Sunday League: Top two crash out in Senior Cup semi-finals

League leaders Waiters Arms were beaten 4-2 by Feathers in a shock result, while Halifax Hammers were knocked out on penalties by Lee Mount after a 4-4 draw.

Feathers striker Chris Silkstone proved the difference against Waiters as he notched all four goals.

His first came five minutes in through a half volley from the edge of the area, but that was soon cancelled out by Waiters’ Reece Uttley who scrambled the ball home.

Silkstone then made it 2-1 after running through and calmly slotting past James Waggett, who had to take over in the Waiters goal after an injury to Ethan Daly.

Despite having the majority of the ball, Waiters couldn’t find a way through the Feathers defence.

Silkstone made it 3-1 with 10 minutes to go when he ran clear and again held his nerve to slot home.

Waiters’ top scorer Lee Wood poked home to make it 3-2 with five minutes left hoping to set up a grandstand finish, but it wasn’t to be as Silkstone again ran clear and this time lobbed Waggett from 30 yards out for the goal of the game.

Waiters boss Adam Fenton said:”It just wasn’t our day. They had four shots at goal and they all went in.

“Credit to their defence, they stood firm when we threw everything at them and in Silkstone they had a threat on the break.

“I wish them all the best in the final, I just hope this doesn’t derail our title challenge.”

Waiters’ nearest challengers Halifax Hammers fell behind to Lee Mount when Jordan Pettifor was left unmarked to score from a corner.

A good delivery into the box by Lamin Gitteh found Khurram Shazad, who tapped the ball home to make it 1-1.

But Lee Mount regained the lead through Callum Meade when the Hammers defence switched off, appealing for an alleged foul.

Hammers again equalised when a good move by Irfan Afzal and Gitteh set-up Waleed Raja to score from close range.

Hammers finished the first-half strongly and should have go into the interval ahead.

Mount followed suit after the break and were only prevented from scoring by some fine saves by Yasar Mohammad.

A nice move on the Hammers right side saw Shazad score to put his side 3-2 up and it was soon 4-2 midway through the second-half when Gitten produced a brilliant solo goal, charging past three Lee Mount players.

But Hammers surrendered their two-goal lead when first, Trent Coulter got one back, and Meade levelled.

Lee Mount then went on to win 4-2 on penalties.

In the First Division, Siddal Place’s lead at the top of the table was cut to one point as they drew 4-4 at Thrum Hall and second-placed Bradshaw thrashed Old Pond 9-2.

Leon Hurles-Brook forced an early save from a busy Dan Barnes in the Pond net,

before with just nine minutes on the clock Nathan Sloane put the home side in front.

Five minutes later and Pond had chance to restore parity on the counter, but player-manager Paul Taylor’s well struck effort was expertly tipped wide by Thomas Boyle

in the Bradshaw net.

Hurles-Brook struck the cross-bar, but it wasn’t long before his side started to stretch out of sight. Andrew Woodhouse’s free kick was nodded home by an unmarked Morgan Cummings, before Hurles-Brook made it three from the penalty spot.

There were saves at both ends before the home side made it four before the interval.

Barnes again denied Hurles-Brook after he was flicked through on goal, before

Hayden Lewis saw his close-range effort blocked by a sprawling Boyle. The fourth

goal was attained by a nonchalant chipped effort from Hurles-Brook.

The second half continued with Bradshaw on the front-foot as Ian King found

Cummings who tapped home his second, after which Pond showed some spirit with

half an hour of a performance more akin to their recent standards.

Lewis was tripped in the box and fired home the penalty he had won to make it 5-1,

but it didn’t take Bradshaw long to net again as Cummings fired home his hat-trick

goal.

Pond again fought back with a top-drawer Sean Suttle cross dispatched by Mark

Barlow who netted his first for the club.

Barnes was again called into action with a one-on- one stop denying Cummings,

before the home side made hay in the last ten minutes of the match grabbing three

more. Sloane fired home a rebound from a free-kick, Luke Butterworth got in on the

goal-scoring action and Hurles-Brook got his hat-trick.

Third-placed Cock and Bottle beat Halifax Rangers 5-1, while fourth-placed Halifax Hammers Reserves won 2-1 at Barum Top.

The other result saw North Bridge beat Halifax Amateurs 6-3.