Wisbech St Mary B beat Litlington Athletic Reserves to lift Haigh & Peck Cup

Wisbech St Mary B battled back from 2-0 down to beat Litlington Athletic Reserves 3-2 and lift The Reg Haigh & Arthur Peck Cup at Newmarket Town’s Tristel Stadium on Friday evening.

Saints dedicated the win to former player Darren ‘Rawth’ Rawthorn, who died aged 38 in 2022. Joint manager Michael Chow, who missed the match due to a pre-booked Mediterranean cruise but watched via FaceTime, said: “It couldn’t have been a more of Rawth final even if he had written it. We hit the post, bar and had a goal disallowed for handball, but still went in 2-0 down at half-time.

“A few ‘friendly’ words of encouragement during that half-time got the lads ready for a second half to remember. The lads always score, and when we got one, the game felt in our hands.”

With Saints top of Cambs County League 4C and the Royston side third in 4A, a tight battle was expected, but Litlington were 2-0 up after 22 minutes with Adam Humphreys netting twice.

However, ten minutes after the break, Humphreys was dismissed for a second yellow card and, within two minutes, Adam Key netted his 35th of the season to make it 2-1. Twenty minutes later, it was all-square when Stuart Brown’s shot took a deflection and wrong-footed the keeper.

The winner came when James Spittlehouse poked home in the 90th minute, Saints then seeing out seven minutes of added-on time in which the Athletic manager was red carded.

Wisbech St Mary B: Cooper, Whybourn, Mason, Key, Beckett, Chapman, Brown, Russell, Hemmings, Goodale, Bowden. Subs (used): Boughen, Peacock, Richardson, Spittlehouse Uddin.

Four defeats in six games have severely damaged March Town Reserves’ Senior A promotion hopes, and that latest defeat came on Saturday, 2-1 at Great Shelford Reserves.

The Hares dominated the first half but trailed to the home side’s only shot on target. Shelford scored a second after the break, with Adam Mills pulling one back for March.

Manager Kieran Daplyn said: “We are outplaying teams but struggling to score goals, while conceding soft ones.”

Wimblington lost 6-3 at Eaton Socon Reserves on Wednesday night, but restored their promotion hopes by beating Haverhill Rovers Reserves 4-1 on Saturday.

Sebastian Goldspink, Billy Munns and Jay Rout, with his seventh in eight games, scored in midweek, but Kyle Liddy was sent off. On Saturday, Munns netted twice to make it 16 for the season, with Goldspink’s 12th of the campaign and Rory Parker’s 16th adding to the scoreline.

Outwell Swifts still lead 1B, but their title hopes were rocked with a 2-1 defeat at third-place Huntingdon United, who are yet to lose in the league and are now eight points behind Swifts but with six games in hand. Second-place Stretham are five points behind with three games in hand. Swifts entertain Stretham in their final game on April 26.

Fresh from their North Cambs Junior Cup victory on Thursday night, Chatteris Town Reserves won 2-0 at home to Benwick Athletic (Christchurch), Adam Pritchard and Matthew Walshe scoring. March Town A drew 0-0 at home to Stretham

Wisbech St Mary Reserves drew 2-2 at home to Soham Town Rangers Development in 2B on Tuesday evening but lost 4-2 at Hemingfords United A on Saturday. Ajay Jolly and Pawel Kalvzny, with his 27th of the season, were the midweek scorers.

Beaten Junior Cup finalists Manea United lost for the second time in three days, 4-3 at Eaton Socon A.

Wisbech St Mary Development A are still in the 3B promotion hunt after being awarded a walkover win against Bluntisham Rangers Reserves.

In 4C, the leading pair were not in action, and third-placed March Academy beat Stretham Reserves 3-2, Jack Conyard with his 11th of the season, Lee Roberts and Benjamin Watson scoring.

Wimblington Reserves drew 2-2 with Chatteris Town Reserves on Tuesday night, Robbie Ryan and Jamie Sutton netting for Wimblington and Callum Wilkinson and Ethan Bills for The Lilies. Wisbech Town Acorns drew 1-1 at Huntingdon United Reserves, Rhys Roberts scoring.

In the Peterborough League Premier Division, Chatteris Town drew 1-1 at Deeping Rangers Reserves on Tuesday evening, Jack McLoughlin scoring.

Tydd lost 2-0 at home to Oakham United Reserves in Division Two, and Sutton Bridge United went down 3-1 at Peterborough Polonia on Tuesday evening before a 4-3 reversal at Stamford Belvedere Reserves on Saturday. Sub Mark Garner netted in midweek with his 13th of the season, with Joshua Stockdale, Benjamin Thompson and sub Aaron Rouse scoring on Saturday.

Division Three’s bottom side Leverington Sports A lost 1-0 at Netherton United A on Tuesday.

Marshland Saints drew 2-2 at AFC Lynn in Division Three North of The Anglian Combination, and their reserves beat Watlington Reserves 5-1 in Division One of the North West Norfolk League.