Sydenhams Wessex League - Division 2: Liss Athletic 5, Stockbridge 1

STOCKBRIDGE took a bit of a thumping on Saturday at the hands of resurgent Liss, the prolific Steve Harding returning to form by bagging all five of the home side's goals.

Making light of the fact they were missing both Noble brothers, Liss attacked from the off. They took the lead when Harding flipped the ball over both his own head and the Stockbridge keeper following good work by Andy Neal.

But Stocks equalised when Charlie Spencer got away down the left and crossed the ball; home keeper Joe Seaman parried it and ex-Broughton player Joel McCormack got his first goal in Stockbridge colours.

Harding was razor-sharp, though, and claimed his second when he anticipated a back pass from Lewis Bain and nipped in to clip the ball home.

In the first half of the second period Liss were forced to work hard to stay on top of the game with Danny Burns and Clive Hibbert energetic in the midfield and Tony Coluccia and Graeme Morrad ever-alert at the back. This proved the platform for Athletic to press on in the final twenty minutes.

Harding scored his and Liss' third after a bout of pinball between himself and Dean Savage from a Danny Burrows pass.

With Stocks now looking well beaten and Liss content to sit back and catch their visitors on the break Harding made it four soon afterwards. He saved the best for last, however, beating the Stocks defence and unleashing a rasping shot into the top corner for number five.

Alresford Town 0 Stockbridge 4

Plenty of goals were always likely on Tuesday night in a lively encounter between two teams committed to attack.

Both sides had already had chances when Paul Copping swivelled in the box to fire home Stocks' fourth-minute opener after a corner had been knocked down to him.

On 12 minutes Charlie Spencer darted in to plant a firm header into the net from a left-wing corner. But at that stage Alresford were creating chances, too, and Joel Matthews and Dean Cole both chipped over the bar with only keeper Alan Ralph to beat.

Alresford's tale of defensive woe continued when a defender was adjudged to have handled a bouncing Lewis Bain corner, and Bain tucked the penalty away himself to make it 3-nil at the break.

Just after the half-time Spencer looped a header over Dave Witcher for the fourth goal from another Bain set-piece delivery, and the game tailed off somewhat after that.

Ralph saved well from Cole's angled drive and Gary Frost fired over the bar as Alresford searched for a late consolation.

The hosts will need to do some work on defending crosses if they are to improve their league position; Stocks, meanwhile, will be grateful to have picked up three points with a surprising degree of comfort.