BARRINGTON made certain of a return to top flight football next season by taking maximum points with a 4-1 home victory against Lyme Bantams in Division One.

Andy Whitefield put the winners on their way to a 22nd consecutive triumph with a goal in the 35th minute.

With three minutes of the half remaining, Lyme got back on level terms when in an effort to push the ball over the bar following a corner, Barrington keeper Mark Cullen inadvertently steered it into the roof of the net.

But with almost the last kick of the half Whitefield restored the advantage before completing his eighth hat-trick of the season ten minutes after the restart.

Guy Dare completed the winners’ scoring.

Millwey Rise continued their push for the runners-up spot as strikes by Shane Featherstone, Carl German and Mark Pike brought a 3-2 win at Luso-Chard, where Tiago Casimiro and Rui Mestrinho were on target for the hosts.

Premier Division After claiming only one goal and two points from their previous four outings, West & Middle Chinnock knew they would need to produce an improved performance if they were to overcome visitors Perry Street.

Their opponents had moved up to second in the table the previous week by hammering six goals without reply against Combe St Nicholas Reserves.

Chinnock got the perfect start when Liam Bennett gave them the lead inside the opening minute.

However, the scores were level a quarter of an hour later as Billy Sheahan netted an equaliser.

Both sides battled hard to gain the upper hand and it was a goal by Connor Fletcher midway through the second half that brought the Chinnock’s a narrow 2-1 success to help erase the memory of the defeat by the same opponents earlier in the season that ended a seven-match winning start to the campaign.

Division Two While Drimpton were on county cup duty, the chasing pack were hoping to close in on the runaway leaders.

But Crewkerne Town reserves and Thorncombe, who are the two teams leading the race for the second promotion spot, had to be content with a point apiece from a 3-3 draw.

Kieran Adams (2) and Harry Langdon were on target for the town side while the Thorns replied with a brace from Steve Rodber and a Lee Fisher effort.

Crewkerne Rangers hit eight goals without reply against Ilminster Town A to record their highest margin of victory for seven years.

Andy Loveless and Jack Male scored two goals each in the rout that was completed with singles from Tom Bending, Jack Blunn, Scott Isaacs and James Martin.

The winners’ record score is a 9-0 success set at Charmouth during the year of their formation in 2008/09. Isaacs netted four on that occasion.

Beaminster reserves claimed back-to-back wins for the first time this season as goals by Dan Pyett and Owen Ward earned a 2-0 victory over Combe A who have suffered defeat in four of their last five games.

Division Three Top team Chard United reserves completed their home fixtures in style by beating fellow title contenders Barrington reserves 3-0.

Liam Male gave United the lead on the half hour and then doubled the advantage ten minutes later.

And it was Male who completed the scoring midway through the second half to put his side seven points clear with three matches left to play.

Following their Bill Bailey Cup victory over Millwey Rise reserves the previous week, Merriott Dynamos completed a league and cup double over their opponents with a 4-0 win.

Barry Hayne netted twice in the victory that was completed by Kieran Bailey and Ross Weatherall.

After two successive defeats against Hawkchurch, Chard Rangers got back to winning ways by beating Dowlish & Donyatt 3-1 with goals from Scott Marshall, Isaac Patch and Scott Curtis. The losers replied through Nathan Doey.

Division Four Combe B continued their push for promotion by netting five goals without reply at Farway United reserves.

Matt Corrick, Paul Stoodley, Mark Stoodley, Graham Cleal and Neil Reed netted the goals that moves Combe to within seven points of leaders Merriott Rovers.

A 2-1 defeat of Uplyme reserves saw Hinton St George extend their winning sequence to six. Ross Jewell and Dan Coles hit a goal each for the winners who move up to fourth with games in hand on the teams above them.

Challenge Cup Good Friday’s final at Forton Rangers FC will be contested by Combe St Nicholas reserves and Shepton Beauchamp.

Combe beat Crewkerne Town 4-2 on penalties after the match ended with honours even at two goals each.

In normal time Jamie Spurdle struck twice for Crewkerne with Sam McCaffrey and Neil Parsons finding the net for Combe.

George Pugson headed the goal that brought Shepton victory against South Petherton.

The showpiece event will be a repeat of the Coronation Cup final played in December which saw Shepton come out on top by six goals to three after extra-time.

Reg Eglon Cup Despite giving a somewhat unconvincing display, Merriott Rovers overcame a spirited Winsham United reserves 3-1 to progress to Easter Monday’s final at Misterton.

Merriott, who re-entered the league at the start of the season after a two year absence, took a sixth minute lead through Josh Thomason and this was doubled 18 minutes later by Gavin Charles.

Paul Stuart reduced the arrears before the interval, but the thoughts of a Winsham fightback were ended after the break when Mike Brownsey bagged a third goal for Rovers.

The winners will be up against another re-formed side in Drimpton reserves after goals from Josh Betts and George Tuck earned them a 2-0 success against Chard United All Stars.

Dorset Junior Cup Netherbury will represent the league in this season’s Dorset Junior Cup final to be played at Bridport FC’s St Mary’s Field on Thursday, April 9.

The Ambers were one of three Perry Street League sides to reach the semi-final stage where they played host to Division Two top team Drimpton.

The visitors started in fine fashion and took the lead in the second minute with a goal by Craig Lodge, but the home side weathered the storm and equalised through Mark Cuff before going ahead with a goal from Richard Pincombe.

Drimpton failed to be overawed by their higher division opponents and hit back to draw level by the interval with a close-range effort from Terry Farrell.

Simon Denslow scored from the penalty spot soon after the restart to see Drimpton regain the advantage, but Netherbury levelled for a second time with a strike by Cuff.

Chris Symes chipped the ball over the keeper to make it 4-3 in Netherbury’s favour and victory was assured when Ryan Gall completed a 5-3 scoreline.

The winners’ opponents in the final will be Dorset League Division Three pacesetters Wool & Winfrith who beat Pymore 7-3.

Tim Hussey struck two of the Pymore goals with their other coming from a Fred Parsons penalty.