JAMES TAYLOR was Havant & Waterlooville's hat-trick hero in a see-saw 3-3 Premier Division draw against fellow promotees Margate at West Leigh Park last night.

After a goalless first half, the drama began on 64 minutes when Gillingham loan striker James Pinnock fired Margate ahead.

Taylor equalised with a half-volley from Ben Price's corner and then the Bitterne-based hotshot followed up Price's fierce shot to net again via the crossbar.

A harsh hand-ball decision against Dave Milkins presented Mark Munday with a 79th-minute penalty equaliser and high-riding Margate nosed ahead three minutes later through Phil Collins.

But H&W refused to buckle and Taylor headed in the 84th-minute equaliser to hoist his season's tally to 13.

Salisbury halted their recent slide with an excellent 1-1 Premier Division draw at Merthyr Tydfil.

Whites, who fielded new signing Andy Cook - formerly of Saints, Exeter, Swansea, Pompey and Millwall - at left-back, fell behind to an Adrian Needs goal on 17 minutes but valiantly levelled on the stroke of half-time when Paul Sales swivelled and shot from the edge of the area.

Goalkeeper John Simpkins was limping badly in the closing stages but still managed a superb point-blank save from Chris Swan as Merthyr piled on the late pressure.

Newport boss Tony Mount's nerves were shot to pieces after the Islanders fought back from 2-0 down to inflict Burnham's first home defeat of the season.

Danny Husbands was the last-minute hero of a dramatic 4-3 Eastern Division victory with a bullet far-post header from Karl Lis's cross.

Two down after nine minutes, Newport hit back either side of half-time through Steve Riley and Ashkan Karimzadeh and then edged 3-2 up with a cracker from substitute Ashley Wright.

But a mix-up between Riley and Ian Buckman let Burnham back into it on 85 minutes before Husbands stole the show.

Bashley - shorn of six first-team regulars - were swamped 5-0 at Tonbridge.

With Paul Liddon, Phil Andrews and Peter Kydd all injured and Michael White, Craig McCarthy and Andy Darnton unavailable, the Foresters never recovered from Dave Arter's second-minute opener.

Danny Tingley made it 2-0 from a disputed penalty conceded by keeper Geoff Sim and Tonbridge piled on the punishment through Arter, Clint Gooding and Liam Austin.

Fleet fought back from behind to beat Moneyfields 4-2 in the Hampshire Senior Cup second round through Paul Dadson, Mark Frampton, Matty Miller and Dylan Pearson. Neil Darnley bagged both for Moneyfields.

A Tim Sills hat-trick earned Basingstoke Town a 3-3 draw with Portsmouth Reserves at the Camrose Ground.

Hampshire left it late to seal a 3-1 triumph over Devon in the Women's South West Counties Championship at Bashley.

Trailing 1-0 at half-time, Hampshire hit back with a Toni Crook own goal from Shelly Cox's left-wing cross and won it with injury-time strikes from Lisa Langrish and Anna Dimsdale.

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