FA VASE winners Winchester City have raided Wessex rivals Wimborne Town for the second time this summer.

Magpies' skipper Darren Powell, pictured right, has followed midfielder Mark Smith out of The Cuthbury to join the Sydenhams Wessex League/Cup winners.

Powell, 34, will not be put on contract at Abbotts Barton. Winchester's director of football Dave Malone said: "For players of that sort of age, contracts are not worth the paper they're written on. We've put our trust in senior players like Mark Blake, Gary Green and Toby Redwood and we'll do the same with Darren.

"He's a player we've admired for a long time and we believe he'll do us a good job for a couple of years."

City have also signed strikers Stuart Cannie and Jamie Musselwhite this summer, but the new arrivals have been offset by the departures of squad players Steve Tate, Steve Waite and Stewart Lang.

Tate has retired, Waite is rumoured to be talking to Bemerton and Andover and Lang wants to concentrate on his new job in Guildford.

Wimborne boss Paul Arnold is remaining positive about the new campaign despite losing a glut of players in the close-season.

Ryan Lucas has joined Wessex newcomers Hamworthy United, Andy Barham is now with Poole Borough and Scott Cannie has moved away.

The Mapgies ran City close for the Wessex title last season and Arnold reflected: "We over-achieved last year and we've become victims of our own success. In the cases of Mark and Darren there was not a lot we could have done. I think Mark was looking at playing at a higher level in the long term, while Darren was made an offer he simply couldn't refuse.

"But we are not a team built on a couple of players. We still have the nucleus of the squad who did so well last season, so I'm quite optimistic."

The FA Vase will be winging its way to Dorset on Saturday (July 10) when Neil Hards's Winchester City glory boys open their pre-season campaign at Dorset Premier League outfit Poole Borough (3pm). They are taking their treasured silverware along to show the fans.

Saturday friendlies (July 10)

Newport IoW v Farnborough Town (3pm)

Poole Borough v Winchester City (3pm)