Sydenhams Wessex League - Div. 3: Colden Common 6, Clanfield 1

COMMON opened up a priceless gap of nine points over nearest challengers Farnborough with two big home wins this week.

But although Common are in the driving seat, fourth-placed Hayling are coming up on the rails and, if they win their games in hand, could yet pip everyone else to the silverware.

Early on in Saturday's game Clanfield looked dangerous, especially from Roger Moore set-pieces. But Common settled down and took the lead from the penalty spot after 20 minutes. Richard Lang was fouled, and James Atterbury drove the kick home emphatically.

Dean Higgins and Lee Kelly were the architects of the second goal, Lang stumbling under a double challenge as he burst into the box; Joe Hodge reacted quickest to tuck the ball away.

Two up at the break, Common played their best football for a spell afterwards and added three more goals in a quarter of an hour.

Lang headed the third from a Higgins cross and added the fourth with an individual effort. Higgins then got into the act with the goal of the game, a crisp volley from 20 yards after good work by Jim Hart and Hodge down the left.

Lang was shown a second yellow card after over-reacting to a foul, and his suspension might prove costly - but his dismissal had little effect on the outcome of the match.

Clanfield notched a consolation effort soon afterwards, but Common had the last say when Simon Everett set up fellow substitute Simon Waters for Common's sixth.

Common 7, Hamble Club 1

A Richard Lang hat-trick inside the first eight minutes meant that Tuesday night's result was done and dusted long before the end.

A Stu Curtis collector's item - a volley that went in via the inside of the post and the underside of the bar - made it four before Hamble, fielding a mixture of youngsters and veterans, pulled it back to 4-1 at the break.

A Dean Higgins brace and a single for Simon Everett completed a good evening's work for Common, for whom Joe Hodge was named man-of-the-match.