Sports in Axminster

Axminster Reserves, favourites to win promotion in the first season back in Devon & Exeter League football, consolidated their position at the top of Division Two East with a 9-1 victory over East Budleigh 2nds.

Having come out of the league for just one season, Axe had to drop down a level on re-entry and with the squad that manager Dan Prettejohn having put together, Ottery St Mary 2nds look like the only club likely to challenge them for the Division Two title . Axminster beat them 4-2 when they met earlier in the season and so far this season Axe have knocked in 35 goals with only four against.

Lyme Regis 1st's much-awaited return to the Davey Fort was celebrated this afternoon (Saturday) with a display of fast-moving football and clinical finishing rarely seen by the Seasiders' faithful in recent times.

Dawlish United travelled to the Davey Fort in second place in the Devon & Exeter League Premier East division and after Lyme's disappointing 3-1 defeat by Colyton last week, the South Devon outfit might well have been expecting an easy afternoon.

Exeter United 1, Millwey Rise 1st 1

By Dick Sturch

Axminster Town have drafted in one of non-league football's top strikers in a bid to halt their goal famine.

Former Yeovil Town front man Warren Patmore, who scored 140 goals for the Glovers, has agreed to lend his experience to Tigers' manager John Stunnell in a bid to turn round their fortunes at the foot of the South West Peninsular Premier East division.

SEATON LADIES TAKE

Uplyme 1sts 2, Shepton Reserves 2

UPYLME 1sts remain unbeaten at home in Perry Street Division One, but it really should have been so much better than a draw.

Matches between neighbouring Lyme Regis and Colyton are usually  evenly matched and so it was when the Seasiders travelled over the Devon border for their first Devon & Exeter League Premier East enocounter with Lyme playing the better football and dominating territorially but Colyton looking more like scoring with their counter attacks.

Colyton took the lead against the run of play after half an hour when Lyme failed to clear a long throw and Jake Collier fired home after keeper Chris Higgs had smothered the first shot brilliantly.

Axminster Under 14s 1,

A young and inexperienced Lyme Rovers side worked hard but were ultimately well-beaten 4-0 by a strong Shepton Beauchamp team in Perry Street Division One on Saturday.

From the very first moments of the game, the home side pushed forward quickly and with precision, hitting the side netting within 15 seconds. But the Rovers side, featuring debuts for Jack Handy, 17, and Bruno Marques, 16, soon settled and battled hard.

By Dick Sturch

Millwey Rise 1st X1 1, Feniton 2nd X1 1