Observer and Review Sunday League

EMERALD VALE regained top spot in the Premier Division with a comfortable 6-0 victory over Sandridge Sports.

The Village side battled well in the first half and restricted Vale to a single Gavin Howard strike, mainly due to the efforts of Jim Ryan and Michael Harvey, along with Rob Cordingly.

An early second half blitz proved the decisive factor in the match, however, as Vale surged ahead with a Craig Taylor hat-trick and two more goals from Gavin Howard, completing a hat-trick of his own.

Vale's joy was tempered by a further injury to the promising James Haylett, just ten minutes into his comeback after a seven month battle against injury.

Phoenix secured their second league win of the season with a hard fought 2-1 win over London Road Social.

Phoenix scored first, halfway through the second half, when Ben Graham prodded home after a goalkeeping fumble. Road then scrambled an equaliser through Tony Caines, from a free-kick.

Although down to ten men, Phoenix continued to go forward and were rewarded when Steve Butler headed home a last-minute winner.

Chequers front-man Dave Cutmore decided to buy new boots on Saturday and they certainly paid off on Sunday when he netted a hat-trick in his side's 5-2 win over Radlett.

Simon Dean and Russell Twigg scored a goal each, but it was Cutmore's hat-trick that was the talking point after the match.

For the rest of the weekend's action, see the St Albans Observer of Thursday, December 13.