The Northern Echo Darlington Sunday Invitation League

Curt Warburton opened the scoring with a wonderful goal after ten minutes as he struck the ball in the top corner from 25 yards, and that was soon followed by a Lee Ellison brace either side of an Adam Reid goal as the champions moved into a commanding 4-0 half time lead. The onslaught continued in the second half as Kevin Bromley made the score 5-0 before Lee Ellison struck another two to take his personal tally to four for the day. Reid then struck twice to complete his hat-trick, before league top-scorer Rob Mazur did what he does best, as he found the net within ten minutes of taking the field as a substitute. Another substitute, Michael Walton, then notched on his debut to round off the scoring as the home side completed a commanding performance.

Newton Aycliffe Sports Club remain close behind in second place as they beat high-flying Shuttle & Loom 1-0. However, it was a far from convincing display from the Sports Club, as the Shuttle ran them ragged for much of the game but failed to make many clear-cut chances as both defences produced fine performances. However, a scrambled second half goal from David Hanan settled matters for the Sports Club as they collected the points despite not looking at their best.

Meanwhile, Nestfield Club continued their good form as they beat Hurworth Albion 4-0. The hosts took the lead through a fine left foot volley from top-scorer Garry Mitchell, and soon before the break Mitchell doubled the Nestfield advantage with a cool finish. The second half saw a rampant display from the hosts as man of the match George Adams orchestrated some fine one-touch football which the Albion just couldn't compete against, whilst Mitchell proved his worth with a second half brace to complete the rout.

East End WMC took advantage of some poor results from other sides as they moved into fourth place with a 2-0 victory over Bishop Auckland Cricket Club, whilst Central WMC are also moving in the right direction following their game with Spraire RA on Sunday. After taking an early lead through Mark Ralphs, Spraire were totally outfought by a committed display from a Central side, as Tony Stafford and hat-trick hero Stu Cottam lead the visitors to a 4-2 victory. Martin Brown scored Spraire's second goal late in the match, but it wasn't enough to stop them slipping into the bottom three following their fourth defeat of the season.

In Division Two, Killinghall Arms bounced back from their cup semi-final defeat last weekend as they steam-rollered Jack Horners 7-1 to notch their seventh straight league victory this season and retain their 100 per cent record.

The Killy took a two-goal lead within the opening four minutes, but the Jacks managed to keep the score down for the remainder of the half, only to collapse in the second half and concede five goals in the final half-hour.

Phil Reynolds and Michael Robson both struck two apiece for the Killy whilst Paul Walker, Neil Mathias and Michael Smith also found the back of the net.

Andy Vernon scored the Jack Horners consolation goal, but it didn't make up for a disappointing performance as the Jacks slip back into the relegation zone.

All Stars are still top of the pile in the second division, and they picked up yet another impressive victory as they beat third placed AFC Orange 3-0 thanks to goals from Daniel Hanafin, Damien Franklin and Darren Kokes. Meanwhile, Copper Beech DCS are still in the fourth promotion space following their 4-3 victory over struggling Green Dragon, but they are still six points behind the top three and have the luxury of having played at least three more games than the chasing pack.

In the only remaining second division game Sadberge DL picked up their first victory of the season following a close fought game with Royal British Legion. The Legion took an early lead through Trevor Cooke but were soon pegged back as Paul Wilkinson's cross was misjudged by John Askew in the Legion goal as it sailed over his head into an unguarded net. The remainder of the first half remained goal-less, but Kev Fenby put Saberge 2-1 up soon after the interval, only for Jimmy McAbe to draw the score level again as the Legion refused to go down without a struggle. The Legion forced Sadberge onto the back foot with Stewart Bradford forced to clear the ball off his own line whilst Sadberge 'keeper Andrew Riley almost pushed the ball into his own net following a sustained spell of Legion pressure. However, it was to be Sadberge's day as Kev Fenby struck his second of the game, and despite a series of corners for the Legion, Sadberge's defence held firm with a little bit of help from the woodwork as they clung on to an important 3-2 victory.

Pepper Draughting Services racked up another big victory in Division Three, as they beat the Falchion 14-0, a scoreline that sees them on maximum points and having scored 118 goals in only 13 league games. The Falchion came into the game missing both of their recognised strikers, and with changes having to be made at the back they were always going to struggle.

The excellent Garry Williamson notched a first half hat-trick as the visitors moved into a 5-0 half time lead, whilst Lee Hammond also hit three in the game. Michael Carter (2), Dave Turnbull (2), Kevin Humble, Richard Harrison, Michael Stephenson and man-of-the-match Mick Boddy also notched as PDS continue their seemingly unstoppable march to the title.

Meanwhile, FR Aviation remain in second place, despite being given a bit of a scare by Royal Oak. The Aviators went into the interval 3-0 up following some opportune finishing in the first half, with two goals coming from goalmouth scrambles resulting from corners. However, in the second half the Oak had the visitors on the rack, and were good value for a Stu Boughen goal early in the half. However, almost as soon as the Oak were back into the game the Aviators regained their 4-goal lead as they broke the Oak offside trap following a bright counter-attack. However, Boughen struck again as the Oak continued their pressure, only for the Aviator's to once more pounce, this time following a dubious offside decision. The Aviators then took a 6-2 lead before Boughen completed his hat trick from the penalty spot with a good 15 minutes remaining. However, despite continual pressure from the Oak, they couldn't get another goal to really make a game of it, as the visitors clung to the points to remain eight points behind PDS. Paul Freary top scored with a hat trick for the Aviators whilst Stephen Barker, Martin Hickmans and Steven Thompson added the other goals.

Hope Inn remain close behind FR Aviation in third following their 5-1 victory over struggling AFC Aruba courtesy of goals from Trenton Hewitt (2), Stu Hardy (2) and Chris Liddle, with Stuart Pigg notching the Aruba consolation goal. Meanwhile, Pizza Perfekt and Drinkfield Utd, starting the game in fourth and fifth place respectively, fought out a 2-2 draw in a game as tight as their league standings suggest. The Pizzaboyz opened the scoring early on with a goal from Tommy Canning, but Craig Wright hit an equaliser soon after as Drinkfield were stunned into action. Drinkfield carried their pressure into the second half and took a deserved 2-1 lead as Dave Cooper hammered home a 25 yard free kick, but they just couldn't hold onto the points as Mike Weston headed home for the Pizzaboyz late in the game to earn a share of the spoils. A solid display from man of the match Peter Elliott at the heart of the Pizzaboyz defence ensured they held on for the points, whilst Drinkfield still remain unbeaten in their last seven games.

Further down the table Emcor returned to winning ways as a solid first half performance gave them all three points against bottom side Smith & Allan.

Darren Scott gave the hosts a one-goal lead in the first ten minutes as he crashed a shot in off the post, and that advantage was soon doubled as Aiden Tate struck a fine goal from the edge of the box. Danny Marshall slotted home Emcor's third before the break, as he finished off a fine move and, despite some good football from Smith & Allan, Darren Scott notched his second of the game as he completed a 4-0 victory for Emcor just before the interval.

In the only remaining third division game, Cricketers picked up all three points in their game against Sherwoods, as Dale Elgie and Kevin Brown put them on their way to a 2-1 victory. Dave Armstrong struck the Sherwoods goal, but it was too little too late as they succumbed to their tenth defeat of the season.