Andover 6 Bemerton Heath Harlequins 1

A BELOW par Bemerton side were no match for CFL sponsored Andover who notched up their 12th successive league victory - a feat last achieved in 1949/50.

It was also their 16th successive win in all games, which overturns another record that has lasted 40 years.

Bemerton, who had lost just once in their last six visits to the Portway, were missing five regular players and were no match for the rampant Lions.

Despite being frozen along one side, the Portway pitch was in good condition, hard, but perfectly playable.

During a season more notable for the record number of match postponements due to the weather, the Lions have yet to suffer a postponement at the Portway, which in no small part is due to those supporters who spend a lot of time in preparation and maintenance.

The Lions quickly adapted to the conditions and were ahead in three minutes when David Asker's gentle lob appeared to have been cleared off the line, but a perfectly placed linesman awarded the goal.

Asker also scored the last goal and in between there were two apiece for Danny Mattingley and Derek Simpson.

Sean Dyke had arguably his best game for the Lions as he bamboozled the visitors all afternoon. Danny Mattingley was also an inspiration at the front and he or Dyke were involved in all the goals. At the back, Barker and Damen were never really stretched, and in midfield, Asker, Webber and Simpson controlled the game and Simpson was unlucky not to cap his fine game with a hat trick.

With Mattingley in such good form, Andy Forbes could afford to drop back behind the front runner and consequently showed that there is more to his game than scoring goals.

Inevitably it was a cross from Dyke that led to the second goal after 20 minutes.

The ball fell to Webber and his square pass was fired home by Mattingley from the edge of the box. Within the next five minutes, Forbes was twice denied by some desperate defending before he laid off Dyke's cross for Simpson to blast home from 20 yards.

The last 15 minutes of the first half was almost exclusively confined to the Bemerton half. Asker got behind the defence only to put Dyke's cross over the bar. Forbes was just off target with a 30 yard drive and then he brought out the best in Bemerton keeper Colin Hopkins after Asker's quickly taken free kick caught Bemerton ball watching.

The game's best goal came six minutes into the second half when Mattingley latched onto Drakes' long clearance and he strode away to give Hopkins no chance. Two minutes later Bemerton got their equaliser after a rare mix up in the Lions' defence, but within a minute Simpson restored the status quo when his header converted Mattingley's precision cross. A poor clearance fell at Dyke's feet but the return shot was delayed and the chance for the goal he fully deserved was gone.

With the game won, the Lions' could have sat back onto their lead but to their credit continued to push forward.

Their persistence paid off when with 20 minutes to go, Mattingley and Asker exchanged passes before the little midfielder slotted home the sixth goal.

In the process, Asker took a knock and received a warm reception from the appreciative crowd as he was replaced by Allan Kennedy. Adrian Green replaced the hard working Mattingley with 10 minutes left and almost got onto the scoresheet with his first kick.

Twice in the final minutes, Simpson shaved first the bar, then an upright but the Lions had done enough. Full marks to referee Mike Hayward for allowing the game to go ahead and for making allowances for the conditions when controlling the game.

Andover: Drake, Damen, Anderson, Freeman, Barker, Simpson, Webber, Mattingley, Asker, Forbes, Dyke. Subs: Kennedy (for Asker, 71 mins), Green (A) (for Mattingley 80 mins) and Green (D) (for Webber 83 mins).