Cup provides major thrills and spills

Mar 15 2008 by Neil Atkinson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

FIRST the FA Cup, now the Hoyle Cup.

The Works League knockout trophy is following in the footsteps of Britain’s top soccer contest.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Middlesbrough all crashed out of the FA Cup in a weekend of major shocks.

Now many of the favoured Works League sides are out of this year’s competition and it will mean a new name on the famous old trophy when the final is played at the Galpharm Stadium in May.

Uppermill are now cup favourites after their hard-earned 3-2 win at Grange Moor last Saturday.

And they are joined in the last four by Bay Athletic, who had a 2-1 win at FC Railway, and by Stag who were the surprise victors in the quarter finals.

The Dalton-based side entertained high-flying Hepworth United on a windswept Rawthorpe High School field and won 1-0 to book their place in the last four.

Sykes was the man on target for Stag, who are in the lower reaches of Division II after winning only five of their 20 games so far this season in the league.

Hepworth, by contrast, are in second place in the league and still in with a chance of the title.

The last semi-final place was due to be determined today when Moldgreen were up against Lindley Lib.

Neither of those sides have ever won the Hoyle Cup.

In the league, Moldgreen Con took advantage of the Cup games to extend their lead at the top.

They are now 12 points clear of Hepworth following their comfortable 5-0 win at Lindley Lib.

There was a hat trick for James Acquah plus other goals for Bradley and Badger.

Walpole Community Centre missed a chance to stay in fourth spot when they went down 2-1 at home to Upperthong.

They were overtaken by Syngenta Sports, who romped to a 7-3 home win over Ireti Athletic.