SHOLING’S dreams of an unbeaten season in the Sydenhams Wessex Premier Division are over.

After a run of 21 games without defeat, Dave Diaper’s title favourites were gunned down 3-1 last night by reigning champions Blackfield & Langley – a side now managed by their former skipper Kevin Gibbens.

The match, played in atrocious conditions at Gang Warily, began well enough for Sholing as Barry Mason set up Ashley Jarvis to give them a 15th-minute lead.

But the Watersiders – now up to third – hit back with a quick-fire double from Neil Williams and Craig Feeney with half-time approaching and added another through new signing Jack Satterley just after the hour.

It hasn’t been the easiest of times for Blackfield of late with Gibbens’s predecessor Glenn Burnett and a handful of players leaving, but proud chairman Owen Lightfoot said: “This shows that the lads who’ve stayed after our little upheaval are still putting heart and soul into it.

“Kev (Gibbens) played centre-back tonight and he’s leading by example. He’s doing a good job rallying the troops.

“When I inspected the pitch at 3.30pm the sun was shining and there was hardly any wind, but if there’d been an inspection at half-time, it wouldn’t have been played.

“But the ref tried to let the game flow and the lads put in a good all-round performance. I can’t praise them enough.”

Bottom-of-the-table Romsey Town came within a hair’s breadth of victory at the Bypass Ground last night. Having taken a 40th-minute lead through Danny Phillips against Verwood, they were pegged back by an 83rd-minute Charlie Gajic leveller for 1-1.

Winchester City came a cropper in the Sydenhams Wessex League, beaten 3-0 at Alresford Town.

Warren Bentley could have scored for the Magpies inside 30 seconds but had his effort saved by Ross Casey in the City goal.

But by half-time Alresford were 2-0 up with Dominic Cope capitalising on Zach Glasspool’s 21st-minute assist and then Bentley scrambling home a 35th-minute second when City’s Danny King was down injured on the halfway line.

Winchester went desperately close to levelling each time, but Darryl Phillips hit the bar from 25 yards and had a shot saved by Jason Collins before Lloyd Webber also clattered the woodwork from distance.

Alresford killed the game off on 52 minutes when Glasspool scored direct from a corner.

The night’s other Wessex fixtures were rained off.