ANDOVER New Street look certain to face the full wrath of the Wessex League management committee after calling off their Division 2 match at Poole Town - less than two hours before the scheduled high noon kick-off.
Poole Town chairman Chris Reeves fumed: "You have to ask what on earth is going on? What sort of message does this send out to our players, many of whom have come to us from a higher level of football.
"Our secretary, Bill Reid, did take a call from New Street earlier in the week asking us to move the game to a Friday evening because they had a number of players who going to a wedding on the Saturday.
"We explained that we couldn't accommodate them because of a covenant on the ground and, at 10.15 on Saturday morning and less than two hours before kick-off, they ring up say that they'd had players called into work and won't be coming.
"I can't believe that they didn't know at ten o' clock on Friday night that they couldn't get a team down here. A phone call then would have been outrageous but at least it could have minimised the damage," groaned Reeves.
Liss Athletic manager Tim Potter was another unhappy chappy after East Cowes Vics also failed to show for their match. Potter seethed: "Vics rang us to say that their minibus had broken down, they had missed their boat and had to have their minibus towed back - I'm not very happy."
Elsewhere, Lymington Town leapt back to the top of the table after a Paul Sims hat-trick steered them to a 4-1 home win over Fawley.
Sims - returning from a groin injury - opened the scoring after 15 minutes before Danny Adams, who replaced Danny Veal at half-time, netted their second following good work by Sims.
Steve Jenkin provided the slide-rule through ball for Sims to make it 3-0 on the hour before crossing for Sims's hat-trick goal five minutes later.
Dave Downie missed a penalty for the Oilers, who grabbed their consolation ten minutes from time when 15-year-old Hardley schoolboy Luke Walker became one of the youngest goalscorers in SWL history with a stunning 30-yard drive.
Romsey slip back down the table after being held 1-1 by ten-man Hythe & Dibden, who also lost goalkeeper Paul Cox with an injured back.
Andy Lonsdale tapped in a Roger Maynard corner to give the visitors a 15th-minute lead before they were reduced to ten men when Dean Chapman was sent off for throwing the ball at an opponent.
Simon Woodley levelled for Romsey before half time and then 5ft 4in Hythe midfielder Lee MacEacheran was forced to don the keeper's jersey for the last 20 minutes after Cox had collided with an opponent.
Locks Heath stay in third spot despite their 2-1 win at Brading, a Steve Thomas header from a John Stevens free kick after 25 minutes and a Pete Lines strike on 40 minutes clinching them the points.
Bishop's Waltham and Petersfield Town battled out a dour goalless draw at Priory Park, while Danny Homer equalised from the penalty spot for Blackfield & Langley at Alresford but blows by Phil Anderson (2), Joe Kearney and Danny Kule condemned the Watersiders to a 4-1 defeat.
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