The Round-Up
Essex – New Season Sun 11th September
A new season of County league football across the country began this weekend, teams putting a long pre-season behind them and playing their 1st competitive games of the season. A new look to The Round-Up this season breaking it down into smaller sections, everything still covered, this edition focuses on Essex.
The county leagues in Essex have grown in size this season with 12 sides competing in both the Premier Division and Division One. Several new sides in Division One some clubs have folded two sadly Champions, Hullbridge Sports Ladies having been accepted into the ERWFL folded over the summer after 2 successful promotion winning seasons. Their reserve side gone too with Little Thurrock Dynamos ladies not running a Reserve side this season.
Essex Women’s Premier Division
With several new sides entering the league, 4 sides have come up from Division one, Alresford Colne Rangers, Chigwell Ladies and Wickford Town Ladies joining runaway Champions Harlow Ladies in the Premier Division, Beacon Hill Rovers Ladies keeping their spot in the league with Chelmsford City Ladies Reserves runners-up in Division One staying in the league.
A full fixture schedule in the Premier Division to start the season, Hutton Ladies Reserves v Collier Row Tigers was a late postponement. Harlow Ladies pretty much dominated The Tuesday Round-Up last season the only side across all the leagues covered on the website to finish with a 100% league record scored goals for fun and I suspect they are going to be hard to stop this time around either. Have a new Reserve side competing in Division One this season as well as an U18s side pushing both. Started with a home match against Chigwell Ladies who were struggling with injuries at the start of the game fielding just 9 players not ideal against a side like Harlow. The home side started strongly Tia Dye the pick of the goalscorers putting 5 into the back of the net, both Taylor O’Leary and Tayla Handscomb both scoring a hat-trick with a goal each for Danielle Hills, Dempsey Flavell and Fran Gamble in a commanding 14-0 win to start the season.
Chelmsford City Ladies ran Hullbridge Sports Ladies close in the race for the Premier Division title last season. The runners-up started this season at home against Walden Ladies. Georgia Sleep and Lisa Overall both scored 2 goals each on the way to a 6-2 win, Tyler Christou and Jessica Loble netting the other 2 goals.
Beacon Hill Rovers Ladies struggled last season finishing bottom of the table. Staying in the Premier Division, they were away to newly promoted Alresford Colne Rangers Ladies on the opening day, getting this season off to a much more promising start putting 7 goals into the back of the Alresford net to win the game 7-2
Lawford Ladies were also taking on one of the newly promoted sides in the Premier Division, at home to Wickford Town Ladies. Lawford started the season well scoring 5 goals to win 5-1 and get an early 3 points on the board. The points were shared between Eastern Avenue and Runwell Sports Ladies (Formerly Runwell Hospital Ladies). A 2-2 draw, Courtney Lowther and Katie Peers with the goals for Eastern Avenue.
Essex Women’s Division One
12 sides contesting Essex Women’s Division One again this season. No less than 8 new sides to join the league this season. Harlow and Wickford Town introducing Reserve sides, the others joining are, Benfleet Villa Ladies, Collier Row Athletic, Corringham Cosmos, FC Clacton Ladies, Frontiers Ladies & Hatfield Peveral.
There were 4 fixtures scheduled to start the weekend, Wickford Town Ladies Reserves match at home to Valley Green was abandoned at half time due to an injury. Wickford were leading 4-0 at the time. Frontiers Ladies started life in Essex Division One at home on Waltham Forest Ladies who found life tough going in the league last season, could be another tough season conceded plenty of goals last season started no less this time around Frontiers Ladies winning 22-0.
Harlow Reserves look like they’re going to pick up in Division one where the 1st team left off on their way to promotion. Were away to Benfleet Villa on the opening Sunday scoring 6 goals without reply to win the 3 points. Corringham Cosmos also had a great start to their season at home taking on Chelmsford City Ladies Reserves winning the game 6-1 to begin the campaign with 3 points. Not always easy to track down goal scorers in Essex as the FA Full Time website has yet to be updated for the new season.