WIRRAL FA Saturday Junior Cup finalists Bebington Athletic have dominated the Robin Hodgson Division title race for the best part of the season and their labours were rewarded as they clinched the championship following a convincing second half performance at Run-corn outfit, Pavilions.
Goals from Leon Morgan and James Douglas were enough for Bebington to edge 2-1 in front by half time, but after the interval, the visitors cut loose and realised their potential as further efforts from Morgan, Douglas, Dave Iqbal (2) and Chris Brooks resulted in a 7-1 triumph.
The race is now on for the runners-up medals and leading the chasing pack are Window Shades who kept their noses in front thanks to a 1-0 victory over Rangers Breaks.
A rasping 25-yard shot from Breaks' Lee Jones skimmed past the wrong side of the post inside the first minute, but after dominating the game without managing to find a way through, Breaks paid the price on 21 minutes when they succumbed to the only goal of the game by Garth Morgan.
The game between Leasowe Castle and Mersey Ferries lived up to expectations with a seven-goal thriller with Leasowe posting a 4-3 win. An early effort from Adam Kinner was soon cancelled out and after Kinner bagged his second, Ferries rallied to the cause again and were full value for their second equaliser.
Tommy Walker and Lee Dermody then stepped into the breach for Leasowe with a goal each before a Ferries' penalty 10 minutes from time completed the scoring.
Last week's abandoned Robin Hodgson Cup clash between Avon Athletic and Black Horse was re-arranged for Saturday and after an epic tussle Widnes cup specialists Avon came out on top with a 4-3 win in extra time to earn their ticket to the semi-finals.
Black Horse came back from the dead three times and missed a penalty with the score standing at 2-2. Chris Lloyd and Steve O'Grady both struck twice for Avon, O'Grady's second being the extra time winner.
Tomorrow, Mersey Ferries will want to salvage something from what has been an erratic season for them when they engage Rangers Breaks in the South Wirral League Challenge Cup semi-final at Levers.
In the Robin Hodgson Division, Bebington are expected to rack up further points when they visit Leasowe Castle, while Black Horse will be hoping for better luck from their trip to Pavilions.
The South Wirral League has vacancies for clubs for 2004/05. Application forms can be obtained from the league secretary, A Roberts on 0151 644 9954.
