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| Tuesday 08 April 2003 Plumpton Athletic III 1 East Court FC 5 A HAT TRICK from Billy Denyer helped take East Court back to the top of Mid Sussex League division 7 with victory over Plumpton Athletic III on Tuesday night (April 8). Nick Palmer and Duncan Bewley also scored their first goals for the club as the away side faced their third game in just six days. East Court took the lead when a goal kick from player-manager Daniel Medcalf went all the way through to Denyer, who placed his shot past the Plumpton keeper. Plumpton came forward and East Court keeper Paul Bishop was forced into action as he tipped a shot around the post. East Court doubled their lead when a Plumpton player was judged to have handled the ball in the area and Denyer converted the resulting penalty. The home side pulled a goal back when Bishop could only parry a cross and the ball fell to Plumpton player who, despite the efforts of Medcalf, bundled the ball across the line. There was some breathing space for the away side as East Court scored again when Palmer knocked Denyer's corner home. Plumpton nearly scored before the break but a combination of Bishop and defender Peter Honeywood prevented the ball from crossing the line. At half time Carl Buckler came on for Honeywood as East Court looked to build on their lead. Superb tacking from Mark Nolan and captain Simon Nickols along with the energetic running of Andrew Wright gave the Plumpton players plenty to think about. East Court grabbed an all-important fourth after a brilliant tackle from man-of-the-match Medcalf on the edge of his own box set up a counter-attack, which finished with Bewley chipping the on-rushing keeper. Soon after top-scorer Denyer completed his hat trick with a brilliant half volley from inside the area. But there was still more defending to be done. Tom Greig cleared off the line after a scramble from a Plumpton corner and Bishop brilliantly tipped a shot over the bar. It was a brilliant performance from East Court as the grabbed three precious points in their hunt for the division 7 championship. Team: P.Bishop, A.Wright, T.Greig (N.Dawson), P.Honeywood (C.Buckler), D.Medcalf, N.Palmer, D.Bewley, B.Denyer, S.Nickols, J.Salter, M.Nolan |