SHOLING’S Lee Wort celebrated his birthday a day early by sinking a six-minute hat-trick at Christchurch.

The table-topping Boatmen showed they mean business this season, maintaining their 100 per cent start with a fabulous 5-1 Friday night win.

Deadly No9 Dan Mason also got in on the scoring act and, between them, Sholing’s red-hot front two have hit 13 goals in four games.

With manager Dave Diaper on holiday, Marc Diaper and Iain Calder took charge of the Boatmen – and they didn’t have to wait long for a breakthrough.

With 17 minutes gone, a corner was punched away and, cool as you like, young Bradley Targett took a touch and steered a 20-yard shot through a cluster of players into the bottom corner.

It was Targett’s first league goal on his first start for the Boatmen.

Mason’s seventh goal of the season followed on 35 minutes when he latched on to brother Byron’s pass, chested the ball down and clinically smashed it home on the half-volley.

Shortly before half-time there was a nasty clash of heads in the centre circle as Sholing’s Pete Castle and Priory’s Max Wilcock jumped for the same ball.

Central defender Castle ended up with a split nose while Wilcock was stretchered off with a cut to his head.

Christchurch hit back with a 79th minute Grant Cormack freekick but, from then on, it was all about that man Wort.

The jet-heeled frontman opened his account on 81 minutes, winning a 50-50 with the keeper, and then outpaced the Christchurch defence to drill in his second of the night.

Priory had barely had time to blink when, with their defence in disarray, Targett squared for Wort to complete his quickfire treble from six yards.

Sholing tomorrow (7.45pm) visit Brockenhurst in the Hampshire FA Senior Cup first round before making tracks to US Portsmouth in the FA Cup preliminary round on Friday evening (7.45pm).

PORTLAND United manager Brendon King admitted the Blues “won ugly again” after beating AFC Portchester 1-0.

Both sides finished with ten men in a close-fought tussle at the Weyline Stadium.

A solitary second-half goal from Alex Halloran sealed the points for King’s men, who have squeezed 1-0 victories in both home games this season.

Porchester, one of the pre-season title favourites, have had a luke-warm start to the 2018/19 campaign.

The Royals have picked up just four points from three games and crashed out of the FA Cup to lower-division AFC Stoneham after a replay.

Portland got the breakthrough after the interval through a well-worked free-kick.

Jamie Beasley and Lewis Whyton went up jointly to win the first header and then debutant Stephen Walker nodded on for Halloran to finish from six yards.

Blues’ substitute Aston Butcher was sent off for a last-man offence 20 yards from goal, before Portchester also went a man down following a two-footed lunge over the ball on Richard Marshallsay.

“It was a good win, we won ugly again if I’m honest,” said King.

“There wasn’t a lot between both sides in terms of chances created.

“But we probably created a little bit more than them once we’d got our system sorted.”

Shot-shy Portchester have gone three games without a goal.

Ruing the Royals’ lack of firepower, co-boss Mick Catlin reflected: “You can’t win games if you don’t score!”

Portchester are due to visit Team Solent in the Hampshire FA Senior Cup this evening (7.45pm).