LAST season, Division II side Kirkheaton Rovers were the specialists in the District League cups and they are “at it again”.

This time last year they had beaten two First Division teams before losing in the final of the Barlow Cup to another Division I outfit, Diggle.

This time around, following an earlier win over Berry Brow, they have done it again by beating Scholes 5-4.

Rovers went to Scholes and played up the slope in the first half, but after only a few minutes they were 2-0 up.

Both were created by man of the match Liam Dobson. The first was scored by Dale Harris from one of Dobson’s crosses and the second followed a good move which ended with Dobson laying on a tap-in for Ben Sykes.

The game then followed a pattern with each side scoring in turn.

Firstly Richard Lomas pulled one back for Scholes when he bundled he ball over the line following a low throw-in. The Rovers replied when Dobson scored one himself.

Scholes then narrowed the deficit again. This time Lomas was brought down in the box and Alan Walker converted the resultant penalty. Shane Wooler made it 4-2 to Rovers at half time following another move involving Dobson.

In the second half, Lomas was again in action as he struck Scholes’s third and again the gap between the clubs was just the one goal.

With 20 minutes to play, Rovers were down to 10 men as one of their centre-backs was sent off for his second bookable offence.

The two-goal advantage was restored when Sykes scored from the spot. But now the pressure was on the Rovers.

With 10 men and the slope against them they had to defend well to keep Scholes out. They failed 10 minutes from time as Walker scored from the edge of the box but despite every Scholes effort, the Rovers held on to record a worthy 5-4 win.

Last week, also in the Barlow Cup, current Division I leaders Hepworth United beat Holmbridge 3-0 and will face second-placed Uppermill in the quarter-finals – and the winners of that play Kirkheaton in the semis.

The other semi-final will be Newsome against one of Dalton Crusaders, Meltham or Netherton.

All four quarter-final matches in the Groom Cup went ahead as scheduled without any major surprises.

Three Division III teams were drawn against Division IV opposition. Honley had a comfortable 6-0 win over Huddersfield United and last year’s winners, Linthwaite, won 5-2 at Thornhill United.

The other inter-divisional clash went to Division IV AFC Lindley who beat Upperthong 4-2, but with AFC Lindley’s league record of 10 wins from 10 games, it can hardly be classed as a surprise.

In the all Division III match, AFC Waterloo beat Grange Moor 2-1 which means the semi-final draw is Linthwaite v Honley and AFC Waterloo v AFC Lindley.

The cup draws seem to be putting the top teams together before the finals.

In the Barlow Cup, the top two in Division I meet at the quarter-finals stage and the top two in Division III, Honley and arguably Linthwaite (who have many games in hand and are second best on points dropped) meet in the semi-finals of the Groom Cup.

Following last week’s Richardson cup games, the same applies. The top two in Reserve Division I both won and both at the expense of a Meltham team and both by the odd goal.

Newsome Reserves beat Meltham Ath Reserves 4-3 while Uppermill Reserves only just beat Meltham Ath A 2-1.

The two winners now meet in the semis while the other semi-final will be between Kirkheaton Rovers Res and Heywood Irish Reserves or Honley Reserves.

The Gee Cup is proving the exception. For teams in Reserve Divisions III and IV, the semi-finals could be made up from all Reserve Division IV teams.

Last week, Reserve Division IV side Holmfirth Town Reserves reached the semis by beating KKS Spartans from the division above with a scoreline of 3-1.

Another lower club was certain to join them as Scissett Reserves met Flockton Reserves with the former winning with the only goal of the game.

Cumberworth B are another Reserve Division IV side through to semis but they have had a little luck on their way.

They have won only three games all season, the number that some clubs have to play to reach this stage of the cup, but Cumberworth B were lucky enough to have a bye in the first round.

In the second round they beat Berry Brow A after extra-time, which left them to meet either Britannia Sports A or Mount Reserves in the quarter finals.

But luck was on their side again as, when those two met each other, both were deemed to have played an ineligible player and both were struck out of the cup. Hence Cumberworth B had a bye in the quarter final.

The only Reserve Division III side left in the Gee Cup are Skelmanthorpe Reserves, who have yet to play their quarter-final match against AFC Lindley Reserves.