RINGMER 1

CROWBOROUGH ATHLETIC 5

Sussex County League Division One

CROWBOROUGH Athletic stunned their local rivals as they cruised to an emphatic 5-1 victory over Ringmer at The Cabur on Saturday.

Two goals in two minutes from Mike Culverhouse and Jake Forward put the Crows in the driving seat early on before a Dan Tear own-goal put Ringmer back in contention.

However, Tom Boddy restored the two-goal cushion before the interval, with further second-half goals from Tom Wood and Forward wrapping up an impressive display from Crowborough.

Crowborough took the lead after six minutes as an excellent through-ball by Harry Thompson played in Culverhouse, who beat the offside trap, and tucked it away from Ringmer keeper Jake Buss into the far bottom corner.

Seconds later, the Crows doubled their lead as Forward took the ball away from Aaron Philips and Sam O'Reagan before side-footing beyond Buss and into the net from 12 yards.

Ringmer came close, Rene Milan playing through Robbie Frost, who put the ball past Ben Head, but Jon Hampson was on the line to clear.

On 18 minutes, Ringmer reduced the deficit when Tim Johnson's in-swinging free-kick from the left came off the back of the head of Tear, and the ball flew into the far corner away from the standing Head.

On 31 minutes, Crowborough restored the two-goal margin when Dave Adams whipped in the ball from the right and Simon Munday kept it in play at the far post before heading back across goal, where Boddy rose above his marker to nod in from close range.

Before the hour, the Crows nearly made it 4-1 as Wayne Clarke tackled Philips and, one on one with Buss, took the ball away from the keeper, but it ran out of play. In the 73rd minute, sub Tom Wood picked up the ball 30 yards out and dribbled well past Aaron Hasan before his unbelievable drive with the outside of his foot curled away from the motionless keeper, clipped the inside of a post and flew into the net.

Late on, Dan Poulton's throw-in found the feet of Adams, who held off Hasan to find Forward on the edge of the area.

He exquisitely took the ball past Milan before side-stepping past Philips and, from a tight angle, stroking the ball away from the beaten Buss into the far bottom corner.