New boy's hat trick proves answer to Old Mead's prayers

Greenland Cup - Old Meadonians 3 Old Cathusians 0

Since last season’s top scorer Albert Adomah is now starring for Harrow Borough in the Ryman Premier Division Old Meadonians have been exercised in finding a replacement striker to bolster the experience of joint incumbents Colin Hawkins and Ed Glover.

Meads’ prayers seem to have been answered by drafting in last year’s leading second team scorer Leon Smith, together with his brother and former striking partner Dwayne playing a wide role on the right.

Last week Hawkins and Leon Smith both got hat tricks and in Saturday’s preseason Greenland Cup game v Old Carthusians at Riverside Lands, Hawkins was happy to take on the lion’s share of the work of pulling space to give his aspiring partner his second consecutive hatful.

The competition is in the form of a round robin of three matches with the teams heading the two mini leagues meeting in the final. To reach the final Meads needed to have a clear advantage of three goals; Arthurian League Premier Division Champions Old Carthusians with six goal difference needed to score just one to reach the final. Thus there was little room for manoeuvre, giving the game a degree of spice. In the event the visitors found their hosts uncompromising for the time of the season with the back three of Dan Salanson, Alex Hugh Jones and Alastair McCombe taking a firm grip.

As a result Meads’ keeper Kris Sayers hardly had to make one save of note throughout. Leon Smith’s first goal on twenty minutes was via an economic route one. Sayers’ towering punt was touched on by Laurie Pointer for Smith to burst through at pace, hold off all comers and finish clinically from close in.

Ten minutes later Smith again left his marker for dead to back head into the near corner Hawkins’ astute cross from the right. Meads continued to dominate during the second half, with Leon Smith first firing into the side netting and then causing the visitors’ keeper, Will Young, to make a superb double save fifteen minutes in. Not to be denied, however, with ten minutes to go he scored the best of the three, picking the ball up thirty yards out and searing through heavy traffic to beat the advancing keeper.

Not unexpectedly Leon Smith was named Man of the Match.

Team: Sayers, Salanson, McCombe, Hugh Jones, Smith D., Jakobsson, Gerrish W., (McGregor), Pointer, (Leiper), Rhone, Hawkins, Smith L.

September 12, 2006