Week ending 30th March by Mason Norton

It was a slightly subdued programme in Everards Brewery Division One, as the main game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Beaumont Park between champions Anstey Town and promotion-chasing Hinckley LRFC Reserves. That left three games in Div1. Fellow promotion-chasers Leicester Atletico kept their tilt on track with a 5-0 win at home to Birstall United Reserves, Suleiman Nassor scoring a hat-trick, Ouakari Diawara and Kadir Fahie scoring as well on the 3G.

At the bottom, already-relegated Barrow Town Reserves remain pointless. They were still in touch at the interval, but they shipped seven after the break to lose 9-0 at Holwell Sports Reserves, George Paterson and sub Cailin Nolan both scoring hat-tricks, Tallen Burt a brace, and Tom Concar scoring one. That take Burt into the lead for the Div1 scorers charts, and his goals in part have taken Holwell away from the relegation scrap into potentially a mid-table finish at the end of the season. That could also be where Sutton Bonington finish, they secured a 1-0 win at Ingles Development on Saturday, Cain Collins scoring the only goal of the game ten minutes into the second half. SB could well make the top four, but they do have six games to play in April, including three midweek games.

Everards Brewery Division Two is into its final knockings. Mountsorrel Amateurs' game at home to champions Loughborough Students Development was switched to the University and a pitch on the Holywell Park complex after Mountsorrel's ground failed a morning pitch inspection. Mountsorrel gave a good account of themselves, the scores level at half-time, but the Students kicked away in the second half, winning 4-2, Ashden Shortland scoring all four, Joshua Allen and Liam Turner for Mountsorrel. The Students finish their League campaign unbeaten, with two draws earlier in the season against St Patricks and Sileby Town Reserves the only results stopping them from emulating AFC North Kilworth's 'grand slam' of 2021-22. They are champions, four points clear of St Patricks, and a goal difference of +96, and still in the hunt for three cups in addition to their League crown. Mountsorrel stay third, a point from their last two games will secure their finish on the podium.

The Chairman's Trophy saw a quarter-final at Rothley Imperial, who hosted Sileby Town Reserves in a local derby. Sileby took the lead, but Rothley pinned them back, and it finished 2-2 in normal time, Ben Hetterley and Toby Wells for Rothley, Grant Ryder and Sam Wilson for Sileby. That took the tie to penalties, where the Rothley keeper distinguished himself, Rothley winning a one-sided shoot-out 3-0, booking a semi-final trip to Loughborough Students Development on April 13.

Next Saturday sees just one game each in Div1 and Div2, so next weekend, there will be just one Ramble for all three divisions, with there being a nearly-full programme in the Premier. We'll be back before then to cover Wednesday night's Everards Tiger Bitter League Cup semi-final at New College between Allexton & New Parks and Leicester Atletico, a re-run of last season's quarter-final. See you then.