Napton take home the Maurice Billington Cup in Sunday League

Green Man were quickest out of the blocks and the early exchanges showed we were in for a treat. With the recent rain the pitch was slick and the ball zipped across the grass. The deadlock was broken after fifteen minutes when a neat move down the left resulted in a corner for Green Man. A deep ball to the back post and the Napton players were left to wonder as an unmarked Kelsey Fawke headed home.

Napton came back into the game and were level fifteen minutes later. Jai Newell-Hollely received the ball out wide, he beat two men before chipping over a pin point cross to the back post for Will Bradbury to leap above his man and head home. They took the lead six minutes later when keeper James Pelter cleared the pitch with his kick, Jai Newell-Hollely gambled on it with a run in behind, before slotting the ball home with a first time finish from the edge of the box with the outside of his boot. Green Man were back on terms in first half stoppage time, with a Daniel Watson finish.

The second half was just as intense, and the rain came down in buckets, but it took twenty minutes for Napton to break the deadlock. After a messy scramble in the six yard box between the keeper and Chris Watts, the ball landed to the feet of Jai Newell-Hollely to finish smartly. Ten minutes later and we were all square again. Junior Arthur racing through to finish with a fine crisp effort into the corner of the net from the edge of the box.

Napton left it late, but with four minutes to go, a drilled pass into the midfield from Aiden Print was neatly flicked on by Josh Hyams into the path of Chris Watts who had made a run from deep beyond the defensive line. He carried the ball well, settled himself and placed the ball into the bottom corner to wrap things up. A fine finish.

Naptons man of the match was Jai Newell-Hollely who scored two, set one up and ran his socks off!

An entertaining Cup final. The Trophy was preseted to winning Captain Alfie Wardle by League President David Finch.