Terras Skate Into Next Round
by Steve Dadd & Pete Pavey

8th January 2003

Weymouth’s sub tropical climate allowed this Dorset Senior cup quarter final match against Cranborne to go ahead whilst all other ties were postponed due to frozen pitches. Geoff Butler had shuffled the pack and Ryan Ashford played alongside Phillips up front whilst Mark Rawlinson slipped into the no. 7 shirt in place of the injured Robinson.

Cranborne started as crisp as the evening and had their largely female support screaming deliriously when they though that Ally Breeze had scored on 6 minutes after being put through with a one on one with Matthews.

Graham Boareham tried his luck from a long way out and with Matthews beaten his shot flashed just wide of the upright.

Ally Breeze was causing all sorts of problems for the Weymouth back line with his pace and could have done better on 17 minutes when set free he rushed his shot and blazed well wide.

The Terras began to find their rhythm and only the athleticism of Andrew Loader in the visitors goal kept the Terras at bay for the first half hour, Ashford, Phillips, Hutchinson and Rawlinson were all denied, the Terras however broke the deadlock on 34 minutes, a Hutchinson corner from the left was met at the far post by Toby Redwood who side footed the ball into the back of the net.

From the restart, Weymouth rushed forward and Cranborne conceded another corner, Hutchinson this time delivered a near post curler and Waldock’s back header beat Loader to put the Terras two up.

Cranborne belied their minor league status and continued to bustle and play the ball about, although the now hardening pitch was causing both sides problems.

Phillips released by Ashford bore down on goal and only an agricultural tackle by Loader denied the Cornishman a chance on goal, Mrs Julie Frampton pointed to the spot whilst Phillips was tended by the healing hands of Malcolm Coe. Hutchinson stepped forward and blasted his shot straight at Loader, Danny Bailey was first to the rebound but failed to make anything of it.

So at half time the score was:
Weymouth 2 Cranborne 0

John Lamb came on in place of Phillips and with his first touch put Weymouth three up. A sweeping run down the right flank by Tulley drew the keeper and he passed the ball to Lamb who gratefully beat the ball home for his first senior goal at the club.

The second half from then on was a liturgy of Weymouth misses with Rawlinson guilty of squandering three chances and Ashford not far behind although one of his efforts did come off the crossbar. Cranborne for their part refused to lay down and harried the Terras with the dreadlocked Ally Breeze displaying endless amounts of stamina and enthusiasm until the final whistle.

With the icing up surface making standing up a lottery both sides played safe and sensible for the final ten minutes, and so at the final whistle the score was:
Weymouth 3 Cranborne 0