EPPING OVERWHELMED BY FIVE LAKES

ESSEX -- The first round of the Thornton Cup always throws up surprises – and Sunday May 3 was no exception.

The County’s most prestigious inter-club team competition got underway with 63 teams aiming to make and win the final on Sunday, 13th September.

Holders Thorndon Park cruised past Garon Park 13-2, while Five Lakes smashed Epping 15-0 in a record drubbing at home. They will now entertain Crondon Park in the next round.

Five ‘out of county’ sides compete each year on the historical grounds of being served by the old railway line owned by Mr Thornton in 1923.

All five enjoyed home wins in this round.

Stoke-by-Nayland in their first year as an Essex affiliated club enjoyed a good win 13-2 against Bentley and will now entertain Braintree in the next
round.

Recent cup winners in this competition, Chelmsford, West Essex, Rochford Hundred and Orsett are all successfully through to round two, but 2 casualties were Canons Brook (2003 winners) and Boyce Hill, who last won it in 1997.

For Boyce and their fellow underchievers there is a consolation. This year’s first round losing teams will play in a competition for the Thornton Cup Plate, which will be a home and away venue in the same format as the Norman Plum competition.

Other results were:

Home Team			Away Team
Theydon Bois		v		BYE
Crondon Park	10½	v	Royal Epping Forest	4½
Enfield	11	v	Hainault Forest Golf Club	4
Five Lakes	15	v	Epping	0
Stoke by Nayland	13	v	Bentley	2
Bush Hill Park	12	v	Hartswood	3
Clacton on Sea	9	v	Boyce Hill	6
Stapleford Abbotts	3	v	Channels	12
Orsett	9½	v	Canons Brook	5½
Thorpe Hall	11½	v	Warley Park	3½
Langdon Hills	8	v	Burnham on Crouch	7
Romford	14	v	Chingford	1
Maldon	7½	v	Belhus Park*	7½
Muswell Hill	10½	v	Maylands	4½
Braintree	15	v	Risebridge	0
Frinton	3½	v	Chelmsford	11½
Ballards Gore	12½	v	Castle Point	2½
St Cleres Hall	9½	v	Upminster	5½
The Essex (Earls Colne)	1	v	Rochford Hundred	14
Toot Hill	9½	v	Abridge	5½
The Warren	9	v	Colchester	6
Three Rivers	9	v	Stock Brook	6
Lords (Rayleigh)	11	v	Woodford	4
Thorndon Park	13	v	Garon Park	2
Chigwell	6½	v	West Essex	8½
East Herts	13½	v	Colne Valley	1½
Woolston Manor	13½	v	North Weald	1½
Benton Hall	8½	v	Nazeing	6½
Wanstead	9½	v	Harwich and Dovercourt	5½
Bishops Stortford	12½	v	The Burstead	2½
Forrester Park	5½	v	Gosfield Lake	9½
Ilford	9	v	Basildon	6
* Belhus Park won after a play off

2nd Round Draw
To be played on Sunday 31 May 2009
Home Team			Away Team
St Cleres Hall		v	Benton Hall
Chelmsford		v	Bishops Stortford
Orsett		v	Theydon Bois
Channels		v	Belhus Park
Five Lakes		v	Crondon Park
Romford		v	Rochford Hundred
Stoke by Nayland		v	Braintree
Lords(Rayleigh)		v	West Essex
Thorpe Hall		v	Ilford
Three Rivers		v	Langdon Hills
Ballards Gore		v	Wanstead
Bush Hill Park		v	Thorndon Park
Toot Hill		v	Clacton-on-Sea
Muswell Hill		v	Woolston Manor
East Herts		v	Gosfield Lake
The Warren		v	Enfield