Combined Counties Round Up: 23/01/2017
- Johnnie Lowery
- Jan 23, 2017
- 2 min read
The weather hit the Combined Counties League hard on Saturday with only two games reaching a conclusion.
Given that plenty of games in the Football League were called off it was impressive that any games were played at all, and Hartley Wintney took full advantage by hammering Chertsey 5-1 to extend their lead at the top of the table to 21 points. Impressively the runaway leaders have now hit 100 goals for the season, helped on Saturday by a hattrick from Sam Argent. The efforts of the club to get the game on were rewarded by a large crowd of 172. The other game played in the league saw CB Hounslow secure a 1-0 victory over Farnham to lift them up to 16th place. Farnham might consider themselves unlucky to have come away with nothing but the home side can be delighted with their defensive efforts.
In Division One Cove will be devastated after they looked certain to secure only a 3rd win of the season when 3-0 up against Epsom Athletic, only for the game to be abandoned after 45 minutes.
Provided the weather improves there are a number of fixtures scheduled for the midweek slots, with a Cherry Red Records Premier Cup Quarter Final game between Windsor and Horley the pick of the bunch. Horley have been narrowly the stronger of the two on recent form and sit 11 points above Windsor in the league, but the Berkshire club’s home advantage could help them bridge that gap. On Wednesday night Guildford City host Raynes Park Vale at the same stage of the same competition – Guildford will be heavy favourites but Park Vale have had something of a taste for cup competitions this season, knocking Sutton United out of the Surrey Senior Cup for example.
In the league there are four fixtures, with CB Hounslow in action at home again as they host Epsom & Ewell. The Salts are doing reasonably well in an upper mid table place this season but have been very inconsistent form wise, so CB will fancy their chances. After their hammering at Hartley on Saturday Chertsey will be looking to bounce back against North Greenford, who sit seven points above them in the league albeit with three games in hand. Relegation threatened Badshot Lea badly need points having comfortably lost their last three – their opponents on Tuesday are Spelthorne Sports who lie in 17th place, 13 points from the drop. Finally, Colliers Wood United make the journey across Surrey to Walton & Hersham, who know that a win could move them ahead of Horley Town into 4th. The Wibbandune outfit are without a win in four in the league but will fancy themselves against a Swans side also out of form at current