U16 HDYFL CUP FINAL – Edwin Hill Memorial Trophy
It took a touch of class to separate these two teams in what was a tight and competitive game at Broadbridge Heath.
After a tense opening period in which Three Bridges had the upper hand, Cranleigh captain Tom Barker’s superb strike from outside of the area on 32 minutes gave his team a cushion to take into the half time break. Throughout the first half Ben Cole and Callum Price had worked tirelessly in midfield but more chances for Cranleigh were limited, as wingers Marcel Kotowski and Arthur Powell could not break through.
There were opportunities to add to the score line from both teams in the second half though and Cranleigh had chances to put the game beyond Bridge’s reach with Maxim Shiek and Harvey Stiles keeping Three Bridge’s defence busy, but a combination of bad luck and good defending kept the score line at 1-0.
Cranleigh’s defence, superbly marshalled by Callum Jones alongside Jack Dowdall, proved too much for Bridges throughout the game and when they were beaten keeper Matt Forrester was on hand, producing several top-quality saves. Cranleigh had only conceded one goal in previous rounds of the cup competition, and only one goal in 2018 and the ever-dependable Forrester had another clean sheet in his sights.
As Bridges continued to attack fullbacks Seb Ellis and Eddie Flynn coped well with the pace of Bridge’s busy wingers too, cementing a solid defensive performance. It was a truly effective squad performance from Cranleigh and substitutes Max Elstone, Ethan Stiles and Charlie Dyer all contributed well in the second half as Cranleigh held off the constant attacks from Three Bridges.
After what has been a long and frustrating season with many weather-related postponements it was a pleasure to watch such a close and competitive game to bring the season to an end.
