Week ending 19th August

In Divisions One and Two of the Everards Leicestershire Senior League, it was the opening day of the campaign, and already there was some busy activity on the scoreboards. Top scorers in Div1 were Dunton & Broughton United, who thumped Barrow Town Reserves 12-1, Josh Wright leading the way with five goals, Corey Nelson getting his own hat-trick, Conner Randall smashing a double, and strikes for both Callum Briers and Joe Curley, Clayton Nhau scoring for Barrow. Meanwhile, there were ten goals shared on the grass at Beaumont Park, where Anstey Town have made their new home, opening up with a 7-3 win against Kirby Muxloe Reserves. Jordan Small scored a hat-trick, with Zak Harris, Darren Taylor, and later on from the subs bench Harry Burton and Joseph Hartopp scoring, Callum Key (2) and Reuben Lee-Stringer scoring for Kirby.

Those two games offered goalfests, but altogether more parsimonious affairs passed off elsewhere on Beaumont Park, where Ahmed Ahmed scored the only goal of the game for Leicester Atletico, in their first Div1 game after promotion, defeating last year's Div2 champions Hinckley LR Reserves 1-0. Fellow new boys Sutton Bonington did everything but score at Birstall United Reserves, hitting the bar twice, and being faced with a top-notch performance from the Birstall keeper, the home side not only riding out their luck, but then hitting their visitors on the counter, Zac Smithson scoring the only goal 20 minutes from the end in a 1-0 triumph. Ingles Development let slip a 2-0 lead away to Holwell Reserves, after Luke Allard and Conor Bennett had scored for Ingles in the first half, before Tallen Burt struck twice in the second period to give the hosts a share of the points. The odd number of teams (eleven) means that one team stayed on the sidelines and await their start- in this case, it was Sporting Markfield, who start their campaign next Saturday at Hinckley.

To the bijou and compact edition of Division Two for 2023-24, and both Loughborough Students Development and Rothley Imperial laid down markers. The Students won 7-1 at home to Melton Town Academy, Owen James scoring a hat-trick, and a brace of braces for Angelo Pisciteli and Nick Swan, Oliver Borland replying for Melton. Rothley won 6-1 at home to GNG Oadby Development, the scores having been 1-1 at the break before Rothley kicked away. George Killen scored a hat-trick, Ryan Lovett, Dave Reeves and sub Stephen Allen Rothley's other scorers, Shaun Rehal for GNG.

In fact, this year's renewal of Div2 has the airs of being the North Leicestershire League revisited, with GNG and St Patricks, who did not play on Saturday, the only sides from outside the old NLFL catchment area. One of the two County League promotees, Mountsorrel Amateurs, got life in the LSL started with a 2-0 win at Loughborough FC, Henry Westmacott scoring before the break at the Drome, and Joe Keen showing mustard-like enthusiasm by coming off the sidelines and scoring the second in the final stages. Finally for this week, Desford & Caterpillar Reserves, a side with origins in both the old District League as well as the North Leics, came from behind to win 3-1 at Sileby Town Reserves. Karlton Royston scored to put Sileby in front at the break, before Tom Lennon equalised just before the hour mark, and the introduction of the subs swung it in the visitors' favour, Harry Jarvis and Anesu Mudimu both scoring in the space of four minutes as replacements to give them the spoils.

There's just two games in midweek across the three divisions- Ashby Knights at home to Magna 73 on Tuesday night, and Leicester Atletico hosting Holwell Reserves under the DMU lights of Beaumont Park on Thursday. The pick of next Saturday's games in the Premier looks likely to be the re-run of last year's Tiger Cup semi-final, as Allexton & New Parks host Burbage & Huncote, with full fixture lists across all three divisions. No Bank Holiday Monday games in the LSL, so Ramble Round will be back next week on Bank Holiday Monday. See you then.