Poole Town Ladies 0 Torquay United Women 12
United purred back into top gear in the South West Regional Women’s Premier League, with goals at regular intervals, after completely dismantling their hosts inside 25 minutes. Ellie Bishop netted four times, and Lucy Solloway grabbed a hat-trick to return to the top of the division’s scoring charts.
It did take Torquay almost a quarter of an hour to break down the Poole defence at the Dorset County Ground, and it was Lucy Solloway with the opening mark, of what was to become a long afternoon for the Poole Town Ladies.
One became two within a matter of moments, Anthea Kaptein on target with United’s second, taking her tally into double figures for the season. And before 25 minutes had elapsed, two more quickfire goals had the points secured and the game put to bed. Both came from Bishop, the first with head and the second with boot. United four to the good!
Adele Brown probably doesn’t always get the goals her performances deserve, but she was on target with a cracking effort to make it five-nil just after the half hour. Bishop completed her first half hat-trick barely four minutes later as United were on the rampage.
Not to be outdone, Solloway bagged goals seven and eight, as Torquay headed to the interval on the cusp of their second double-digit haul of the season, Bishop having added her fourth just before the break.
That tenth goal took a while to come, but eventually it was skipper, Tracey Cross, who struck. From team captain to club captain. It’s been a while since Danni Wyatt found the net, having to contend with an injury layoff for much of the campaign since she grabbed a hat-trick against Honiton in pre-season. But she added Torquay’s eleventh off the bench, and fellow substitute, Emily Elliott made it the round dozen!!
The result equals United’s best of the season (12-0 versus AFC St Austell Ladies) and takes their goal difference one ahead of Marine Academy Plymouth, still with four games in hand. Equally important was the clean sheet for Jas Read and her defence, the first in five games, since the 5-0 win at Bishop’s Lydeard Ladies in mid-November.
United remain second in the table, 11 points behind M.A.P with those four games in hand, and have an intriguing County Cup match, in Plymouth next weekend.
Torquay United: 24. Jasmine Read, 2. Lucy Palmer, 4. Alex Sheppard, 14. Kaitlyn Harris, 17. Natascha Bevan, 6. Adele Brown, 7. Tracey Cross ©, 8. Kayleigh Brown, 10. Tee Kaptein, 9 Lucy Solloway, 19. Ellie Bishop Subs: 5. Lily Hilton, 8. Charlie Pettinger, 12. Emily Elliott, 15. Kate McKane, 31. Danni Wyatt