who, with the conditions of the pitch, stopped Bradley Stoke playing the passing football they are used to. However it was Bradley Stoke who were having the better chances in the first half. Lukas Entoundi and Shad Esimeng both had several shots stopped by the keeper.
It was Bradley Stoke who took the lead however – this came through some neat football down the right hand side of the pitch. Esimeng had his cross blocked by a De Veys defenders hand and the referee awarded a penalty. Midfielder Brad Clarke stepped up to take the penalty but was asked to re-take after some disturbance from behind the goal. Clarke, who took the penalty again, slotted the ball in the bottom right hand corner to put the Hornets ahead.
De Veys upped the tempo of their play just before half time and it paid off as they equalised on the brink of half time. A slicing pass went through the whole of the defence leaving John Bale a tap in from six yards.
In the second half, it was more of the same, the pitch cut up and the teams had to battle it out and struggled to play any sort of football. At the end of the game, the score remained 1-1, with defender James Holbrook receiving man of the match.
The Reserves put on a positive display, despite missing key players through injury, when they played Talbot Knowle; they successfully won that game 7-1, goals coming from Carl O’Connor (4), Adam Sykes, Jon Morrison and Chris Hughes.
The A Team drew 1-1 with Patchway North End in a close game where both teams could have scored more, Mike Fry scoring the goal for the Hornets.
The Bradley Stoke B Team were unfortunate to lose their game when they played Warmley United Reserves. The team had chances but were unable to convert them.
Listen to Connor Summers’s interview with BSTFC First Team manager Jon Welsh:
Audio clip courtesy of Connor Summers and Bradley Stoke Radio
Judo: Patchway Judo Club
On Saturday, Patchway Judo Club held a competition for Under-16 Green Belt and below. There was also a youth section for Blue Belt and below. The event took place at Abbeywood Community School where around 100 competitors from all over the country came to compete. The event was run in a ’round robin’ style where everyone fought everyone else in their group, thus giving children with little experience the chance to show off their skills and get a feel for competition conditions.
Patchway Judo Club entered around 15 children who all did really well. Here is a list of winners from the club:
- Ozzy Gowen – Gold
- Chloe Gowen – Silver
- Chris Field – Silver
- Josie Sparks – Silver
- Connor Madden – Silver
- Mark Williams – Bronze
- Finley Norton – Bronze
- Lewis – Bronze
- Mark W – Bronze
Rugby: St Mary’s Old Boys RFC
St Mary’s First XV played Tewkesbury, losing 26-25. This was a disappointing result for the team as St Mary’s had dominated the first half and had a clear lead at half time. A slight tactical change for the second half saw them throw that lead away.
There was also one youth game that survived the weather, the Under-11s played Frampton in a close game where only one try separated them. Although the game was played in some appalling conditions, lock Ethan Graham ran over two-thirds of the pitch to score for St Mary’s. The final score was 5-0.
Players of the day:
- Prop – Ben Mason
- Lock – Ethan Graham
- Fly Half – Drew Lewis
 | Article by Connor Summers |
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