Whitton United, Wamil Wasps and Hardy are celebrate victory at Suffolk FA's 'Super Sunday' at AFC Sudbury
Whitton United made it a hat-trick of wins in the Best Badges Suffolk Veterans’ Cup.
They overcame old rivals Woodbridge Town 5-0 in this season’s final on Sunday, the third and last match of ‘Super Sunday’ at AFC Sudbury.
The Green and Whites became the first side to win the competition three years in a row, after also defeating the Woodpeckers in each of the last two finals.
Kevin Inglis opened the scoring and skipper Alan Mills (penalty), Ronaldo Wright, Duane Wright and Gavin Crane were also on target.
There was little to choose between the two teams until Whitton broke the deadlock mid-way through the opening period, but the result never looked in doubt thereafter.
It was Woodbridge who threatened first, goalkeeper Paul Cudworth diving low to his left to keep out Andy Crump’s drive after six minutes.
Gavin Crane looked certain to score for Whitton when the ball was squared across goal to him, but Chris Moss made a superb stop low down to his right.
Three minutes later Inglis, who scored a wonder goal in last season’s final at Hadleigh United FC from long distance, curled a 25-yard free-kick into the top corner with Moss rooted to the spot.
Crane then rounded Moss but his goal-bound shot was brilliantly hooked off the line at full stretch by James Andrews.
Whitton increased their lead after 39 minutes, Mills sending Moss the wrong way from the spot after the keeper had brought down Ronaldo Wright as he went round him.
It was 3-0 just seven minutes later, Duane Wright bursting down the inside right channel and crossing for Ronaldo Wright to sweep home from close range past the exposed Moss.
Mark Roper clipped the top of the Whitton crossbar early in the second period as Woodbridge enjoyed a good spell.
Duane Wright sidefooted home from the edge of the box on the hour and ten minutes later Crane scored from close range following a left-wing cross.
Woodbridge were denied a consolation goal when Darren Harper headed in a corner with 10 minutes remaining but disallowed for a foul on the keeper.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day Wamil Wasps stung Stoke-by-Clare to win the Bluefin Sport Suffolk Sunday Trophy.
They scored either side of half-time to win 2-0 and so lift the trophy in the second final
Wamil Wasps, drawn from players at Mildenhall Cricket Club, only formed this season and were playing opponents who started the season a division higher than them in the Bury & District Sunday League.
Fin Logan’s low cross-shot put Wamil Wasps ahead three minutes before the interval and they extended their lead through Rob Scrivener five minutes into the second-half.
Chances were few and far between in a tight first half but Stoke By Clare looked the more likely to break the deadlock.
Stoke’s Charlie Ellam had his shot from inside the area saved low down by keeper Dan Stackhouse after 25 minutes, and the striker then fired into sidenetting at the near post in the 38th minute.
Wamil Wasps defended doggedly and it was against the run of play when they broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute, Logan, receiving the ball outside the penalty area and his low shot found the bottom far corner.
Stoke almost equalised three minutes after the resumption, Kieran Ager laying the ball off to Ellam whose dipping effort struck the face of the crossbar and then Sam Phillips shot just wide of the far post from the rebound.
Stoke’s misery was compounded by a second Wmil Wasps goal two minutes later, Scrivener smashing home a rising drive from inside the penalty area.
Scrivener then fed Dion Badcock and his drive went just over the crossbar at the near post.
Ellam was sin binned after 63 minutes and had only been back on the pitch a couple of minutes when he shot just wide after appeals for a handball in the Wasps’ penalty area were waved away.
Wamil Wasps almost rubbed salt into Stoke’s wounds when Scrivener found Logan who volleyed just wide in the 87th minute.
And the day got under way with Hardy making it two county cup victories in successive seasons.
They demolished fellow Ipswich Sunday Football League side Gainsborough United 6-0 in the Veo Suffolk Sunday Shield final.
The Felixstowe-based side became only the third team to lift the shield the season after winning the Suffolk Sunday Trophy – Gunton OB (1992/93 & 1993/94) and Stow Excelsior (2003/04 & 2004/05) being the others.
Four of the goals came direct from free-kicks and a fifth straight from a corner as George McCallum netted a hat-trick and Connor Field struck twice.
Hardy took the lead after just three minutes when Field’s left-wing free-kick eluded goalkeeper Toby Downing and ended up in the back of the net.
Two minutes later it was 2-0 – George McCallum scoring in similar fashion direct from a left-wing corner.
The third goal arrived in the 38th minute – Field scoring an almost identical goal as Downing fumbled his left-wing free-kick into his own net.
A minute after the re-start, Jack Sayers slid home from an acute angle despite the efforts of a defender to keep the ball out.
McCallum then powered home a 25-yard free-kick after 52 minutes, before Field had a header cleared off the line and then lifted his shot over the crossbar from the rebound
Gainsborough’s Luke Dunn forced a save from Nick Evans in the 83rd minute, but McCallum’s sweetly-struck free-kick rounded off the scoring as the clock ticked into time added on.
Read more: All the latest Suffolk sport news
