Cranmer Arms 1 V 3 Baston FC

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Grantham Hospital Cup 2nd Round

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Baston travelled to league rivals Cranmer Arms for this cup clash. Due to the recent weather, the pitch had suffered producing a hard uneven surface, so defensive mistakes were always likely.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Baston started brightly, and took the lead within ten minutes. Greg Rawlinson&rsquo;s long ball was gambled on by Ben Hudson, who watched the ball bounce over the keeper&rsquo;s attempted clearance leaving him with a tap in to an empty net. Greg Rawlinson was causing the Cranmer defense all sorts of problems with his running, and was brought down for a free kick 25 yards out. Ross O&rsquo;Loughlin&rsquo;s free-kick curled devilishly through the air and into the top corner, with the keeper falling into his net as he tried to get it away.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Baston thought they&rsquo;d made it 3 just moments later, as another O&rsquo;Loughlin free-kick came into the box, with Hudson cushioning a header down for Captain Simon Ward to slot home, but the referee blew his whistle for a foul in the box and let Cranmer&rsquo;s shaky defense off the hook.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Baston continued to dominate, and had further chances to add to their lead; Greg Rawlinson got onto a flick on but dragged his shot just wide of the far post, and James Ward volleyed over the bar following a good counter attack.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Cranmer came into the game more, and had half chances to score, but usually were quite wayward with their shooting. They did however get a goal back after 30 minutes as a deep free-kick cannoned unfortunately off Simon Ward&rsquo;s standing leg and fell to their striker who passed the ball into the net.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Baston restored the 2 goal margin before the break, Rawlinson raced down the wing and crossed for Matt Holdup to tuck away from close range.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Baston continued to hold strong in the second half against regular long balls from the Cranmer midfield, with Liam Davies and Matt Barnett containing the pressure well.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Baston had more chances to give them more breathing space, with Rawlinson and Holdup both dragging shots just wide. The most outrageous shot came from Mindy Valys who&rsquo;s 60 yard free-kick was tipped over the bar well by the improved Cranmer keeper.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Baston remained solid and saw out the result, in a game they deserved to win.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Man of the match: Liam Davies

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Baston: Tom Bedford, Mindy Valys, Matt Barnett (Rob Clarke), Liam Davies, Jon Howard, James Ward, Simon Ward (c), Ross O&rsquo;Loughlin, Matt Holdup, Greg Rawlinson, Ben Hudson.

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